Consistency is the name of the game at Joseph, where Susana Clayton is hitting her stride as creative director. The long, body-skimming silhouettes the brand was known for under Clayton’s predecessor continue, as does the focus on smart tailoring and midlength skirts. A Moroccan theme—started in her pre-collection—reached its zenith for Spring 2020, inspired by the heritage of the brand’s founder, Joseph Ettedgui. It’s in this reference that Clayton allowed herself a sense of playfulness, bringing in rich tangerine colors, crafty tweed and knit fabrications, and eclectic styling best epitomized in the pairing of the butter leather tunic with pooling lilac trousers. She spoke of looking for a natural sense of imperfection, using tea dyes and linens to bring an earthen feel to the clothes and launching a small capsule of macramé bags.
But this being Joseph, the collection remained primarily about wardrobe dressing in urban centers. Clayton was wise to cut the eclecticism with crisp leather tailoring, blown-up logo prints, and wine-hued satin separates that had—dare say us—a sort of sexy appeal. The shift from austere to exciting that’s happened at Joseph under Clayton’s early tenure is small to the outside eye, but welcome. Yes, these are still the sort of clothes women rely on for instant polish and sophistication, but thanks to some clever experimentation and a little relaxing of the rules, they’re also pieces that can brighten up a closet.
