Although J.W. Anderson s Fall 14 collection was rather divisive, the more commercial pieces he distilled from it, which were shown at sales appointments, were pretty much unanimously held up as ratification of LVMH s investment in the brand, and of Loewe s appointment of Anderson as its new creative director. This season the ratification was right there on the runway: This was a relatable, wearable collection, yet challenging in ways that advance the fashion conversation.
Anderson wouldn t own up to it, but there seemed to be a nautical theme here, interpreted in gently surreal fashion. The backward sailor pants were fantastic—slung low, with a slight flare—while sculpted tops and dresses slung with hemp rope suggested masts and sails. You could also detect a salt breeze in the towel-like mini-suits of densely knit cotton, and in the watery leathers that closed the show. Both the mini-suits and the leather looks were, it bears pointing out, body-baring and marked by some youthful joie de vivre. It was nice to see Anderson lightening his tone. And there was a similar playful quality to his out-of-scale buttons, collars, and sleeves. The layered leather camisoles and printed linen jacquard dresses with leather scarf-tied fronts, meanwhile, were a bit more abstracted, but they still seemed like clothes stores could sell. The stuff that should go like hotcakes, though, were this collection s midi-length leather wrap skirt and leather blouse with suspended, squared-off sleeves. In all red, the look seemed instantly iconic. The honchos over at Loewe must have been quite pleased to see that ensemble come down Anderson s runway; it bodes well for his Paris debut.
