Show Report
Short, sleeveless and open back tabards, cropped trousers and structured shorts referenced Raf Simon’s iconic silhouette and nodded to a modernist take on menswear.
‘Craft goes Machine’ was the title of J.W. Anderson’s spring summer 2012 collection that fused a youthful aesthetic with a super minimalist approach. Anderson’s stripped back collection used artisanal techniques fused with technical fabrics to create a proficient effort for the first show of menswear day at London Fashion Week.
Short, sleeveless and open back tabards, cropped trousers and structured shorts referenced Raf Simon’s iconic silhouette and nodded to a modernist take on menswear. Hand produced detailing in the form of crochet fabrics and intricate leatherwork were attached to tops and trousers and even worn as skirts. Structured and boxy, the silhouette was effective on impish models but could these shapes translate into a commercial wardrobe?
Rauschenberg inspired collages informed a patchwork of fabrics and print came in the form of a minimal paisley pattern printed at Adamley in Macclesfield and jersey t-shorts were produced by heritage brand Sunspel.
The mix of masculine and feminine has always been Anderson’s signature, and the collection did seem to singale a turning point for Anderson with a sharper and more modern take on menswear. This season Anderson has branched out from menswear with a women’s collection shown earlier in the week, so perhaps there was a sense that the menswear had taken second priority this time.
