WORD.

LONDON FASHION WEEK S/S2011 – JW ANDERSON

In the seven months that have passed since Jonathan Anderson's romantic, rebellious stalk through a grunge infused wilderness, he has been welcomed into the nigh-on impenetrable Topman LENS fold, produced a corresponding womenswear collection and attracted key buyers from Liberty, Harrods, ASOS, Oki-Ni and LN-CC. The pressure resolutely on, it is perhaps unsurprising then that his Spring/Summer 2011 collection acted more as a continuation of that feted Autumn/Winter work than anything else within his oeuvre.

Strikingly similar in silhouette - multitudinous layers merging into one another; a short sleeved knit over a shirt, paired with a neckerchief and a studded choker, anchored in cuffed, tapered chinos and flourished with a crochet knit tied at the waist - the collection's central conceit moved from Grunge discontent to William Gedney inspired Psychedelia. Harnessing the late sixties/early seventies theme gripping womenswear - a few looks nestled within the show - Anderson, delved not into the glamour, the disco, the studio 54 but the Summer of Love and a spirit of communal reciprocity.

Moving from light to darkness, colour to muted neutrals, pinks, oranges, yellows and greens blossomed across bleached liberty prints and hand-dyed doilies applied to shirting and trousers, t-shirts and patchworked, tie-dyed hoodies. A doily motif blown up and applied to silk chinos in hues of Punk-ish red and black articulated a tussle between hard and soft, the fey and the robust, extending to a military green colourway - picked up in cargo shorts and a harness t-shirt replete with d-rings and multiple zippers.

Sharply cut chambray shirts - short, boxy and flared at elbow length sleeve - added strong, precise relief whilst final monochromatic looks - a barely there organza cardigan and Gedney print t-shirt layered beneath chiffon - concluded a move into gossamer darkness, Swarovski studded toe caps glittering in the light. Concluding with a clouded sky stretching across the catwalk, models lined up static, Pulp's 'Do you Remember the First Time?' blasting out, Jonathan captured a balance of fragility and forged strength, loves gained and lost.

Photos by Duilio Marconi

Posted by Luke Raymond