Nathan Jenden (Q3479)
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Nathan Jenden is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Nathan Jenden |
Nathan Jenden is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
For the first collection of his Life After DVF (she was front-row center, in the show of support that typified their relationship), Nathan Jenden imagined "church ladies in the jungle." From the first zebra print to the last tulle ruffle, he constructed a vision of zingy, hyper-colored optimism. The key word is "constructed"—there was an over-the-top forties flavor to the tailoring of the jackets and pencil skirts with their flaring kick pleats (the saucer hats helped, too). It followed the silhouette of his equally upbeat Spring collection so closely, you could assume Jenden has settled on a design signature. It clearly doesn't involve "simple": A gray jersey dress was wrapped in a nude ruffle; a plain black jacket sported a leopard lapel. But it does involve lots of eye-popping color. Was that pink party skirt made of shredded feathers or strips of something synthetic? A one-shouldered dress composed of hot pink tiers looked like a great big cake. Another dress could have been made of crumpled metallic candy wrappers. But the sweetness wasn't sickly—for that, credit Jenden's contagious excitement about his future. "This isme," he bubbled backstage in his McQueen tee and little black waistcoat.
22 February 2010
Nathan Jenden goes two ways: night or day. He's either showing something dark and gothic or he's pumping up the volume with flashes of color. Maybe it's seasonal, because last Spring was a bright thing for him, and so was this one, following on the heels of a particularly sepulchral Fall collection. After Chanel Iman hit the runway in a button-covered Pearly Queen blazer and a flared skirt lined in fuchsia, Jenden was off in a rush of exotic color, decoration, and Bollywood graphics. He still liked his classic structure—the peplums, the pencil skirts, the kick pleats (and a cape-backed jacket with jodhpurs)—but then he'd drop a baby doll into the mix, or a flaring orange ballerina skirt with pink peeping out from underneath.If there have been murmurs about diversity on the catwalk again this week, Jenden had a full casting of black and Asian models. And the full-on finale—all the girls dancing down the runway—provided a welcome antidote to flagging fashion-week energy levels.
21 September 2009
The show was called "Frostbite," an oblique reference, perhaps, to the collection's chilly dominatrix edge, like Robert Palmer's video vixens filed to a much sharper point. And if that suggests the eighties, then Prince singing "Erotic City" on the soundtrack sealed the deal. Anyway, that's the magic decade for Jenden, to the point where a full-skirted white dress with a lace effect looked like something Cyndi Lauper might have gone formal in. Otherwise, the clothes were mostly black, fitted, and folded to the body. A fishnet body stocking was the foundation for a zippered dress whose precise folds looked like origami, or a trompe l'oeil layering of a man's eveningwear. There was a bandage dress (not for the first time in this eighties-infatuated season) in gray with a hint of Lurex, and a bondage outfit in a strap-draped bird's-eye jacket and pants. Other eighties touches: the huge zips that bifurcated dresses and tops, the multi-pleated pants tapering to the ankle. The mystery of "Frostbite" may have been solved, Rosebud-like, by the arrival of two dresses—a puffball, a trapeze—whose cutouts made the wearers look like giant mutant snowflakes. Yikes!
20 February 2009
Nathan Jenden's invitation announcing "I Want Candy" in appropriately gaudy colors triggered a distant memory of Bow Wow Wow's cover version of the song of that name. That was back in the eighties, the decade out of which Jenden's intensely toned outfits popped like…well, like candies. One piece looked like it was made of psychedelic cocktail umbrellas (or a Dale Chihuly glass sculpture). A cowl-backed short dress with a shimmer of sequins was disco ready, like the black leather jacket with crystal-encrusted sleeves. A white ruffled blouse paired with a big tie brought Sheena Easton to mind.Thierry Mugler made for a more upmarket association, in a suit with a pencil skirt and a peplum so stiff it would take your eye out. A bustled jacket with a tight calf-length skirt that flared into a kick-pleat and a second-skin strapless dress with ruffles cascading down the back were a little Thierry, a lot forties starlet…and eighties on top of it all. This sort ofde tropsensibility makes the eighties the decade of the moment (again!), according to the latest issue ofPopmagazine, so Jenden is on the money there. But unfortunately his collection served more as a reminder that the eighties were also known as the era that taste forgot.
16 September 2008
Loyalty might be the one human trait that trumps all others, so the sight of Diane von Furstenberg in the front row of her right-hand man Nathan Jenden's solo show was positively heartwarming. The clothes, on the other hand, had a chilly quality. Black in shade and Edwardian in their bustled, ruffled proportions, they looked like the weeds of a New Romantic widow, an impression that was compounded by the hair and makeup. If such a notion bleats "Eighties!" to you, you wouldn't be far wrong. Jenden showed a pouf skirt with a sailor-collared, ruffled shirt, and a skirt and bodice (with matching mask!) laden with hardware and stones that could have been lifted from a masquerade ball at Steve Strange's Blitz. The designer was carried away by construction: Almost everything was seamed, pleated, tortured, even—to within a millimeter of its glamorous life. Artifice ruled, but Jenden's show notes talked about "Tudor ladies at the court of a 21st-century samurai," so he himself clearly wasn't unaware of the tricksy, costumey connotations.
