5 Questionable Trends From J.W.Anderson That Will Rock The Fashion World

There are few designers in the world that see so far into the future that even fashion people — notoriously impatient with trends themselves — can feel whiplash. J.W.Anderson is one of those visionaries. Just last season, he presented London Fashion Week with a very '80s collection of giant-shouldered, velour tunics and pointy Puss-in-Boots-style shoes — a huge departure from the boho, '70s thing every other designer was doing. But as more shows rolled in and we had more time to process, confusion quickly turned into acceptance as Anderson's collection felt like something fresh in a sea of sameness.

It wasn't a surprise that many resort collections and subsequent magazine editorials borrowed heavily from his Fall 2015 collection. Looking back on it now is an exercise in time travel. Sure — you still might not like it (or you might love it!), but by this point, his clothes feel like part of the zeitgeist.

So...his Spring 2016 show was definitely a contentious one. Leg-o'-mutton sleeves might not have been in vogue since the '80s (and before that, the 1880s). A double-messenger bag situation might have made a few editors rubberneck in the front row. There were some trends that he’s pioneering that are palatable enough for the knockoff retailers, like those pinched-edged seams, Keith Haring-esque squiggles, and swirling pastel prints. And while we're sure that those will become the bonafide trends that we'll all be wearing, it's the ones in this slideshow that are really going to challenge us to think in the six months ahead.