Nylon Nights
Inside UGG & JW Anderson’s Cozy London House Party
Quail eggs, lemon tartlets, and the shoe collaboration of the year, all under one roof.
To say London is in a busy period would be an understatement. Hotels and streets are bustling with folks attending Frieze, the BFI London Film Festival, Troye Sivan’s one-night-only Apple Music concert, and generally enjoying the last bit of warm weather before it all turns a bit nippy. But the best room on an unusually balmy Wednesday in the English capital was for UGG and JW Anderson in celebration of the new collaborative shoes everyone’s lusting after.
Right off Bloomsbury Square, an empty mansion sat waiting for the creative minds at UGG and JW Anderson to transform the space into a contemplative home for a cozy moment in the form of a relaxed party on Oct. 14. There were shearling-lined benches, tartan-covered chairs, and cozy plush settees inviting guests to stay a while, plus sips of tea and earl-gray martinis for a bit of a kick. Upon entering, I spotted Adwoa Aboah, ever the ideal London guest, wearing the chestnut loafers with shredded jeans and a Björk T-shirt; her laid-back style was right at home with the shearling-lined collection that seeks to become part of your everyday routine.
The collection is, indeed, an ode to fuss-less-ness and the way a boot can go from a pair of shoes on a shelf to your daily driver, accompanying you on errands, flights, and yes, parties. “There is something very intimate about getting dressed, or reaching for a particular pair of shoes without really thinking about it,” Anderson says via press release. “I am drawn to the idea of celebrating those small moments, because they are such a big part of how we express ourselves.” The six-piece collection features the Loafer Boot and Loafer, which both come in chestnut, khaki, and orange. JW Anderson’s signature Loafer motif strewn across its handbags, ready-to-wear, and yes, shoes, finds a fitting home on the top of UGG boots, bringing a new hybrid to the market: a boafer (boot-loafer). Musician Dev Hynes fronts the campaign, and if you needed a soundtrack to break your boots in around your apartment, Blood Orange’s Essex Honey works wonderfully (speaking from personal experience).
Expression was all over the party in the form of the light bites — quail eggs and a table of symmetrical square tartlets inspired by the collection colors were particular highlights — and the man-about-town (and the Internet) Nicky Campbell, who spent time on a stairwell interviewing guests and holding court. The lighting matched the warmth of the unfinished bare walls in the space, putting everyone in a chill mood, and DJs OK Williams and ISAbella provided smooth music that didn’t overwhelm (there was still dancing involved, of course). It felt like the least stuffy room in a city that can be a bit snobbish; everyone lounged around and got into conversations with old friends.
Two of our most stylish girls of the year, Michelle Li and Izzi Allain, were bedecked in JW Anderson ready-to-wear, with zip-up jackets in leather and wool paired with flouncy skirts. They both recalled not only the Anglomania of Jonathan Anderson’s namesake brand, but felt effortlessly cool without any constriction. I, for one, chose a black dress shirt and striped Christopher John Rogers pants with a hue of orange that matched my orange Loafer Boots to perfection. Like everything UGG does, personal expression without losing comfort is the name of the game.
The fervor around the launch has been palpable. When I posted the box of my Loafer Boots in Orange, redone in JW Anderson’s signature forest-green-and-gold packaging, my Instagram story was shared dozens of times. I’m no influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers, but based on the reshares and my DMs, it’ll be a hard-won challenge to snag a pair. But when you do manage to get your hands on one, don’t spend too much time worrying about what to style with them. As I saw at the launch party, virtually every manner of dress works with the boots, which is the goal. Let them take a place in your everyday life and be one less thing to worry about.
The UGG JW Anderson Loafer and Loafer Boot launch on Oct. 15 on ugg.com, jwanderson.com, at select UGG and JW Anderson locations worldwide, and at select retailers worldwide.
