A forest green viscose dress embellished with artificial marijuana leaves is a visual invitation to reciprocate. All fashion is meant to be seen — though not every piece solicits conversation. But the dress, part of Loewe’s 2023 summer capsule collection Paula’s Ibiza, wants to be talked about. The slinky, tactile fabric hugs the body. The glossy leaves catch the light, and suddenly, the wearer is in communion with the world around them.
The collection, Loewe says, is inspired by “a liberated summer spirit.” There’s a sense of humor to summer, a deeply ingrained belief that it’s a time when rules not only can be broken but should be. In L.A., the season provides more to see: more skin, more color, more flair, more friends, more views from a beach house party in Malibu, or one from a famous architectural gem in Beverly Crest. Paula’s Ibiza seems to be the kind of collection that gets you invited to these parties in the first place: There is a gravitational pull in the details, the same way walking a dog of a rare breed can make you friends with every passerby on the street.
Take the leaf top, which is more a work of illusionary art than a going out top, crafted from an actual Alocasia Macrorrhiza leaf bonded with jersey. Or the bright orange star fish bustier dress in viscose, which, when worn to something like a waterfront wedding, will prompt stares and questions.
The best close encounters with clothes are in the wild. It’s there where you can witness them in action, watch them interact with their surroundings, see them find a place where they feel at home. A warm, May evening in front of the panoramic views from the Sheats-Goldstein was such a setting. The star-studded function thrown by Loewe with German e-commerce fashion retailer Mytheresa celebrated their partnership and the new collection, which looked natural when sprinkled among a sea of celebrity. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, respectively, dressed in the fennel tank top in cotton and the asymmetric pocket shirt in cotton and polyamide. Model Salem Mitchell wore the knot shirt dress in cotton, while skater and model Carlisle Aikens, and the home’s owner, James Goldstein, a regular at Lakers games, posed in front of a step and repeat.
This year’s Paula’s Ibiza capsule also leans into the senses, which is experienced in the Loewe front tote in woven raffia, tickling your upper arm. A sheer fishnet dress in viscose puts the wearer in touch with the sun, harkens back to the sea. The floor-length fringe dress in breathable cotton, worn by Taylor Russell at the celebration in L.A., is light on the skin but carries weight when walking into a room — an ideal evening dress for the season.
While the collection borrows from an escapism and creativity that feels specific to the Balearic island and was physically manifested in Paula’s, Ibiza’s iconic, now-shuttered boutique, “[t]hat sense of liberation bubbles up in L.A. too,” says Loewe’s creative director Jonathan Anderson. “There are many synergies between the two: a laid-back ease, a creative community that makes the city feel compelling and exciting and, of course, there’s the beach. The escapism and vibrancy of the collections feels right at home here.
Back at the Sheats-Goldstein residence, the synchronicities were on full display. After a multicourse dinner at a 100-foot table on the tennis court overlooking the sparkling night sky, the party popped off at the “Loewe Club Mytheresa,” beckoning guests to the residence’s lower level with a glowing neon sign.
The clothes, while chill enough for guests to lie on a Loewe bean bag chair in the grass, stunned in the glowing light of the summer soirée. And outside of this particular function in Beverly Crest, it’s easy to imagine throwing on the fennel tank dress in cotton for a picnic at Vista Hermosa Park, or the fish cropped jacket thrown over the leaf swimsuit in denim during an overcast day in Malibu and the pieces having that same effect. It’s the kind of collection that is a vehicle from the beach to the beach house party — pieces with enough sense of humor, ease and interest to get you on the list, plus one.
Models: Deshion McKinley and Hannah Park
Hair: Jocelyn Vega
Mua: Matthew Fishman
