Jonathan Anderson said he liked the idea of a “fantasy wardrobe,” of creating a playful, optimistic collection with a superhero bent.
The Paris Couture shows start in less than 48 hours, but for Jonathan Anderson they’ve already begun: His latest Loewe collection was all about taking traditional women’s couture shapes, pulling them apart and re-assembling them – for men.
It was clear Anderson was having a grand old time, lopping the fronts off shiny, strapless Fifties ballgowns and draping them like aprons onto black suits; dotting cable knit sweaters with sparkling jewels that were as big as gumdrops, and pinning bunches of pink or blue shredded organza, like the feathers of some exotic bird, onto shirt fronts and cuffs.
That couture fixation stretched to outerwear, too: A gray princess coat had a lovely wide collar that curled like a roll of parchment, while cape coats had multiple personalities. Some came in sober solids, such as navy or olive, while others were a bling-fest of studded jewels. Another still had a psychedelic zebra pattern.
Anderson said he liked the idea of a “fantasy wardrobe,” of creating a playful, optimistic collection with a superhero bent (hence the capes). It was certainly upbeat and beautiful – although it didn’t really hang together as a collection. It was more like a gathering of offbeat individuals.
