Paris Fashion Week: At Loewe, an unsteady start for new designer
Another day at Paris Fashion Week, another new designer debut at an old house. In Friday’s case it was the British designer Jonathan Anderson for the Spanish leather goods house Loewe, which is owned by French luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy.
The setting couldn’t have been more aptly international — the UNESCO building — or more Zen-appropriate for a clean sweep of a brand with roots that trace back to 1846. Guests were seated on rocks in the lovely sculpture garden, which is scattered with poignant treasures from around the globe, including an angel rescued from a church after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
Unfortunately, what was on the runway didn’t have nearly as much gravitas.
The inspiration: Clearly, Anderson was trying to peel back the layers and start at the beginning, as it were, which for a leather goods brand would be the skins.
The look: Haute rags to riches.
Key pieces: Leather and suede T-shirts, dresses and bags (lots of bags) embellished with leather scraps or woven from leather strips. Macrame halter sweaters. Suede poncho tops. Wide-legged leather pants with knotted sash belts, which came in what seemed like every color of the rainbow, from saffron yellow to black. Natural silk and linen sack dresses.
The verdict: While it’s understandable that Anderson wanted a fresh start, he didn’t do enough to fill up the space with new propositions. The many textures and natural colors had a certain earthy artisanal appeal, but on the body the shapes were too crude and unwieldy.
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