This season, Jonathan Anderson invited his guests to take a seat on individual white cubes inside Old Billingsgate, the Victorian building located on the north bank of the river Thames which was once home to the world’s largest fish market. As quiet descended upon the space and Anderson’s A-list front row took to their seats, the alt-synths of Grimes’ remix of Sophie Powers’ track Obsessed pulsed through the speakers and JW Anderson’s latest offering came down the runway.

Opening with a trio of shimmering mini-dresses, it immediately became clear that the grey-haired granny of FW24 was long gone, and we were about to be introduced to her younger, more playful counterpart. Thigh-skimming silhouettes formed the core of the collection, paired with skewed ankle boots and a new Loafer bag to join the infamous Bumper which will undoubtedly become the accessory of the season. The 00s bubble skirt got a rebrand, transformed in delicate satin and blown up into larger-than-life proportions, while oversized jackets and silk sweatshirts were worn as standalone pieces.

Quotes from art critic and Bloomsbury Group pioneer Clive Bell’s renowned 1923 book, Art, adorned silk dresses and slashed knitwear, using Bell’s discussion of art and design’s intimate relationship as an opportunity to take a blank page and start afresh. Expectedly with any J Dubs show, a level of absurdity rippled through the collection as knitwear arrived super-sized and spliced, dresses had circular discs which orbited models’ waistlines and bows were inflated to voluminous proportions. Playing with the art of optical illusion saw Anderson juxtapose the micro and macro, turn hoodies into slip dresses and disguise pockets as laser-printed images. In spite of its surface-level opulence, the collection itself was built from only four materials – silk, leather, sequins and cashmere. Rooted in the idea of using restriction as liberation, this season was a testament to the mini dress and Anderson’s ability to shapeshift even with the tightest of design briefs.