Loewe: Overloaded Leather Luxury

Loewe: Overloaded Leather Luxury

This weekend's big catwalk debut was Stuart Vevers Cafe Society fall 2009 collection for Loewe, staged in a somewhat eccentric triple header in a cut stone hall of academia near the Odeon in Paris Saturday, March 7. . .

The series of mini-shows was billed as a key moment of re-emergence for his Spanish label of German origin. Executives of LVMH, Loewe's corporate owner, sat with Peter Marino, the architect of boutiques for sister firms like Christian Dior and Fendi.

The audience perched on round French cast iron terrace tables as waiters served ladylike nibbles, miniature avocado sandwiches, tiny profiteroles, champagne and Italian espressos. One could not fault the setting or the casting, since Stuart smartly hired a dozen of the best 20 runway models to wear his clothes.

The collection however, while accomplished, stylish and equipped with a certain vision was a hit and miss affair.

Vevers has plenty of talent. He has already created some great accessories for Loewe and showed more in this show, such as his snappy boxy bags with silver acorn and mink paw accompaniments.

Vevers' looks have plenty of polish. He cut come great wraparound coats, sent out clever, almost cyber skirts in suede with studded appliqués. But too often the silhouette and finish seemed heavy - solid black calf tops that were overly authoritarian or dusters that engulfed the models rather than highlight them.

Vevers said he was inspired by Italian director Antonioni's "Red Desert," a tale of provincial alienation in an industrializing Italy, but what came out on the catwalk was less iconic design and more rich merchandising.

Moreover, the hair and casting, chignon and coal-dark eyes, was very much in the current fashion spirit. But if Loewe really wants to set itself up as the pre-eminent Spanish label, perhaps it should be offering something different.

Vevers did, however, manage to pull off his first runway outing. No home run, but proof that with a little more courage and a lighter hand he could become a major player.