Runway shows seem to fall into two main camps this European season: Ones that focus on real clothes (Dior, Bottega Veneta, Burberry) and those that propose concepts (Saint Laurent, Marni, Undercover).
At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson offered helpings of both, his fall show pinging between quirky luxury and blasts of chic, though perhaps fewer of the latter than a few seasons ago.
The Etonian morning coat, which sounds as imposing as it can look, stood in as a metaphor for class and provenance, the two concepts that were the springboards for Anderson’s show, which also showcased unexpected, incredible craftsmanship.
Anderson’s morning coats were handsomely cut, the sides extended into witchy points that lapped against the floral jersey dresses or MC Hammer pants underneath, the tips dragging along the floor.
Staged in a forest green warren of rooms evoking an art museum, the walls hung with small landscape paintings by Albert York, the show opened with jersey gowns in arresting hourglass shapes, the fabric gathered in a buckle at the navel, a useless length of leather belt dangling loose from it.
Looks became either quirkier, or more boyish, as the show progressed. A draped floral minidress with what looked like a giant water droplet suspended on the shoulder was an example of the former; jumbo-sized cargo pants, like jodhpurs on steroids, represented the latter. They looked cool under neat little blazers with a crisp shirt buttoned to the throat.
Imposing silver lapels on coats and mannish jackets were dazzling; the former carved from wood; the latter a composition of metal rods that brought to mind “Metropolis,” one of the many references to the 1920s popping up this season.
Attending a Loewe show these days — way, way out at the Château des Vincennes — represents nearly a three-hour commitment, but this season came with the reward of Europe’s first exhibition dedicated to York, whose charming works were collected by Jacqueline Kennedy, prompting Anderson to settle on his exploration of provenance.
“The idea of ‘the aristocratic’ is like a foreign thing now, it’s nearly nonexistent — nearly like a caricature,” he mused after the show.
Charming, too, were Anderson’s offbeat prints: turnip tops for flowing silks, dinnerware florals rendered in dense, caviar beads for sweatsuits and biker boots, and an image of a dog snoozing on a carpet splashed over the front of a stiff, felt trapeze dress.
But it’s those morning coats that linger in your brain. Anderson said he found a stash of them from the 1920s and he studied their construction.
“I felt there was something incredibly empowering about it,” he said. “It makes you hold yourself.”
