Jonathan Saunders

NEW YORK, February 15, 2009
By Nicole Phelps
Searching for a symbol of strength, Jonathan Saunders alighted on the notion of birds. It made for a colorful collection, even by this designer's typically electric standards. A lot of attention was focused on the torso, via cutouts or panels of metallic and iridescent beads, and on the shoulders, which were either built-up and sharp, or swaddled in folds and gathers of fabric. Saunders was a print designer first, and a zigzag pattern he created as a student at Central Saint Martins made an appearance here. There were also abstracted feathers on chiffon and a tribal print on a jacquard weave. The show was almost exclusively dresses and coats, so legs were the other focal point. The models, who wore black head stockings, strutted around the runway in booties, wedges, or platform pumps studded with brightly hued crystals.

If it sounds like there was a lot going on, there was. But it was held together, for the most part, by a rigorous color palette—crimson, marigold, teal, and black—and a recurring silhouette that was fitted above the waist and softly flaring below. Still, the most successful looks were the most streamlined, like a pair of red floor-length columns. One had swags of black fabric at the shoulders and was cinched with a wide tribal belt; the other had undulating black racing stripes down the sides and around the décolletage, making the most of the model's own natural curves.

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