Feathers! Sequins! Oh My! 5 Ways Loewe's Spring Show Spoke to Us
Do you hear that sound? It's the collective sigh of relief as the style crowd finally kicks off their shoes after a long fashion month. Please make no mistake: It's an exciting time for editors, buyers, stylists, and fashion people as we bear witness to how designers use their collections as a way to speak to the world. But it's easy to get lost in the noise of the fashion world, especially during Paris Fashion Week. Compared to other fashion capitals, Paris has the largest number of brands presenting their collections each season (over a hundred). It's easy for labels to get lost in the mix, but Loewe isn't one of them. Rather than getting caught up in the commotion, this luxury fashion house has long been known for making it each season—thanks to its creative director, Jonathan Anderson. Ever since his appointment to the helm of the Spanish fashion house in 2013, the Irish designer has been behind some of the buzziest handbags and red carpet looks in recent memory.
What makes Anderson's work so distinguishable is his surrealist approach to design. Drawing inspiration from one's surroundings isn't a new concept by any means. However, Anderson has always managed to effectively transform that inspiration into a new reality that we can enter through his collections. The brand's recent spring show was no exception. We got to enter a new world and silence the outside one in the process. Yes, some of the "louder" elements that Loewe is known for were still present in the spring show, such as a celebrity-packed front row and plenty of street style moments. But overall, the brand's spring collection asked us to contemplate what happens when we remove the noise. In that vacuum, we found clothing that speaks for itself, or at the very least, we'll spend months talking about. Keep scrolling to see the most buzzworthy moments from the Loewe S/S 25 runway show.
The Celebrity Attendees
WHO: Greta Lee
WHO: Josh O'Connor
WHO: Taylor Russell
WHO: Dan Levy
WHO: Ayo Edebiri
The Street Style
WHO: Emili Sindlev
WEAR: Loewe Squeeze Bag ($7400)
WHO: Hanna MW
WEAR: Loewe Toy Rose Pumps ($1700)
The Noteworthy Show Moments
1. Tuning Out the Noise
The theme for Loewe's spring collection was propelled by one question: "What happens when one takes all the noise away?" Admittedly, it's hard to imagine a world in which Loewe's ready-to-wear collections would be truly "quiet," considering so much of the buzz surrounding the brand has historically been around its maximalist-leaning approach. Yet with the spring show, we saw Anderson apply the concept of "radical reduction" through every element of the show—be it the bare-white show venue decorated with a single sculpture by the British artist Tracey Emin or the stripped-back instrumentals that models sauntered to this season.
But we'd argue that the austere approach was most adeptly applied throughout the ready-to-wear collection. Silhouettes were stripped back to showcase those more special details that act as signifiers of a true couturier. For instance, we saw the suggestive power of a streamlined silhouette in several of the spring runway show looks—most notably in the form of trapeze minidresses tactfully covered in sequins (refer to looks five, seven, 17, and 18). Similarly, sharply tailored trench coats stood out even further thanks to their seashell and feather adornments (refer to looks 20 and 46). However, sequins and shells were not the only elements of this show that spoke to us.
Even something as unassuming as leather commanded attention in this collection—it was bundled by the waist to create balloon-shaped trousers and cascaded down the shoulders as cropped caplets. If those looks didn't fully articulate the collection's thematic aim, then the swingier silhouettes (which we'll get into shortly) surely did. Rarely can designers successfully remove the "bells and whistles" in their runway shows without losing the tone of their respective houses, yet Anderson managed to do just that this season.
2. Squiggly Silhouettes
Let's be real: No other luxury house can light up the internet quite like Loewe. While many moments from the Spanish house's spring show took over social media, the "squiggly" silhouettes were the true showstoppers this season. These looks were characterized by their innovative approach to the classical engineering that created 19th-century cage gowns and full wire skirts. Rather than embracing an excess amount of material, texture, or even color, we saw Anderson remove the "distractions" to let silhouettes speak for themselves. For example, minimalist miniskirts were made expansive using wire-casted hemlines to create protruding and unexpected shapes (refer to runway looks 19 and 29).
At the same time, rather than shying away from showing the construction of gowns, it was laid bare for all to see in the show as models wafted about the blank space in bouncy sheer corseted gowns covered in surrealist floral prints. However, boning and wiring techniques weren't just applied to skirts and dresses; we saw them used to transform traditional outerwear, too. The trench coat was made contemporary using the same wire-casted hemline—creating a piece that could be worn as a dress or coat depending upon one's disposition.
While so much of Loewe's spring collection played with proportions as a way to explore the theme of "filling an empty white room without shouting for space," these particular looks did it the best, in our humble opinion. By stripping things back to the "bare bones," or in this case, the boning itself, Anderson used tailoring to articulate his feelings in an artful manner.
3. Fanciful Footwear
At first glance, the footwear featured in Loewe's S/S 25 show may not seem like a proper match—the shoes were far more casual compared to the apparel's evening-wear-coded elements. However, that juxtaposition is what makes some of the more "fanciful" elements of the collection rooted in reality rather than fiction. Sure, we may not all be wearing a sheer cage gown with sneakers anytime soon, but in the case of the show, the shoes furthered the collection's story.
