Loewe, AW20, Paris.
The Autumn-Winter 2020 collection by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, featured fabric that had been draped and gathered around central ceramic disks or bold matte black central panels. The fabric sections were often carefully segmented and draped individually to draw around these panels, and in turn, draw the eye of the viewer in towards the centre of the garment.
The ceramic pieces were created by ceramicist Takuro Kuwata, who was the recipient of a ‘special mention’ at the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize for 2018. For the Autumn-Winter 2020 collection, the collaboration included ceramic elements within the clothes themselves, as well as for Loewe handbags.
The ceramic plates were used as central elements on dresses but also appeared in more asymmetrical arrangements on tops, where the fabric was carefully draped and gathered around two separate panels.
In one dark navy blue dress, note how the gathering has been split into three main panels coming out from the plate, so that the fabric comes out to create two ‘sleeve’ sections, as well as a lower gathered panel. This lower panel, is then seamed onto a smoother skirt panel without gathering. This allows the pattern maker to control how the volume is used around the body, and prevents too much fullness swamping the figure.
Shaping is controlled on the matte black versions through the placement of the vertical seamlines. By running the vertical seams over the bust points, the seams function like a princess seam line, allowing shaping over the apexes of the chest, and scooping in closer to the waist as needed.
In other dresses, the volume is again gathered towards smoother panels, this time towards shaped hip sections which appear to be reinforced or fused to highlight the silhouette and smooth the fabric. Note also that the shoulders are dropped on these styles, which moves the volume away from crowding the shoulder and neckline area and gives the face of the wearer some breathing space.
Images of Loewe Autumn-Winter 2020 from Loewe.com»