11 February 2008
London roots don't get much root-ier than Nathan Jenden's self-described "son of a genuine Cockney." So here he was, showing in an East End venue that's usually home to boxing matches, and he seemed to be suggesting in his show notes that the big bows that wrapped a lot of the outfits were a tip of the cap to Bow, as in the church (you can't be a Cockney unless you're born within the sound of Bow bells). But in those same notes, he also said something about "Aztec priestesses and mad Mexican empresses." And he called his showShe, the title of a Victorian potboiler about an immortal sorceress. All of which whetted the appetite for some full-on fashion barbarism (foxy boxing, perhaps?).So what a surprise it was that the designer appeared more engaged by pantalooned, petticoated girlies from a Feydeau farce than by any notion of primal womanhood. Layers of tulle petticoats frothed beneath full pleated overskirts; awning-striped shorts nestled below a blouse with huge leg-o'-mutton sleeves; and a poet's shirt billowed over full knickers, over which tiers of poufs also swelled. Lace, ruffles, bows, bubble skirts, huge white things—the overload was compounded by high-heeled mules, which, if the young mannequins' efforts were any indication, would function much better as lying-around shoes forgrandes horizontalesof La Belle Époque.There was the (merest) suggestion of Maya in the burst of a bougainvillea petticoat, a fuchsia ruffle, and a strapless dress hand-painted with gold leaf (definitely one for your next human sacrifice). The prevailing sense, though, was that Jenden was playing away from his home at Diane von Furstenberg (who showed her support front-row center) by overindulginghisown romantic fantasies for once.
18 September 2007
Perhaps with a little joke at his own expense, Nathan Jenden named his collection ¿Gatecrasher¿—an apt title for a New Yorker who¿s just shown up at the young-designer party in London. Or perhaps it was less a quip than a description. His girls, wearing puffy taffeta gowns and strapless cocktail dresses, arrived on the scene throwing attitude in teased-up quiffs, metal-grill veils, and brothel creepers. ¿I¿m English,¿ said the British-born expat designer. ¿London is less sleek. It has a harder edge than New York.¿In his day job, Jenden is Diane von Furstenburg¿s chief aide-de-camp, and generously, she flew in to support her protégé¿s first London show. In a sign of independence, there wasn't a wrap dress in sight, but the fabrics, like ¿metallic silk linen,¿ ¿optic moiré,¿ and ¿brushed-silk jacquard,¿ had an unmistakable New York polish about them. Styling apart, the substance was in Jenden's puffy-shouldered dresses, a little matte black frock sliced across the shoulders and fitted saucily around the backside, and a suit in sparkly black tweed.In the end, then, this didn¿t read like a renegade outburst, but as a young designer¿s bid to get a viewing of his collection on a less crowded platform. Which is quite ironic, when you think about it.
14 February 2007
In creating his second solo collection, Nathan Jenden drew upon many ideas, including, "Spring, unfurling, the lightness and airiness of insects that fly. And rolling out of bed. I love the idea of waking up after a party in a couture dress." On top of that, his show referenced Victoriana and the French Court. That's more inspiration than one collection can be expected to handle, and today's presentation was somewhat scattered, though not without its winning moments. Bubble-hemmed trenches and poufs didn't do Jenden—or his models—any favors. He was on surer footing with pieces that displayed his tailoring skills and knack for intriguing details. The Diane von Furstenberg creative director cut beautiful, hand-painted silks into some sharp jackets. And two great "tuxedos," one in crushed leather, the other in cashmere jersey, were worth getting out of bed for.
13 September 2006
Nathan Jenden has an impressive résumé: educated at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art; work experience with John Galliano and Daryl K; creative director at Diane von Furstenberg. None of that, though, could have prepared him for February 10, 2006—the day that Jenden's wife gave birth to a son on the morning of his solo debut. Happily, the designer seemed to take it all in stride. Fulfilling a long-held dream, he took a bold, confident first step, presenting a collection that was as hard-edged as the venue—the Inn at Irving Place—was precious.Saying he was inspired by "the drama of a Goya silhouette," Jenden opened the show with a ruffled puff-sleeve shirt, stark white over black jodhpurs. He had the most success with his reworking of men's suiting, creating an attractively sharp, lean line; standouts were the jet-beaded jackets, and a tuxedo suit at the close. A reversible jacket and corset pants, while amazing close-up, had less impact on the runway. Evening found the designer veering from the minimal (a tight vest-skirt combo) to the theatrical—but his short infanta dress hit a high note, and the finale dress, with its ruffled sleeves, was satisfyingly graphic. Though it might have benefited from an edit, this was a well-made collection that shows Jenden has a strong voice of his own. Diane von Furstenberg, on hand to cheer her employee's efforts, is not the only one eager to see how he develops.
9 February 2006