JW Anderson - Resort 2021

(Images from J.W Anderson.  All rights. Used in promotion of the designer.)

At the tail end of the quarantine lockdowns in June, there was a maniac rush to 'liberate' or 'reclaim', words that were used by various pundits, which was derived by the thought of peoples freedoms being under attack via what was seemed like 'forced' lockdowns. With elements of paranoia and delusions mixed within diverging aspects of the political scale, it reinforced the masses of people to hit the streets, essentially heralding the beginning of the end of the lockdown process. With politicizing the virus from both so called ideologies, all are at fault here, when the lock downs where supposed at the beginning, seen only as social media rhetoric, to offer a glimpse into self retrospection and contemplation.  Instead, the pent up desires of a return to normal, with governments in lock step desperately trying to restart their economies, to catch up to an over juiced stock market, have unleashed not the 2nd wave of Covid-19, but the continued  1st wave of its initial spread globally. The infections, within America, are going through the roof as are the death rates, particularly now among the young.  Quarantines were lifted to fast, to soon, with no idea how to implement a newer perspective to society.  The virus is doing it for us without a disregard or care.  Still, in observing the creatives that didn't waste time moaning about a lack of freedom and why they can't buy take away coffees, instead they worked their disciplines. 

Jonathan Anderson's Resort 2021 collection is a very much in the vein of that self discipline and pragmatism, aware that fashion may never return to what we remember it as, the bustle and glamor of the runways, the over exuberance of fashion weeks are all but just memories.  With September 2020 tentatively penciled in, like all forward business model plans, as being the restart for traditional fashion weeks to begin.  With the virus out of control in America, Europe will end up in the same boat again, as the dates for fashion weeks may further be pushed back or manifest as a bare minimum of showcasing.  Either way, Anderson has not focused on tomorrow, rather in has shown his entire collection without a model, due to quarantine restrictions, rather his use of mannequin in a clever use of artistic concepts.  

Setting up his 21 piece collection, which is more akin to a Fall showing than resort, as a testament of what can be achieved with limited resources. Anderson's layered and stylized fits, with their clean and delineated cuts, have portrayed a 2021 collection in a simplified, yet, also detailed impression. Showing his skills of fitting without a human model with the use of materials on hand has to be applauded.