John Elliott previewed his new women’s line on Vogue Runway last week, and showed it today, in full, alongside men’s. Taken together, the two appeared perfectly compatible and eminently wearable—a very solid dual outing of his particular brand of elevated streetwear, and evidence of a polished new era.
As he predicted, women’s looks accounted for roughly half of today’s show, a vote of confidence in the venture. And there was plenty to feel confident about. In addition to innovations like coated linen, alpaca jacquard, and a raised Prince of Wales plaid that Elliott showcased earlier, there were padded bombers, fuzzy mohairs with extra-long sleeves, an excellent olive jumpsuit, and the occasional silk minidress.
Now for men’s, Elliott's original métier. Jackets ruled, in particular those of the stadium and parachute variety, as well as several (seamlessly) quilted jackets made with the Japanese ski brand Descente. And he clearly had fun with fabrics, as in a killer split-wool plaid topcoat, a soft-to-the-touch jersey shirt he described as “baby bouclé,” and knit basketball shorts that evolved out of corduroy, like that which formed the swoosh on several Nikes. Prints came from photos Elliott took of the neon strip during a trip to Las Vegas, and from the wallpaper in a motel of the seedier sort.
Elliott has a knack for researching the nitty-gritty of design, going as far as he can to the source of an idea. He’s now on his fifth jacket collaboration with Blackmeans, a Japanese collective of leatherworkers (and sometime punk rockers) who descend from those of feudal Japan, or so they claim, and why not? They helped Elliott on a paint-cracked leather showstopper of a jacket. He also re-created Champion jackets from the 1950s, but with thick fleeced lining. Often, a good idea resulted from happy accident, as in an ink-splattered shirt deemed a mistake by the factory, but which Elliott liked so much he incorporated it into his collection.
