Introversion, inner gaze, fluidity, constant mutation. That is the message of the most influential creator in the contemporary narrative of fashion, Jonathan W. Anderson. The Irish designer, demanding, virtuous and extra-shy -to the point of making the final greeting of him looking at the ground like a grim teenager-, presented his Autumn-Winter 23 collection for Loewe yesterday.
In the Château de Vincennes, a white cube was erected topped by 21 blocks of neutral colors containing ten tons of solid confetti, without glue or frames. The medieval ensemble was changing with the light, from the Parisian grisaille to the golden beam of the winter sun, while, on the catwalk, the work of Lara Favaretto, inspired by the film Midsommar -by Ari Aster- and subtitled "Dimensions in time ”, was eroding as the models showed garments that encode a new sense of elegance. In a reductionist spirit.
Between the monumental exterior and the bare interior with Bauhassian echoes, the collection presented a woman who dresses forms arising from an architectural vision of the silhouette, so essential, clean and stripped of all artifice. “Loewe dresses the intelligent woman today,” Erick Maza, a New York journalist for Town, tells me.
The menu was exquisite and solid at the same time: wide leather coats -treated as fabric by the best Spanish tanners-, silks with faded impressionist landscapes discolored with the mark of time, velvets as soft as they were structured, and slip dresses whose fabric caught fire with a chain forming organic drapes. Loewe introduced the Squaze, its new bag in buttery leather and donut-shaped chain detail. As well as the huge cabans, inspired by Japanese basketry, in the shape of a bird's nest.
“This time I wanted more emotional gestures. I was interested in the idea of touching his left elbow with his right hand. Dresses with a more defensive gesture then become sensual. For this reason, the thumbs go through pieces of cloth and hold the dress... It is clothing designed for the gesture. For example, the rectangular cloth is, ultimately, a kind of wrapping. The structure is like an anti-stress ball: you can squeeze it and it comes back on itself” declared the designer at the end of the show, together with Naomi Campbell who attended the show, sitting next to Anne Wintour. María Valverde or Mafalda de Sajonia were also among the public, dressed by the firm.
I ask Anderson about the role of Spanish artisans: “We make all our bags in Spain, which I think is very rare today for a luxury brand.” She adds: “When I joined Loewe I turned it down. everything. After 10 years I went through a process, after the pandemic, in which I had to start over. So I go back to the 70s, which, at this moment, I think is an interesting starting point. Because, at after all, Loewe is a house from before, and that's why it became famous".
The parade conceived by Anderson also wants to express the transience of everything that instantly vanishes to make way for the next. Leonard Cohen and his You want it darker sounded in the show interspersed with the Eartheater theme, Metallic taste of patience: that is, the more darkness, the more patience.
In his first ready-to-wear collection, Daniel Roseberry has managed to combine Elsa Schiaparelli's DNA with a personal vision of her legacy. The keyhole, the oyster necklace and the Trompe-l'œil take up his haute couture proposal.
Precious Lee, the model that best represents the black curvy movement, (“they instilled in me that being African-American was a superpower”), opened the first Harris Reed collection for Nina Ricci –owned by Puig- Drama, couture, history and a nod to the gay parades integrated an eloquent collection into their message: diverse beauty is here to stay. And to have fun.
Crinolines with tulle, and suits with flared pants in vibrant colors, in the Harry Styles vein, made up the recital of one of the banners of sexual fluidity in fashion, Harry Reed. Trans models and women of different ages and bodies staged a prêt-à-porter that borders on haute couture, bringing out exclusive fabrics and pieces that glorify the 80s and 90s with humor and a medium distance. “As a queer kid growing up in Arizona, French fashion was my outlet. Nina Ricci was my idealization of Paris: she had a dreamy romanticism ”said the designer in a press release. I like to dress people who want to have fun in clothes that have meaning and purpose.”
An essential daring and emotion in collections that have returned to the basics, questioning the function and form of fashion in a world in transformation.
