September 28, 2019 |
Jonathan Anderson transformed the UNESCO foyer with swivelling tubs of pampas grass towering crystal sculptures and mechanised net curtains. It was a gentle kind of surrealism that set the stage for his Loewe SS20 collection which crafted historical feminine luxuries (lace, pearls, feathers) into something new. The show started with a full-skirted, lace frill-neck tunic and matching trousers, there were guipure lace pannier skirts, an update on the leather pannier belt Anderson sent out for the house a few seasons ago (referencing your own archive is all the rage this season) and sheer dresses in modernist Chantilly.
His approach was highly crafted. As well as the variety of laces, there were crochet bed jackets, openwork handkerchief hem gowns, billowing opera capes and extravagant trumpeting flares. Had Anderson been studying Goya and Velázquez in the Prado, on his visits to Loewe’s Madrid headquarters? His pointed lace collars panniered gowns, and fluted tunics looked like clothes inspired by the paintings of wealthy 16th and 17th-century society hanging in the gallery. With his focus on lacemaking, the designer talked of “a different kind of craft, which is ultimately historical,” but it all felt very now. These were fine, artistic clothes for today’s tastemakers. Velázquez would approve.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
