Jonathan Anderson plays with dimensions, inflating cardigans and shorts with eccentric satin linings that protrude like large trims composed of various types of borders. But he also plays with paradox, on the concept of oxymoron, bringing the clash between surface reality and underground reality with a very specific inspiration in mind. Velvet blazers hide beneath oversized shoulders and oversized sweaters; shirts, too, have sleeves that move almost gigantically. Grape-colored cardigans, adorned with pink padded lapels gracefully protruding from the wearer’s chest, embody the comfort of garments reserved for private wear. Here, Anderson opens the doors to Kubrickian cinema: from the masked ball scene in Eyes Wide Shut comes the emphasis on red and all its variations, appearing in FW 24-25 both in details like gloves and asymmetric pins, and in extraordinarily accessorized total looks, such as a simple white shirt adorned with an additional pair of elongated sleeves. Color permeates the entire presentation, including garments printed with Christiane Kubrick’s paintings on knitwear and on three different long dresses; other pieces encapsulate the portrait of the cat Polly, a potted plant with a barcode still on the tub, and the interior of a car.
“I’ve never looked at a film as a starting point for a collection before. I became obsessed with Christine Kubrick and how she painted most of the artworks in her husband’s film.”
Weird and perversely domestic, plush and padded, everything is off.
While the collection is rich in colors – black, yellow, purple, gray, camel, green, brown, pink, white, and gold – JW Anderson’s runway is a dark spectacle. Arthur Schnitzler’s 1925 Double Dream is everywhere, and JW Anderson stages various references to the work through vivid yet essential representations for the collection’s imagery. A clear reference is made to Paula on Red, the painting that dominates the Zieglers’ bathroom and captures the nudity of the prostitute Mandy. The tailored suits are provocative and almost fetishistic, adorned with stylized Christmas stars. An oversized red velvet evening jacket for men becomes a parody of formal power, complete with cork slides with ghillie tassels and shirts with bibs. JW Anderson’s distinctive touch, characterized by recurring preferences such as shorts, finds expression in high heels decorated with tassels and structured loafers. At this point, upholstery and compositions transform into clothing; the reality around us becomes ambivalent, while the sounds of Jessica Dannheisser and Tom Boddy transport us into the Anderson Universe.
