Rainbows and dream coats and clouds, oh my! At first glance Jonathan Saunders’ latest collection might look like it was conjured up by the Skittles ad team, but with influences from controversial artist Allen Jones and a soundtrack from Blade Runner, it had a more sinister undercurrent.
For autumn/winter 15, maybe due to the passing of his MA tutor Louise Wilson, Jonathan Saunders got nostalgic over his days at Central Saint Martins, from which he graduated in 2002, with a collection of psychedelic hippies in a myriad of different hues. This season, a rainbow of colored pillars lined the runway and the first look out was printed with pink and purple cloud formations that looked like the type My Little Pony would ride. Paired with thigh-high,lace-up Louboutins, silhouettes would continue to come in 60s shapes with A-line skirts and polo necks, while the prints on them just became wilder. Inspired by artists Allen Jones, Bridget Riley and Martin Creed (who sat front row), optically illusive lines overlapped with each other, grids of color were formed and cartoon-like doodles were drawn, but the boxy shapes, straight edges and bug-eyed sunglasses gave the craziness a more clinical feel, like a parallel universe somewhere between the futuristic worlds of The Jetsons and Blade Runner. This is what the rainbow really tastes like.
Catch up with the rest of our fall/winter 15 coverage here.
