I don’t know quite how they decide who kicks off the shows and while the 1st slot used to have almost a permanent owner it has been some what up for grabs over the last few seasons. But I can’t think of a better show to have kicked off LFW in its new home than J.JS Lee.
J. JS Lee is one of those brands that has managed to slide into the schedule and while you vaguely remember it happening, you aren’t sure when or how but your awfully pleased that they’re there.
A collection of muted tones and ice pastel hues of pink, blue, lemon and pistachio (with obligatory black and white for good measure and a healthy dose of navy), this was very much a calming way to start the week. While silhouettes reflected some of the seventies shapes that are popular right now – flared trousers, boxy cut shirting and floaty maxis, this was a much more sophisticated take on seventies style, twisted with fantastic cutting and modern asymmetric shapes. A real French riviera feel, the collection was soft and glamorous, beautifully put together but easy to wear. Remember a few season’s ago when we all tried to wear pyjama silhouettes as day wear? Well this definitely gave a nod to that but it worked beautifully.
In terms of patterns, stripes were order of the day – both horizontal and vertical, sometimes mixed together within the same piece which really made your eye take in the whole garment and acknowledge the fantastic bias cutting and asymmetric panelling. Stripes differed in widths too, this wasn’t about a boring bretton, these stripes played with colour, width, length and positioning but the soft colours and floaty fabrics ensured that garments never felt overwhelmed.
To enhance the stripes and the almost juxtaposition of such soft fabrics with such a definitive print, pleats were used in a similar manner to bring back structure to the collection. Again used asymmetrically and as panelled sections, the wrap skirts and pleat sections seamlessly slotted into the garments.
This was a soft and beautiful collection that played on classic ideas, deconstructing them to altered our rigid perceptions of traditional shapes, prints and techniques. Simply Stunning!
Key trends:
- Seventies silhouettes
- Partial pleat detail
- Pastel Hues
- Stripes
Images: Catwalking.com