Silver balloons tied to every seat and at the entrance of the JordanLuca show might have suggested to guests that founders Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto were in the mood for celebrations. Considering how their latest coed collection further built on their brand’s ongoing development in terms of design maturity and credibility, that could have only been apt.
“It’s about hope and the joy of coming together,” Bowen said backstage about the show. Yet the balloons were intended as a bittersweet metaphor reminding that hope is also fragile – with as little as a needle threatening to burst it.
Good thing the spiky details the duo scattered throughout the collection and on accessories were at a safe distance. The pointy detailing added to the punk attitude embedded in the brand but that found new resonance as its designs are pivoting in a more grown-up direction, here expressed with a greater focus on tailoring.
A series of boxy and exaggeratedly wide shoulders in coats and blazer jackets made a statement in power dressing and mingled with sleek sartorial options in narrower proportions. Another regular in the designers’ oeuvre, kilts were reimagined into classic suit pants or midi pencil skirts, while apron-like styles revealing the back added to the subversive and sexy feel of the strong women’s proposition.
The latter riffed on ladylike codes and mixed them with fierce and sensual numbers, as seen in a standout red leather minidress and a bias-cut frock crafted from 37 continuous meters of sustainable satin viscose wrapping around the body. Zippers running on the back of low-rise pants, distressed sweaters and spikes used as cufflinks on sartorial looks added to the punk vibe, which was reinforced by the hairdos Anthony Turner created on a selection of models.
These included Andreas Kronthaler, making a cameo in support to Marchetto, who a decade ago worked as his and Vivienne Westwood’s personal design assistant.
Kronthaler rocked the runway in a totally black look (long raincoat and denim pants tucked into kitten-heeled boots included) that added to this dark-hinged collection. “Our own personal journey has been quite difficult in the last six months,” said Bowen, addressing grief. “But I don’t think black represents something negative. There’s something pure about it… There’s freedom in letting go of color and just focusing on the silhouette.”
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