Loewe Feels Out Feathers and Florals for SS25

Image Courtesy: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com

The Spanish luxury house is one of the coolest brands among celebrities. Guests at the show included actors Ayo Edebiri and Josh O’Connor, who carpooled to the Chateau de Vincennes. They were followed by Drew Starkey, Greta Lee, and Daniel Craig. And how could we forget Loewe’s favorite girl, Taylor Russell? Infamous director Luca Guadagnino, who has directed many of the actors at some point, was also in attendance. Together, they reflect the brand’s young, experimental, and original style.

Upon first inspection, this season's collection seemed lackluster, but a closer look revealed how incredibly intricate and unique the pieces were. Like Loewe’s spring/summer 2023 collection, this one also explores unique shapes, dimensions, and colors. While craftsmanship and structure are still integral, they are presented in a more understated manner this season.

Ahead of the show, the invitations gave a hint at the theme. It was a card enclosed by a string. Tied to it was a signet ring with “Loewe 1846” engraved. This calls to the founding year of the house. The teasers also featured sheet music, birds, and flowers. 

At the Chateau de Vincennes, a sculpture of a bird perched on a post by British artist Tracey Emin further conveys feelings of sereneness and nature. 

After seeing the collection, it is clear that creative director Jonathan Anderson took inspiration from both nature and classic artists. The merging of the elements is seen on the t-shirts that feature portraits or pieces from various artists. At first glance, it looks as if the graphic of Bach or Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers is merely cracked or stretched. But as you look closer, you will see that the images are composed of feathers. 

Even a motor racing graphic set, which seemed like a casual shirt and rolled trousers, was constructed entirely from feathers. 

As seen through the feathered tops, Anderson is placing the brand among iconic artists like Mozart, Chopin, and Monet. This heritage is presented through a new handcrafted leather bag, the Madrid bag. 

While it was a women’s collection, there were few masculine silhouettes. There were suits with slouchy sleeves and trousers. A unique piece was the baggy pants gathered by a leather label at one side of the waist. This is a method that the brand does best: taking typical features of clothing and putting an eccentric twist on it. It's a regular logo that you would see on the back of denim, but instead, it functions as a belt buckle.

This use of the label was also seen in a mixed-pattern skirt. The ruching made the fabric look like a scarf effortlessly folded into a skirt. 

The outfits were paired with oxford dress shoes, loafers, and pastel sporty sneakers. 

To contrast these shapes, the beginning of the show featured flowy, floral feminine dresses. As Miranda Priestly once said “Florals for spring. Groundbreaking.” While the patterns themselves were not memorable, the structure of them was. Most dresses featured hoop skirts, giving them a bouncy movement as the models strutted down the runway. Combined with sheer light fabric, this motion made the dresses resemble jellyfish. The asymmetrical ruffles cascading down the wire cages beneath were the highlight as opposed to the florals themselves. 

The hoop skirt was a staple style, also seen in tailored skirts and trench dresses. These pieces were made with stiffer materials, giving them a more structured look that is typically not paired with the design. 

Another way Anderson played with structure was with leather trench coats and tops. The bottom of the jackets were folded as if a gust of wind was holding them in place.

An additional recurring style was sequin long-sleeve dresses that ended at a strange length. They looked like long peplum tops as opposed to mini dresses. The structured Polly Pocket-esque dresses paired with high-top sneakers gave the outfits a strange silhouette. 

The glittering material was stunning, with two collared peplum dresses resembling mother of pearl. These details were also reflected in the makeup, with some models sporting sparkly half-moon eyeshadow by Pat McGrath that reached past the brow bone. 

While this season's collection was not as outwardly eccentric as past ones, complex craftsmanship still took place. Anderson asked himself this season, “What happens when one takes all the noise away?” This mentality of pulling back seems to be shared among other houses, one being Mugler. So, it leaves it up to the audience to decide whether they can appreciate beautiful clothing or only be stunned by the extravagant performances.

Strike Out,

Kim Nguyen

Boca Raton

Kim Nguyen is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. When not overthinking, this fangirl is either consuming romance media, Vietnamese coffee, or Beyoncé's discography. You can reach her by email at kimvunguyen14@gmail.comor on Instagram @kimnguyen1_.