Leave it to JW Anderson to give us conceptual corduroy. The designer opened his shape-shifting A/W presentation with a series of puff-sleeved, funnel-necked blouses, topped with self-corsets, and teamed with fluted, calf-grazing skirts in the material. Still following? Next came myriad manifestations of twisted, tucked, draped and often raw-edged, ankle-length dresses and skirts, as the neck took over from S/S's obsession with the mid-section. Knitted neck warmers and stiff funnel collars, sealed the rise of this new erogenous zone. Or alternatively, fabric was simply snipped away from haphazard necklines, offering a wide reveal of décolletage. There was also some century shuffling at play - from Andersons' puffed sleeves, to his diamond seam panelling. One exit even sported a gathered bustle, but tellingly, it was his tailored long-line coats, flattened by a coordinated tube top, that sent the audience into an Insta-flap. And while the Northern Irish designer's earthy palette began in subdued putty and mossy hues, we were soon met with a print series that resembled dripping paint, its interesting strangeness exaggerated by his curious origami loafers. This was Andersons' first women's runway appearance since LVMH took a minority stake in his label last September - also extending the creative directorship of Spanish luxury house Loewe come S/S 2015 - and it reinforced his true value as an ideas incubator.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
