paris fashion week: loewe
(images via ny mag)
i only really started to take notice of the spanish brand loewe with designer stuart vevers’ charming and ladylike s/s 2012 collection—in the past, i’d thought of the house as pretty enough, but as time moves ever onward, i’ve learned to pay more attention to those labels that seem adept at and willing to create clothes that make older girls look smart, the fashion industry’s insistence at pulling ever younger be damned. after all, as i’ve frequently said, whatever the runway models might suggest, it isn’t often a 17-year-old, or even a 23-year-old that purchase among the most decadent clothes in the world. and mr. vevers isn’t afraid to let his luxe flag fly, a point which he made perfectly clear with the house’s a/w 2012 show at paris fashion week. and although plenty of people like to run around screaming ‘oh, won’t some please think of the economy!’ from a fashion perspective, it can be quite nice to see such sharp clothes tailor-made for women who like to look as such.
and i was happy to see most of the reviewers quite pleased as well. the designer, said wwd, “was inspired by the royal Baroque riding schools of southern Spain. The finely calibrated lineup brought the Spanish leather house’s expertise to bear on the textural plays that have emerged as a key theme this season. Black calf leather, its heavy grain buffed to a high sheen, was used on the sleeves of an inky black varsity jacket with oversize silver buttons, while buffalo leather gave Loewe’s trademark Amazona handbag a raw edge. Slim black wool shifts and coats featured elaborately tooled black leather belts of the type found in Cordoba. This traditional workmanship was propelled into the 21st century with stunning matte black or brown leather outerwear that was fully molded and embossed with trompe l’oeil details, ranging from pockets and lapels to buttons and shoulder flaps.”
the telegraph asserted that “Vevers had some fresh ideas…Vevers pummels his leather into some impressively supple shapes. The 1960s inspired boxy coats with trompe l’œil collars, pockets and half belts at the back were a neat proposition. They looked clean, modern - and presumably without all that real hardwear they should be lighter. Those lasered ‘lacy’ leather black shifts with twinkling crystals weren’t lacking in drama either - perfect uniform for the inevitable vampy but doomed double agent in the forthcoming James Bond, Skyfall. It would have been good to see a bit more colour though…But the back-bone - and entire skeleton, plus most of the muscle and flesh - of Loewe are its beautifully made accessories, and these are Vevers’ real strength. Jewelled belts, intricately sculpted wedge sandals (some of the most striking shoes of the season so far) and that Amazona bag, already a classic, reconfigured in squashy, buffalo and calf leathers.”
meanwhile, vogue thought that “for all his fascination with the past, he is a committed modernizer of Loewe’s time-honored artisanal heritage. This collection fairly crackled with the energy of fall 2012…Vevers’s singular palette explored contrasting and colliding textures to measured effect, from his oversize athletic jackets, almost baseball-like, in leather and wool, precisely nipped at the back with gilt-buttoned half-belts (a recurring motif here, controlling the volume so the body wasn’t lost) worn with leather circle skirts, to a couple of sensual (and sensational dresses) that cleaved to the body…Those dresses also caught another narrative thread of fall, the squaring off of excess versus the executive; of an embarrassment of riches laid onto clothes, facing off with a rigorously controlled and grown-up approach to dressing, with longer, leaner, tailored lines. Until now, Loewe’s place within the LVMH stable has been quiet, especially in America, but keep this up and Vevers will be taking it into the race.”
and style pointed out what i’ve recently been pondering in less structured (and much more muddled) form by reporting that “Stuart Vevers has been at Loewe four years already, and if it hasn’t exactly been one of fashion’s high-profile bells-and-whistles collaborations, today’s show was proof of how much a designer can achieve with a quiet commitment to his craft and an empathetic relationship with the 166-year-old Spanish house where he is creative director. Vevers’ quest to find new things to do with Loewe’s mastery of traditional leather-working techniques came together beautifully in a finale of leather outfits embossed with ‘phantom’ details like belts and pockets. It was an artful trompe l’oeil effect that appropriately left you wanting more at show’s end.”
elsewhere, the nyt’s jessica michault remarked that “Stuart Vevers took the brand to a dark place. In a collection cut almost entirely in black, the designer focused on making wearable and decidedly sporty looks that just happened to be cut from the finest pieces of nappa, suede or shearling. The first outfit set the new tone: A leather varsity jacket topped by big silver button closures and paired with a softly pleated skirt communicated an understated luxury. Even the baroque architectural elements, say a tooled belt or a curlicue pattern edging print on a midnight blue sheath dress, were done with restraint. Eliminating the slightly oddball addition of a tunic done in cotton-candy-pink fox and fake fur, and its black and pink cousin, cut as a vest, this show had stealth wealth. It might not have been as fun or as colorful as in the past but there is no denying, particularly after the molded leather outerwear, that Loewe is all about luxury.”
finally, we have the ever-thoughtful showstudio: “What Stuart Vevers does at Loewe is terribly clever. In fact, it’s the perfect example of how to build on an existing brand’s heritage, constantly delving into the archives and culture that inspired the original and finding a new path to tread to update that identity. The idea of Spanish saddlery and the excellence of the nation’s leatherwork informs all of his designs, finding new ways to treat skins and new combinations for fabric and leather, as well as reinterpreting Loewe’s Amazona handbag season after season. This time, the Amazona was stretched to new proportions, while leather was constantly reinvented. Most creative were the closing numbers, where the details of a riding jacket were embossed in relief into the hide to leave a raised impression of tailoring across a sleek garment. The past, brought bang up-to-date.”
(see the collection video here)
