JW Anderson FW24 Fashions Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut'
Anderson brought the film’s memorable paintings to life on knitwear, in collaboration with artist Christine Kubrick, Stanley’s widow.
Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 erotic mystery drama Eyes Wide Shut served as the blueprint for JW Anderson’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection.
“I’ve never looked to a film as the starting point before,” designer Jonathan Anderson admitted following the show, adding that he opted to rewatch Kubrick’s classic in July for inspiration. “I became obsessed with Christine Kubrick and how she painted most of the artworks in her husband’s film.” Later that summer, Anderson connected with Christine, who is now 91 years old and still resides in Hertfordshire (where she lived with her late husband), and he inquired with her about a collaboration.
The immediate result was a trio of knit jersey dresses covered in Christine’s womanly depictions. Other illustrative sweaters showed her paintings of potted plants, a detailed car windshield and her darling cat Polly, who she cared for with Stanley. “I thought there was something interesting in the idea of bringing something into the foreground that ultimately doesn’t want to be there,” said Anderson. It’s a touching tribute to Christine’s quiet involvement in the cinema.
Eyes Wide Shut is a Christmas movie (albeit a thriller), so you’ll see some bright red Poinsetta plants scattered throughout the film’s scenes. In Anderson’s collection, the holiday-favorite flowering plant, which the designer finds “incredibly disgusting,” frequently roots itself on knit tops. “It looks like a very toxic plant,” he said. “I like that idea.”
The women’s models wore tights over panties, and Anderson’s male looks sported tasteful hosiery over boxers, often opting for a pants-less finish. “Tights offer such an amazing second skin, and they can become a kink,” Anderson explained. “For me, it had to be a subversive act. It’s like edging.”
Anderson toyed with dimensions, inflating cardigans and bloomers with eccentric satin linings protruding out like grand piping. Velvet blazers acquired exaggerated shoulders, and sweaters were blown entirely out of proportion. Shirts, too, possessed gargantuan sleeves, and trousers were placed on the widest setting. High heels were embellished with tassels, and loafers showed off even larger ones.
“Weird and perversely domestic, plush and padded, everything is off,” the show notes concluded. Despite the collection’s fearless quirks, much of the line still read highly wearable. That’s the magic of Jonathan Anderson: he’s highly imaginative, but he knows when to pin the final thread.
See JW Anderson’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection in the gallery above, and stay tuned to Hypebeast for more Milan Fashion Week Men’s coverage.
