It’s easy to get bogged down by the practicality that is supposed to underpin our daywear. So often, we’re just left to refine what already exists, convinced that it’s the nighttime where the magic really happens. But what if the day was just as rife with possibilities? With Spring/Summer 2024, Jonathan Anderson reminds us that we’re not done pioneering our daywear. Though he’s always brought a trademark zeal to casualwear, both at Loewe and his eponymous JW Anderson label, this season brings a wealth of fun ideas to pull our heads out of the sand.
‘Exaggeration’ is usually a signature of the Irish designer’s repertoire, and from the opening looks, we see where he’s going. Bulky loose-knit ponchos with bulbous gold shank buttons lined down the centre were thrown over relaxed denim. While it’s difficult to imagine getting much done without armholes, we’d happily take on the challenge for these walking throw rugs. And again, who said daywear really needed to be that functional, anyway?
Then came a core moment of the collection: ultra high-waisted trousers with micro shirts tucked into them. It should look uncomfortable—comical, even—but damn if it doesn’t just work. The same sentiment goes for jackets with pockets sitting right at the bust. It makes you wonder what other ideas we’ve prematurely dismissed without actually giving them good thought. I’m sure Anderson will get to those soon enough.
Asymmetry was a recurring theme within the design of outerwear. A single-lapeled cardigan, suede and leather coats with one half cutting off and pulled up into a bag, and a ruffled mini skirt in navy and cream that draped down the leg on one side were playful but still rooted in wearability. Rods woven through belt loops on shorts and trousers of leather and wool were reminiscent of a needle poking through fabric—a successful example of how Anderson sees inspiration where most of us might not.
But it wasn’t just his go-to separates that caught the eye. Throughout the show, there was lots of fun had with dresses. Two with tiered looped fringing took unique forms; one left loose and untouched, the other distressed with a wired hem—as if the first had gone through a woodchipper. Elsewhere, the protruding heart neckline from past seasons reappeared in luxuriously draped dresses, and a svelt butter yellow gown with a square Post-It-like shape affixed on its front had the room cracking a smile.
Accessories are Anderson’s bread and butter. Footwear was a particular highlight for this editor, with more than a few hits in chunky fisherman sandals, bedazzled ballet flats, Mary Jane mules and fuzzy clogs. The quiet icon taking over our feeds, the Loewe Squeeze shoulder bag, was also rendered in new pebbled and beaded exteriors, as well as inflated to massive proportions.
The cooky details may seem hardly game-changing to some, but it’s the civility in Anderson’s subversion that truly marks his brilliance. Knowing when to consider function and when to throw it all to the wind to bring us something fresh and genuinely innovative is what makes him such a force in the industry. There really is so much left for us to explore in this realm of daywear, and this week, in Paris, Anderson gave us a peak beyond the ceiling and made a convincing case to keep going.
