Monday, June 24, 2019

BEAUTY: Clothing--Loewe

Jonathan Anderson is a busy guy. He not only helms his own eponymous label J.W. Anderson (previously here), but he has been Creative Director at venerable Spanish leather goods brand Loewe for six years now, and he has continued to create beautiful, evocative collections for both houses. And for this Paris Fashion Week, he created a soft, flowing Spring Summer '20 collection for Loewe. Even though the house was founded in 1846 in Madrid by a group of Spanish leather craftsmen, and the brand proper originated in 1876 when Enrique Loewe Roessberg, a German craftsman, joined the group, Loewe's heyday seems to have been in the 1960s and 1970s. A certain hand-crafted interest in leather came out of hippie counterculture from that period, and hand tooled leather goods were seen everywhere. Anderson has re-energized that interest and cultivated a sense of artisan-made craft-based clothing and accessories. What we see for this collection is actually very close to the freedom and spiritual expansion that came from the 60s and 70s.

Anderson says the collection reflects "a childlike dream state" and I can sense that in the loose, pajama-like feel of some of the looks (like sleepy boys about to go to bed) as well as the djellabas and ultra-refined suede caftans. (The childlike state is delightfully reflected in the sweet pink leather iPhone case around one model's neck.) The Mediterranean stripes on the lovely knitwear pieces remind me of the beautiful colors and stripes I found on foutas on the Côte d'Azur. It all adds up to a relaxed, dreamy moment.

And of course since Loewe is a leather goods house in Spain, there are glorious Roman sandals, moccasins, espadrille boots (!LOVE!), and slip-on leather shoes.


https://www.loewe.com

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