At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson Excels in the Creation of A Fashion Spectacle

Creative director Jonathan Anderson infuses his artistic fervor into Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, while his accomplishments as a fashion designer convey a more significant message.

Loewe's sculptural crinoline dresses for Spring/Summer 2025 blur the distinction between fashion and art, creating an illusion of levitation.

Tracey Emin is a visual artist. Vincent Van Gogh was an artist. Édouard Manet was an artist as well. Jonathan Anderson may consider himself an artist, judging by the masterpieces he produced for Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection.

The collection was showcased in an expansive white space, typically utilized for art exhibitions. Indeed, a solitary artwork was exhibited, elevated on a lofty pole: a fragile bronze sculpture of a bird created by Emin. The British artist frequently used the bird in her sculptures as a metaphor of human frailty; gazing at the solitary creature should provoke meditation. However, when situated amidst a fashion show – a nexus of distraction, particularly with the attendance of famous guests - Emin’s bird diminishes into the periphery.

Anderson aimed to accomplish the contrary — namely, to eliminate the distractions — with Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection. The press notes for the show inquire, “Can one occupy an empty white room, capturing attention, without vociferously demanding space?”

Anderson's response manifested in the crinoline dresses that inaugurated the show. The rigid garments resemble sculptures more than clothing: the sheer, floral silk reveals that the dresses are structured with hoops and adorned with delicate chains along the hem. As the models progressed, the dresses swayed with each stride, their lightweight fabric billowing gracefully.

The collection explores textures, shown by this trapeze little dress adorned with mother-of-pearl shells.

Anderson values the aesthetic impact. The designer informed WWD, “The fabric appears to be suspended from the garment.” You own the framework, yet there exists the notion of something in motion. Thus, you induce movement in the body, or create the illusion of it hovering in some manner.

Beyond their visual appeal, what benefits can crinoline dresses provide to women who wear them outside of the runway? It is difficult to ascertain, since the dresses are equipped with pockets. The pockets were the most utilitarian aspect of those initial ensembles, apart from the accompanying accessories: large, mirrored aviators; oxford shoes with unusually lengthened toes; distinctive boat shoes; and high-top iterations of Loewe’s iconic Ballet Runner sneakers.

Loewe's Spring/Summer 2025 collection features high-top Ballet Runner sneakers. (left) and characterful boat shoes (right)

To date, Loewe's crinoline gowns have been donned in reality on a few occasions, assuming red carpet events are considered part of real life. Ayo Edibiri attended a gala and subsequent after-party adorned in a dress, shortly following Loewe's presentation at Paris Fashion Week. Ambika Mod chose to wear a dress at the 2024 British Fashion Awards. The actress described having "a delightful evening navigating sideways through doors" in an Instagram picture. The hoop of Mod's dress rubbed against her while posing for photographs with friends and subsequently contorted uncomfortably as she seated down for supper.

Jonathan Anderson transforms the conventional T-shirt by incorporating layers of feathers adorned with artistic prints.

The gowns may not be designed for practical use in everyday life, where ladies must perform tasks such as traversing streets, boarding packed trains, entering cabs, ascending or descending stairs, or merely passing through doorways. In Loewe's Spring/Summer 2025 ad, the dresses were suspended on poles within a forest. Spectral.

Fortunately, the collection contains more significant works. Individuals who appreciate the playful and freeing silhouettes of Loewe’s crinoline dresses may opt for the small trapeze dresses, which feature proportions reminiscent of those in Marc Jacobs’s doll-inspired Spring/Summer 2024 collection. Loewe's trapeze dresses are ideal for soirées, featuring perilously elevated hemlines and a lustrous finish attained by layers of sequins or mother-of-pearl shells. Additionally, there are trapeze jackets fashioned from soft leather to contemplate in the outerwear category, should the exaggeratedly flared coats in the collection not appeal to you. A new trapeze bag has been named after Loewe's hometown, Madrid.

Anderson reimagined the band tee by adorning it with feathers and emblazoning it with the likenesses of renowned classical musicians such as Bach, Mozart, and Chopin. A feathery shirt included a print of a picture by Manet. Others replicated Van Gogh's floral paintings, creating a novel genre of flowery prints.

The lightweight garments showcasing prominent artists highlight Anderson's actual identity as an exceptional fashion designer, adept at creating wearable attire with innovative silhouettes, while remaining faithful to the handmade craftsmanship key to Loewe. Anderson has remarkably produced yet another extravaganza on the runway. However, his achievement of transforming an everyday item, such as the T-shirt, into something extraordinary is even more remarkable.