Loewe's sculptural triumph

The American expression in the zone – where everything you do seems to work - best sums up the current career of Jonathan Anderson, who presented a stunning, fresh and thoroughly new collection for the house of Loewe Friday morning in Paris.

Staged on a twisting oval catwalk inside UNESCO, modeled on the salon of Monet’s Water Lilies, the whole collection was lean yet curvilinear, with looks repeated through the show but in different materials. Like a stunning squaw patchwork skirt shown first in suede and raw leather and then in various shards of denim.

Anderson decorated the space with some beautiful tapestries hung from white walls – either black and white images from Steven Meisel or photographs of children running down a mudslide that the designer bought in a Provençal market. Tiny little ceramic men were sitting on the floor on tiny sconces.

Anderson has already established his own highly identifiable silhouette – the slightly oversized frock, and this season shrunk it down to create some highly sensual daywear.

Anything on his radar is capable of being turned into arty product: so Moroccan babushka slippers become elfin suede sneakers with wacky upturned toes – modern-day court jester sneakers. Or this small-town Ulsterman uses a farm gate as the inspiration for a new bag. It is called The Gate and closes on the side with a pin.

He also turned bags inside out in reversible suede and added a big anagram 'L'. Throughout, he riffed on the house’s logo with requisite irony – sending our fireman’s snakeskin hats with a large leather logo sewn on the front; or using it on the sleeves of smooth cashmere crewnecks. It all managed to be very arty, yet coolly wearable.

“Playing the idea of big and small; bohemian yet calm. Repeating the silhouette in a circular motion. The Loewe woman has broken out of her domestic space. So, I wanted a free lady in a lean silhouette. The little sculptures I decided to do three days ago. I wanted massive noise and moments of silence, since I love doing these spaces,” said Anderson backstage.

Backed up by a dramatic soundtrack from ace French DJ Michel Gaubert that combined Trevor Jackson, Dinos Chapman and Mamatus, this was a boda fide fashion moment, and another huge win for Anderson. As the French say, Il se balade, meaning whatever he tries works effortlessly.

“From the new stores, to the powerful shows to our Loewe Craft Prize for artisans the company is operating extremely well on all levels. Under Jonathan, Loewe is a den of exciting activity, producing high-double figure growth. And we’ve barely started on the web,” enthused Pierre-Yves Roussel, the LVMH board director who oversees Loewe.

Loewe's sculptural triumph

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