JW Anderson is my homeboy. I don’t know him or anything but he’s Irish and therefore I can pretend to know him at dinner parties and such, to people who have no idea how big or small Ireland is. He’s been tearing up the world of menswear for only a little while but he’s already provided a truly unique aesthetic, a breath of fresh air if you will. With a sell out Topman collaboration under his belt he’s pretty much the hottest menswear designer we have. I was unbelievably excited to see what his AW12/13 collection would look like, in his own words it was inspired by “Aristocracy, youth culture and individualism” which left me baffled, but let’s let the clothes do the talking.
First up – the eye bending Bridget Riley prints… bonkers, but kind of amazing. I’d describe it as ‘futuristic’ but only in a retro, Stanley Kubrick, 1960’s sense of a futuristic aesthetic. There are even shiny red trousers, just like James Long’s and Buffy’s.
I guess global warming is to blame for the fact that quilting was big everywhere this season. Unlike the quilted gilets at J. Lindeberg, the quilting at JW Anderson covered everything from skirts to clutch bags and French Foreign Legion style hats. JW’s anchor logo from a few seasons ago has inexplicably turned into a pineapple, for extra added whimsy I suppose. Love it or hate it there is absolutely nothing else quite like it.
Follow Warren – Twitter