Play of illusions for LOEWE Fall-Winter 2024 collection

Evoking a labyrinth in a secret garden or an art gallery, the décor for the LOEWE Women’s Fall-Winter 2024 runway show referenced the abundance of greenery in the oeuvre of American painter Albert York, who passed away in 2009. Jonathan Anderson’s silhouettes dialogued with 18 of the artist’s pictures featured on the walls.  

Just as a painting offers multiple levels of understanding, each of the LOEWE silhouettes plays with perception, inviting a closer look. Coat collars reveal wooden carvings, floral tapestries are reprised in beaded embroidery. A profusion of miniature ornamentation graces not only clothing but also biker boots for a bucolic stroll or materializes botanical relief on Squeeze bags. In art as in fashion, details make the difference. The belt is no longer simply an accessory, but deconstructed with a buckle that fastens the draping of a dress or transforms into a heeled mule. A giant water droplet is suspended on the shoulder like a magnifying glass to emphasize the floral print.  

Like Albert York’s idyllic landscapes, flora infuses the collection: a bustier sculpted like petals, a hand-beaded asparagus bag or pants with radish or turnip prints. Opposites attract to create harmony in the feminine-masculine of a shirt-tie, the simplicity of boxer shorts and the sophistication of a coat with dual long tails, faultless jackets and flowing slacks. Signature LOEWE leather becomes a cocoon in an aviator jacket, and ostrich leather appears in a trompe-l’œil print on a suit. Playful appropriation informs the looks, including a sculpted dress with a dog print across the entire front, or a sweater with pulled threads to create a fluffy foam effect.