Jonathan Anderson - Designer, Creative Director of JW Anderson & Christian Dior

[NoInvite]

I thought his reference/teaser for Loewe with Meisel was much more distinct.

An Interpretation
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Stylist: Joe McKenna
Models: Amber Valletta, Audrey Marnay, Benoit Taupin, Carly Hanger, Carolyn Murphy, Daniel, Danielle Zinaich, Erin O'Connor, Georgina Grenville, Kate Moss, Kirsten Owen, Maggie Rizer, Oliver Bjerrehuus, Seijo Imazaki
Make-Up: Pat McGrath
Hair: Louis Angelo


Source: Vogue Italia Archive

This looks AI generated.
Logo placement is just odd. So far doesn't trigger anything for me.

 

[PDFSD]

sofar feels fresh and arty (andy/basquiat) & light hearted fun play on books tote

i like it its setting up Dior to be a total lifestyle house /brand with a couture frame ..like a historical private place in the city of paris filled with colorful art and lots of daylight with historical furniture mixed with contemporary high art tables and chairs etc

how the Arnolds live :-)

 

[Lola701]

I guess his own brand will transform itself into an alteration of his Loewe as PS will eventually make Loewetheir own.

I thought his reference/teaser for Loewe with Meisel was much more distinct.


This looks AI generated.
Logo placement is just odd. So far doesn't trigger anything for me.

The Meisel/Loewe thing was very elusive though. Beautiful and great art direction by M/M but those images were beautiful but in no way indicated what his Loewe of the early days was.

I feel like his Dior is more pragmatic.

We know that JWA is both pretentious and commercial so in a way, the previews for Dior are familiar.

It’s so obvious that it’s almost funny to think that Maria Grazia never though about it.

It’s super clever because suddenly, the booktote will become collectible. Then I wonder how the regular version will look like.

 

[tigerrouge]

The Book Tote has been through several disasters already, starting with the phase where the glue discoloured the bag, and people had an uphill struggle to get the brand to recognise that it wasn't their fault that stains had started to appear along the glued sections.

Then came the news that it costs peanuts to make - people knew that in their bones, but they didn't want to be reminded about it. It breaks the spell, it ruins the magic.

So I can see all sorts of PR blitzes happening in order to make the Book Tote seem desirable again - after all, those profit margins are great - but a lot of people who've already owned one might not be rushing back for more.

 

[Nimsay]

ok but what woman wants a mustard and ketchup Dracula bag… I think making each tote themed to a book is the logical end phase of the book tote lifecycle. You only start issuing random limited editions at the end of a production cycle when interest in waning.

 

[PDFSD]

i never wanted a book tote ever but the dracula one yes :-) to put grocery or second beach bag or stuff for pets for long weekend car trip etc ......nothing serious

i like also the silver frog pin cushion its whimsical like a supreme gadget you buy because its funny and branded in this case discreetly

very expensive things that put a smile on your face work well when you need an excuse to shop and you want to burn money it works well for hermes the happy colors and scarf prints and child like charms etc its all whimsical

notice how LV mens and womens and Chanel even are very child like in colors and products are friendly and non offensive like hermes ...it does well to be an expense toy store for grown ups even goyard multi colors are like kids toy block .

 

[FashionPower]

Did anyone notice they are pushing and using the classico logo on social media while on the website they are still using the caps one...not necessarily what I was expecting from Dior management.

 

[hamburgers]

The Dracula book tote is pure JW mainline

The chair is very pretty and I think maybe more indicative of what’s in store for us.

 

[PDFSD]

Did anyone notice they are pushing and using the classico logo on social media while on the website they are still using the caps one...not necessarily what I was expecting from Dior management.

takes time also on site its still old dior products ...it would be bad if online had new JWA Dior and it was not updated but now its fair and normal social media is like preview

 

[Lola701]

ok but what woman wants a mustard and ketchup Dracula bag… I think making each tote themed to a book is the logical end phase of the book tote lifecycle. You only start issuing random limited editions at the end of a production cycle when interest in waning.

I would. And I don’t own a Dior booktote. I have some Olympia Le Tan clutches. Weirdly Olympia does totes but not with covers of books so I hope she will adapt her designs.

The booktote anyway is a travel/running errands bag. I have never seen women (in cities I have been to) going to work, dinner or even formal events with that. It’s a practical bag but not really a versatile bag unlike the neverfull for example.

In general, women likes fun bags in the evening except when they have a quirky style. This can be a fun alternative to this kind of tote.

