Meryl Haze

Peter Jensen's often cinematic influences makes me want to hit Fopp and hunt out old DVDs that are hopefully going to be part of their 3 for ¬£10 deals (seeing as downloading older films on torrents can be troublesome…not that err… I'm into illegal downloading or anything…).  One season, it's Mike Leigh's Nuts in May.  Another it's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.  I can thank Jensen for a significantly augmented DVD collection.  

The last few seasons has been about shifting the focus slightly with a more American slant, an effect of having shown in New York for a couple of seasons or working with photographers like Autumn de Wilde or stylist Shirley Kurata.  Last season despite basing his collection around Godard ingenue Anna Karina, it was very much a trip to LA, a new experience for Jensen and his design aesthetic.  The season before that, Shelley Duvall was his muse of choice which resulted in a playful, colour-blocked take on 70s staples.  For his resort collection, he takes a shift towards the late 70s and effectively matures his clothes by looking to Meryl Streep in films such as The Deer Hunter, Manhattan and Kramer vs. Kramer where Streep's wardrobe is the sturdy and practical part of the  70s that meant she was a constant style inspiration for my mother at the time, pre-babies and all that. 

On set for the lookbook shoot, Americana was amped up in the props section with items such as questionable jars of Frankfurter's, macaroni cheese in a box and an overpriced jar of Skippy peanut butter (it's overpriced once it gets to these British shores alas…).  I don't think any of that made it to the final set of pictures but hey-ho, they looked the part…

Iekeliene Stange was the charismatic model who was required to act out a variety of scenarios which made for a much more dynamic lookbook shoot than yer' average 'Stand-Straight-Like-Fash-Zombie' lookbook.  She also donned a blonde wig to emulate Meryl's late 70s flowing blonde locks.  Fellow Dutch-speaker Tim Gutt was the photographer who coaxed some wonderful shots out of Iekeliene…

I noted that Jensen's sketches had quite angry/terrified/petrified expressions on them.  Apparently he has always sketch liked this. 

I've only just recently been seeing LA-based stylist Shirley Kurata in a non-backstage-context (she styles Rodarte's shows) and I'm quite taken with her style.  This is the second time she is working with Peter Jensen and on set, she wore a quilted polka dot vintage dress…

There were tears required for this shot so copious amounts of drops were needed to bring a sorrowful stare into the mirror…

Still, as pragmatic as Peter Jensen gets with his shapes with American sportswear infiltrating his clothes – the trench, the cropped trouser, the loafer, the neat button down shirts – it's the colours and prints that ensure he doesn't lose that Jensen-ish quality about his work as evident in this purple and lilac ensemble.   

I love these patent loafers from past seasons and vaguely remember passing them up when they were on sale…  I decree to myself anything involving lilac and patent should not be passed up. 

In pieces such as this sweatshirt where Sissy Spacek a la Badlands is depicted with clusters of white beads, Jensen's whimsy is ever present. 

Still, it is Americana-flecked neat preppy that reigns strong in the collection, especially in the accessories such as these new season shoes consisting of loafers and peep-toe pumps with bows that are on the conservative side. 

Or these satchels and bucket bags that Jensen produces in England with the help of a leather maker on Redchurch Street. 

I love this enlarged version of the 'Angela' bag which came in a variety of colours over the past few seasons.  This one is about twice the size and could well sit with Streep's character in Kramer vs. Kramer…

Jensen-ish qualities jostle with this new level of preppy with sweaters that are banded with stitches of unusual colour combinations or gingham dresses that have a vaguely 50s matron kind of vague that are left raw-edged and finished with a lining of tulle peeking out…

Even in utilitarian pieces, details such as different coloured pastel zippers on the pockets make Jensen's point of difference even more pronounced. 

I especially love these prints where Jensen has been excelling for years where his trip to LA from last season once again turns up in these graphic vistas of 50s LA…

Of course Jensen's bunny makes an appearance too and this time he's encased in this postage stamp chequered print that works particiuarly well as a shirt and cropped trouser combo.