JW Anderson just hosted his Women’s SS25 show at London Fashion Week, a study into the endless possibilities of the mini dress. Using only four materials in the entire collection - leather, cashmere, silk, and sequins - SS25 was a demonstration of how much Jonathan Anderson can do with the smallest of briefs: one garment and four materials became an avant garde array of looks.
This morning the fashion world’s eyes all turned to one unassuming spot in London’s city centre: Old Billingsgate market. Whilst a former fish market isn’t a conventional spot for a high fashion show, it's spacious, well-lit, and fits the quirky vibe of Jonathan Anderson’s branding. Besides, nothing gets press and celebrities the likes of Lennon Gallagher, Joe Alwyn and Normani to venture into Central at 11am on Sunday like a JW Anderson show, no matter where it’s hosted.
As guests arrived, filling benches lining the immense open space of the market, JW Anderson’s SS25 show kicked off, opening with a simple, straight-lined tunic style dress with trompe l'oeil buttons, which is one way of getting around limited materials. This was followed by more trompe l'oeil style mini dresses, in sequins or with faux hoods and fake pockets, before giving way to more avant garde takes on the classic mini.
The collection itself was grounded in the idea of restriction as liberation, studying how placing limits on yourself can affect the end result. The main restriction at JW Anderson SS25 was in the materials used: “one fabric, silk satin; one yarn for knitwear, cashmere; one kind of leather, calf; one type of embroidery, sequins; lace as the only decoration.”
Despite the level of restriction Jonathan Anderson subjected himself to, what was shown on the runway at JW Anderson this morning was nothing short of stunning. Playing on the exploration of “modern prettiness,” the Women’s SS25 collection was a reinterpretation of the mini dress in all different forms: knitted, woven, inflated, distorted, deconstructed, and reconstructed.
With rumours circulating in the fashion industry about which house Jonathan Anderson might be heading to next, his SS25 kind of felt like a resumé; a reminder of his imagination, versatility, and ability to spin collections from thin air. Limiting himself to four materials and one source material (the mini dress), Anderson reminded us that he really can make anything out of anything.
Featured image via JW Anderson©
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