The Loewe Spring/Summer 24 show showcases Jonathan Anderson’s penchant for creating collections that carry a contemporary glitz through a fresh perspective.
Do we over intellectualise clothes? Depending on who, the answer varies but what is fact is that a garment can be prescribed various meanings and we (meaning the fashion crowd and myself included) probably have a tendency to read too much into things. From as simple as how garments are paired to the most minuscule details such as where the hands are placed when walking down a runway, our eyes have been trained to find meaning into the most trivial of things. And that is exactly what I am doing here, but maybe it is not that serious. Fashion should be fun, and that is what I think the Loewe Spring/Summer 24 collection wants us to do — to take us on a journey through their play on perspective, and what an enjoyable time it was.
It all sounds meta but perhaps it really is not that deep. While some designers are interested in proposing ideas through the medium of clothes, some enjoy the process of dress making and others do it for the pure bliss it brings. But of course, no one can argue that at the end of the day, fashion is a business and that it is all about the amount of profit one can rake in. But as many designers struggle to find that sweet spot, Jonathan Anderson has seemingly been able to balance all the above at Loewe.
Staged among three organic fountains by artist Lynda Benglis, the Loewe SS24 show chose varying heights of each fountain for their show. Perhaps a visual manifestation for the theme of perspective — how would garments look like from those varying points of perspectives. Which then explains the elongated torsos from trousers whose waistbands were hiked up high, as Anderson was looking at clothes through fish eye lens at ground level.
Currently in his reductionist era, Anderson has been keen on keeping things simple, yet he still manages to carry the conceptual punch of an elaborate look through a sense of contemporary surrealism. While simple in silhouette, his garments distances itself far from the typical cashmere sweaters and coats of quiet luxury. See look one: a polo shirt and trouser. Simple in essence, perhaps even perverse for a first outing because of its banality; turned askew through trousers that sat higher at the waist. The whole look then was doused in crystals that mimicked the glimmering surface of water when light hits because obviously, sparkle for summer makes the most sense.
Fluidity was not only present within the show space, but also through the garments. Tops were cut cropped — following the current trend where men are willingly cropping their shirts for better body proportions — a sign as to how far designers have come since they first started chipping away at the binary walls of gender, with Anderson being one of the pioneer designers to lead that discussion. Additionally, jumpsuits and trousers came with built-in shoes — Loewe’s take on the Panta shoe — were made in buttery swathes of leather, engulfing anyone into a chic and fluid ensemble.
Surrealism further took shape in the form of swatches as tops — giant pins included. Damask silk fabrics were plastered at the front of bodies, creating a look that resembled a life-size mood board — a description apt for Anderson’s collections. Tailoring was slim, with jackets adorning pockets that sat high on the chest. Archetypal wardrobe staples such as blue jeans, camel coats, argyle sweaters, cardigans, trench coats and striped shirts were imbued with a sense of experimentation and whimsy through extrapolating familiar codes and injecting it with contemporary nuances.
Leather — the house’s bread and butter, was plentiful among the accessory offerings. Bags were primarily made in luxurious suedes and leathers, in capacious styles of totes and bucket bags. This season, the Puzzle Tote — which follows the origami construction from Anderson’s first hit bag for the brand, the Puzzle bag — receives the bedazzled treatment in line with the glitzy clothes. A new bucket bag in suede debuted and stood out for its sleek shape and silver ball embellishment on the strap. It was already seen carried by the creative director on his personal Instagram; a sign for you to have it saved on your wish list for when the next season comes.
Anderson’s collections are a melting pot for ideas and experimentation. Concept takes precedence over commerciality for the designer — although he manages to straddle that line at an expert ease. At Loewe, he is in a designer’s haven, with a team of expert craftsmen by his side to produce anything he can imagine with extreme refinement, he is essentially a kid in the most luxe candy store. This collection sees him dissect the menswear wardrobe through a different perspective, a proposal for an alternate reality where all bodies are lean; maybe unrealistic, but immensely joyous to view what fashion can become when done for creativity’s sake.
Once you are done with this story on Loewe, click here to catch up with our June/July 2023 issue.
