Review: John Elliott Spring/Summer 2023 Collection
John Elliott loves a photogenic location to set the scene for his runway presentations. Before bidding New York adieu to show his collection in Paris, Elliott had migrated from traditional studio show spaces to takeover Pier 62's Skatepark and the Brooklyn Navy Yard to debut his collections. Then COVID-19 hit, locking down the world, temporarily halting Elliott's scene-setting streak until today (Jan 21st).
John Elliott invited showgoers to the Centre Pompidou to introduce Paris to how John Elliott does a runway show, the designer. Five escalator rides up, and a skyline view of Paris served as the background for the clean and modern outdoor space Elliott chose for his Paris catwalk debut. But why show in Paris, France, arguably the most influential fashion capital of the world, and why return to the runway after his clothes were described as "extremely hot on the hanger in a way that might be tricky to translate to the runway," by Vogue?
Surely the frayed seamed patchwork trousers and the oversized leather moto jackets with worn-in finishings would be better appreciated with minutes to take in at a presentation style showing versus the split-second model passing at a runway show. With life back in the swing of things --an assuming Elliott knows how good the clothes look while still-- it was just as necessary to show the clothes in motion too. I don't doubt the chunky spring knits feel soft and supple on a hanger, but does the same apply when the garments run through the reservoir (there was a surface-level water feature that the models walked around)? Yes! Motion only elevated Elliott's display of cable knit and mesh tops and hoochie daddy shorts. While the designer is still mastering merging prints into his minimal luxury aesthetic, the collection as a whole will grow more in its surefootedness as he continues to show in Paris.
