JW Anderson Is For Boys Who Like Girls Who Like Kilts

Irish-born Jonathan Anderson is one designer pushing updating age-old craft traditions, in equal measures at the women’s and menswear parades for his J.W. Anderson label. Jonathan’s collections have received critical acclaim over the past seasons for his evolving dialogue of youthful androgyny capturing the zeitgeist, as he questions traditional codes of dress (a kilted trouser for both sexes is one recognizable signature).

“It was about the hyper manipulation of the fabric—I was thinking of thousands of hexagons made out of crochet,” Anderson told Interview after showing a trim silhouette for Spring 2012 that allowed his many fabric manipulations to shine through across flat planes. That hexagon motif was formed into colourful latticework vests that lay across bare skin, while perforated or laced leather panels in biker jackets or zippered shells ensured his sense of rigidity was not lost through this season’s more sensual offering—perhaps the influence of his new stylist, Carine Roitfeld’s former assistant Benjamin Bruno?

Knitted separates added further lightness and an element of draping to the collection, as did cardigans buttoned together into slinky minidresses in chartreuse and sky blue for women, as tanktops were  emblazoned with streaks of Swarovski crystal mesh for the men’s parade. Boys and girls alike wore a hybrid slip-on sneaker, finished with fringed loafer details, in English leathers. Pink and blue-striped pajama sets embroidered with the brand’s “nautical-but-nice” anchor logo injected a sense of British humor through Anderson’s otherwise slick, futuristic proposition.