Jonathan Saunders Will Have You Putting Camel And Blue Together. But What Else Has He Made You Wear Without You Realising It?

Let's take a look at the Scottish designer's greatest hits – which have subliminally fed into your wardrobe

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by Pandora Sykes |
Published on

He's obviously a fair amount of fun, is Scottish fashion designer Jonathan Saunders. He might've been in the ladies fashion biz since 1999, but there's nothing tired or pretentious about Jonathan and his eponymous label – as we saw at his latest catwalk show in London.

For next Spring/Summer Saunders was all about making cool-as-a-cucumber camel and pale blue look like BFFs with a bow on top – quite literally. An unexpected colour combination, for sure – but now you can't imagine not wearing it, right? Playful waist and neck ties and frothy ruffles stopped this elegant ladies fashion collection, heavy on waist-cinching separates and chilled-out midi-length skirts, from feeling too serious. Also helped by those chunky sandals, biker boots and a whole loada gold. We liked.

Gallery

Jonathan Saunders Spring Summer 15

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Dreamy Jonathan Saunders

So if you're already working out how you're going to rediscover your waist – and work out whether you already have some camel and blue in your wardobe (hint: camel coats are everywhere right now), that won't be the first thing Jonathan Saunders has subliminally made you wear.

Here are his most persuasive hits.

**Printed chiffon kaftans

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You thought you had Matthew Williamson and his wafty muses like Sienna Miller and Liz Hurley to thank for this one, right? You're wrong. The sole reason you like wearing ethereal-meets-sexy sheer summer cover-ups is not because of endless pap shots of Kate Moss, but because of Jonathan's 2002 collection of super-bright chiffon kaftans. You probably bought a knock off version from Accessorize for your family holiday in Kavos. Your mum probably bought the same one, thus totally ruining the impact, but #memories. Within two days of graduating – with aforementioned collection – Jonathan was snapped up by Alexander McQueen and the rest is history. As is, thankfully, your mangy old kaftan.

READ MORE: Things Miuccia Prada Has Made You Wear Without You Realising

**A bright colour harlequin dress, as seen on Vodianova Vogue cover

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It became apparent that both Russian model Natalia Vodianova and Jonathan himself had hit the big time, with* Vogue*'s January 2004 cover, where Natalia wore Jonathan's harlequin silk georgette 'Ziggy' mini dress. '[That dress] is the beginning of everything,' Jonathan has since said. It was also a signifier that ladies fashion was set to become fun again. You may not have realised, but every piece you wore that summer will have been influenced by that dress. Colourful fitted mini dresses with flouncy flared skirts were imitated everywhere on the high street in homage.

**Double denim

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Jonathan Saunders for Topshop introduced what was soon to become a most prevalent and divisive trend: double denim aka The Canadian Tuxedo. Still popular – much to the chagrin of the haters who thought it'd flash up and then go away – with Jonathan it was all about the mini and bustier. Affordable and unique, we were finally able to afford to buy into the Jonathan Saunders brand.

**Ladylike pastels

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Before Burberry – and its sheer laser-cut pastel skirts – came Jonathan's pastel collection, covered in his signature vibrant prints and hooking us all back on to pastels and a ladylike silhouette, with a cat flick of eyeliner (pretty much Alexa's entire aesthetic of the time.) There was a dress in Topshop that was Saunders summer 2.0, if only we could find you a picture, or the dress we once had :(

**A bra under an open jacket

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Hi-shine striped patent leather metallics was one of the coolest things Jonathan Saunders has ever done and translated into us wanting patent leather for like the first time ever. He also made us want to wear a triangle bra under a blazer. OK, so the one time we tried it everyone at the party looked horrified – the proportions were just a little bit off – but he'd officially set the bar for blazer wearing: T-shirts not allowed. Every French woman followed, every English girl yearned.

Embroidered bomber jacket S/S14

 

With his signature ladylike magic, Jonathan transformed the utilitarian bulk of a bomber jacket into a feather-light, brightly coloured satin affair with exotic embroidery all over the back. Ringing in at well over £1,000, the Cecily jacket (in various colourways) wasn't a likely piece we'd get our hands on. But no matter, because everyone from Maison Scotch to Zara did their own version. For A/W14, he toughened the bomber up with a bulkier size, bolder colours and quilting, but the luxe effect – and the desirous effect on us – was still the same.

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Follow Pandora on Twitter @pinsykes

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.

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