As explained in the show notes, the intention of styling each of the runway looks with flats was to have "the graphic grace of the silhouettes be grounded in the footwear." That aim was achieved by embracing a "dressed down" approach—e.g., tailored separates were styled with boat shoes while baggy leather trousers and feather-adorned skirts were worn with oxfords. At the same time, high-top sneakers were paired with sequin minidresses and sheer gowns. While the styling choices of the show were meant to make the couture elements of the collection a bit more casual, that doesn't mean the footwear didn't have "fancier" touches.
In true Loewe fashion, classic shoe styles were given a cool spin. The oxfords tip-toed into the territory of being surrealist with their extra-long pointed-toe bed. While the boat shoes came in vibrant two-tones and even multicolor. And then, there was the debut of a new style of Ballet Runners, which reimagined the brand's beloved ballet sneakers as a high-top shape. Although each style was slightly different, each had the same underlying effect of giving us the ability to step into the world imagined by Anderson without losing touch with our own lived realities.
4. The Next It Bags
One shared reality we've all had to face is the rise of the "quiet luxury" movement. Whether you're a fan or not, it's clear that Anderson spent much time contemplating the notion throughout the S/S 25 collection. The exploration of silence versus sound was present in everything from the tailoring to the styling, but we'd argue the bags embodied this theme's dichotomy. Hear us out: Loewe was ahead of the game long before it was buzzy to create low-key bags. After all, some of the fashion house's most noteworthy moments in recent history have been tied to its leather goods. Therefore, you can't really pay homage to the best moments from the brand's recent runway show without mentioning the brand's buzzyworthy handbags of the past and potentially the future.
The accessory that might be the brand's next big thing is the Madrid Bag. Named after the house's home city, the style debuted during the S/S 25 runway show to much fanfare. Frankly, the hype is well-founded, as the style has all the trappings you'd want in a luxury bag. Not only does the bag have a unique trapezoid shape, but it's made from a supple feathery-light leather that's made to last. Additionally, the Madrid Bag can be styled for multifunctional purposes and many different occasions—e.g., you can wear it out for the evening as a clutch bag or style it as a compact crossbody for a quick trip to the grocery store. The bag commands just as much attention as any other item from the collection but is easier to incorporate into everyday life.
In addition to the Madrid Bag debuting in the S/S 25 show, the Spanish house's iconic Puzzle Bag was given a contemporary spin this season. It may not be brand-new, but being that this style was one of Anderson's first creations for the label, it's rather fitting that we'd see it given a sleek update after its 10th anniversary. The style still features the patchwork leather that made this piece first popular, but it was adapted into a slouchier silhouette. It might seem like a small update, but in many ways, it reflects how the bag style and the brand itself have continuously shifted tones over the years.
5. The Artist Becomes the Muse
By now, we've hopefully made it abundantly clear how much the artist's musings—aka Jonathan Anderson's imagination—were the driving force behind the spring runway show. But if it's still unclear, it's best to look to more apparent examples in Loewe's 2025 collection. Frankly, we can't think of examples that paint the clearest picture of the show's theme than the art-inspired runway looks (refer to 14, 16, 28, 38, 50, and 57). At first glance, a few models wore a "simple" printed tee with tailored trousers, but up close, the "canvas" told a completely different story.
Instead of following the same formula found throughout the rest of the collection, in which items were "stripped back," the graphic shirt was given new layers of meaning. Hand-painted feathers depicted some of the greatest artists and artworks of the last few centuries—including everything from Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" to Édouard Manet's "The Fifer" to portraits of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Frédéric François Chopin. Although incorporating these nods to these artists took the collection's themes quite literally, the craftsmanship needed to create them speaks to the skill set this creative has cultivated in his 10-year career at Loewe.
After all, what better way is there to nod to the personal exploration of sound than by incorporating the iconography of some of the greatest composers of all time? Or why wouldn't one want to pay homage to the artists who created the surrealist art movement that informs so much of the design perspective of this Spanish house? In many ways, these runway looks not only reflect Anderson's reverence for art but also his innate understanding of what truly makes great art. The collection serves as a reminder that the best works of art don't need to be that "loud," because they can speak volumes without saying a word.
Jasmine Fox-Suliaman is a fashion editor living in New York City. What began as a hobby (blogging on Tumblr) transformed into a career dedicated to storytelling through various forms of digital media. She started her career at the print publication 303 Magazine, where she wrote stories, helped produce photo shoots, and planned Denver Fashion Week. After moving to Los Angeles, she worked as MyDomaine's social media editor until she was promoted to work across all of Clique's publications (MyDomaine, Byrdie, and Who What Wear) as the community manager. Over the past few years, Jasmine has worked on Who What Wear's editorial team, using her extensive background to champion rising BIPOC designers, weigh in on viral trends, and profile stars such as Janet Mock and Victoria Monét. She is especially interested in exploring how art, fashion, and pop culture intersect online and IRL.
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