Met Gala to honor Lagerfeld; Loewe bowls over Paris fashion

Loewe’s ever-creative director Jonathan Anderson became the toast of Paris Fashion Week on Friday with his subtly provocative, concept-driven runway show triumph that had critics and VIP guests, including Karlie Kloss and Alexa Chung, bowled over

Loewe’s ever-creative director Jonathan Anderson became the toast of Paris Fashion Week on Friday with his subtly provocative, concept-driven runway show triumph that had critics and VIP guests, including Karlie Kloss and Alexa Chung, bowled over.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vogue’s Anna Wintour announced that next year’s Met Gala in New York will be a homage to the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Here are some highlights of spring-summer 2023 collections:

IN LOVE WITH LOEWE

Loewe, the hip insider heritage brand, is going from strength to strength under the artistic stewardship of American designer Johnathan Anderson.

Friday’s concept-driven collection — the highlight of the season so far — was a case in point. Like old school collections used to be, Anderson takes one main theme and develops it until it spawns other creatively within the show like a symphony, all held together with invisible strings. A giant bright red tropical flower, identified as an anthurium, was the centerpiece of this minimalist runway — producing thoughtful variations on the flower theme.

It was at times literal, such as the giant white anthurium serving as the front piece on an A-line minidress. At other times it was conceptual: The minimalist shape of a black bustier dress opening the show evoked the purity of the single waxy petal — and its silhouette itself resembled an upside-down flower, reminiscent of a distorted vision of 1940s Dior. An ash bustier had a peplum inserted into the top of the skirt to create a surreal three-dimensional form like a curtain. The 1940s was also apparent in the babydoll gowns whose myriad-colored stripes confused the eye.

Shoes became ruffles of white fabric like petals brushing the floor — but it could have also been a mop — while stilettos were intentionally oversize and awkward.

This collection shows that Anderson is a rare designer who manages to mix classical fashion with perplexing ideas without sacrificing any visual beauty.

MET GALA TO CELEBRATE KARL LAGERFELD

U.S. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour convened a huddle of top Paris Fashion Week insiders Friday to announce that the theme of next year’s annual Met Gala will be the work of the late Karl Lagerfeld.

Taking place on the first Monday in May, the world-famous fund-raiser — also billed the Oscars of fashion — will celebrate the work of the German-born couturier, who worked at Chanel, Fendi and Chloe and died in 2019, aged 85.

As ever, the Met Gala theme is lent from the exhibit at the museum. Next year’s will be entitled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” and will see some 150 of his creations assembled together to see his “stylistic language.”

Lagerfeld’s original sketches will also be on display.