Runway: Loewe SS17
A video by artist Magali Reus —Offshore, 2011, 5:14 minutes long— anchors the setting for Loewe’s latest womenswear presentation, a continuation of last season’s premise. Spring Summer 2017 finds the woman introduced six months ago relaxing into a con dent new phase of experimentation, reflected in the conceptual art-filled space that surrounds her.
Ceramics, lamps, objects and furniture of various provenance and periods mix equally with contemporary works to convey a personal, committed, credible and of-the-moment viewpoint. More than a mere backdrop, the environment’s rich cultural resonance permeates the collection.
Past present and future collide in highly sensual, super-organic clothes, brimming with examples of extreme workmanship and a sense of craft so optimised it seems to vanish, as precisely calibrated imperfections inform every seam, collar and closure, among other details.
A feminine silhouette is complemented with dramatic volumes, evident in the bold gesture of a balloon blouse, the exaggerated proportions of a sleeve, and recurrent fringing. Familiar ideas —lace, ruffles, the bias cut— are dismantled, abstracted and recreated for today, while domestic elements, such as tablecloths and undergarments, serve as unexpected sources of inspiration.
Pleating is manipulated with innovative washing and stitching techniques to appear woven and worn-in. A napa dress, slashed and reassembled with crochet, is fragile and sporty at once. A series of black industrial summer looks balances the overall softness of the collection.
Every look is grounded and articulated around a bag. The new shapes of the Hammock bag and the rounded trapeze shape of the new Canoe bag add to the vocabulary of the house’s existing iconic styles, which are reinterpreted here in fresh iterations. A novel entry to the Flamenco family transposes a vibrant carpet design onto suede using an special printing method, resulting in a striking three- dimensional effect.
Extraordinary jewelry rounds out the collection. Apart from a lucky ceramic bat necklace and sculptural silver bracelets inspired by an Ikebana vase, the season’s standout accessory is a calla lily handmade from calfskin, available in stores in various colours on the day of the show.