And if ever someone ask why Dior when you could get Olympia Le Tan which is made in a more Artisanal way, I would say: because it’s Dior!

I’m currently looking for an insanely big tote to fill all my life in it. The perfect one is the Phoebe Philo one. I don’t want to spend that kind of money on the bag. I was advise to buy The Row but I would rather buy Phoebe instead. So far, the best option is at Victoria Beckham! If JWA makes a XXL version of the booktote for Dior, at the same price as the VB, I would buy the Dior.

 

[Avonlea]

But Olympia's bags are charming. The quirky design works with their shape and small size. JWA's booktotes look cheap and basic.

 

[Lola701]

But Olympia's bags are charming. The quirky design works with their shape and small size. JWA's booktotes look cheap and basic.

Yes but the same with her totes too. I mean a tote bag is a tote bag so it is basic.
Clearly a clutch doesn’t serve the same purpose as a tote lol. But both can co-exist in a woman’s wardrobe.
It’s funny because now she will be part of the conversation again and people will find a new love for her clutches.

 

[yslforever]

The tent outside the Invalides is charming, a kind of recreation of a couture salon, in grey&white.

 

[Avonlea]

Yes but the same with her totes too. I mean a tote bag is a tote bag so it is basic.
Clearly a clutch doesn’t serve the same purpose as a tote lol. But both can co-exist in a woman’s wardrobe.
It’s funny because now she will be part of the conversation again and people will find a new love for her clutches.

I agree, but at a basic bag can look expensive. Here it doesn't. I believe the book cover motif could have been executed better.
Maybe it's just my general dislike for the book tote. I was never a fan of its design.

 

[LadyJunon]

The tent outside the Invalides is charming, a kind of recreation of a couture salon, in grey&white.

We need a picture, please!

 

[fruitdots]

From a literature PhD—please no...

Forced intellectualism, from Maria Grazia's Dior to Raf's Calvin Klein, is always a bad move. Alessandro Michele's toying with Barthes (etc.) was tolerable for a season at best, and he was probably the most subtle about it. And I especially don't want to see all this tacky Basquiat bullsh*t. That was Raf's death knell—just slapping a bunch of Warhol prints on things and pretending it was a revolution in American sportswear. Bastardizing the work of great artists, authors, theorists, etc. is lazy and tacky. At least collaborate with living artists (though then we get stuck with repulsive garbage like Sterling Ruby). I thought J.W. Anderson would be ok that front too, considering the past work with Liz Magor, etc. But I guess not...

Ugh!! There goes a lot of the hope I had for his Dior.

 

[style_expert]

Bastardizing the work of great artists, authors, theorists, etc. is lazy and tacky. At least collaborate with living artists (though then we get stuck with repulsive garbage like Sterling Ruby).

While I agree with you, collaborating with living artists was Maria Grazia’s forte—and it didn’t exactly bode well for her. The whole concept of collaborations with or literal inspiration from artists tends to be uneasy and awkward, and even at its best, fails to deliver anything substantial.

I want to reserve judgment until I see the collection, but… Basquiat, Lee Radziwill, and Warhol??? To me, it screams the definition of a total fashion ‘inspiration’ cliché.

 

[GivenchyHomme]

The old Dior logo looks surprisingly fresh and modern here. I hope that's the last we'll see of Maria Grazia's soulless version.

 

[Tchi]

Yes it looks pretentious as well as uninspired… its a bit confusing, but it feels very, very intentional, which is VERY JW.
Allegedly he has been working on this collection and on the image since last décembre so i suppose all of this has been masterfully orchestrated and I can’t wait to be slapped in the face with something unexpected. Please!

 

[Lola701]

The fact that he chose Basquiat and not an art work tells me that he may be inspired by his style. The same for Lee.
When I think about Basquiat style, I think about the CDG show he walked in but also about a certain nonchalance. Maybe an approachable styling.

JWA is pretentious and in some ways, he owns his pretention. This is not a case where people put words in his mouth based on interpretation like people do with Matthieu Blazy for example.

When JWA does an interview, it doesn’t make sense but it doesn’t matter because in the end, the product is good and he is a very intentional designer.

Now we are trying to put pieces together into a puzzle that doesn’t clearly make sense. Because essentially, the book bags could have been a Basquiat collaboration but it’s just books cover turned into totes. How Lee as an inspiration can be translated into a menswear proposition?

Maybe the show will actually be co-ed who knows? A lot of questions…