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FashionMusicArtCulture

The Story of Loewe and the Crinoline

30 September 2024

It is with amplitude that Jonathan Anderson has approached his Spring/Summer collection at the Spanish fashion house Loewe. Of the 59 looks presented, the most Instagram traffic and hubbub was generated for his use of hooped skirts with soft chiffon layered over. After the show, Anderson spoke of seeing an armour-like crinoline dating from pre-war America and how it had fascinated him. However, Anderson’s contemporary interpretation was much lighter, avoiding the usual cage-like associations of crinoline skirts. He incorporated organic fauna motifs in a repeating print that evoked the Arts & Crafts movement of the late 19th century. A fine chain added to the hem of the dresses allowed the skirts to float while maintaining their shape. British art historian James Laver once described the crinoline as a "restless captive balloon," a fitting metaphor for how these garments swayed and undulated around the white courtyard of Paris' Château de Vincennes.

The crinoline was popularised in the 1850s and 1860’s in France and England and in the Civil War in America. Protecting your personal space was one positive use of the structure, whereas the pursuit of shopping, a new activity of the then-emergent leisure class, meant goods could be uplifted and deposited under the skirt and in between its hoops. The inventory of one plunder involved over 300 items, including twenty-three shawls, eleven dozen handkerchiefs, sixteen pairs of boots, and five hair brushes. 

After first introducing the garment for Spring/Summer 1986, British fashion house Vivienne Westwood revived crinoline and has done numerous iterations of crazy "crinnies" over the years, seeing them as "the most sexy garments." The sexiness of the garment is derived from an interplay of concealment and reveal between the wearer and the viewer. Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons has also been dismantling Victoriana dress codes since the 1980s; the strongest was in her collection for Fall/Winter 2001.

The crinolines were not the only reference Anderson made to the history of western dress. His use of slashing, a decorative technique made using regular spaced cuts, dates from the 17th century. Anderson applied the technique to a minidress in a shade of Maya blue. Flight and levitation were also present in the application of feathers onto tank-cut dresses and jackets. The feathers were airbrushed with graphics in an uncanny way. The selection of printed imagery across the garments was just as bizarro: a combination of paintings and advertisements we have seen reproduced in print media, such as portraits of composers like Bach and art exhibition posters (one was Van Gogh’s still-life Sunflowers, 1888).

There were more birds. Not only did we hear chirruping and quavering over a string soundtrack, but centrally positioned in the set was a bronze work by Tracey Emin, who uses birds as a proxy for her narratives of triumph, determination, and awe. Emin's birds are frequently accompanied by phrases like, “You inspire me with your determination and I love you.”

Additional body coverage came from in a trouser suit with unique arm shaping and draping. The sleeve cupped the hand and wrist, while the pants flowed over the shoes in a way that was less of a fashion novelty but sure to be a hit in both editorials and sales. There were also intriguing variations, such as pant and jacket combinations featuring an asymmetric cutout at the waist.

What Anderson presented for Loewe continues a recurring theme in Spring/Summer 2025: the renaissance of glamour through a lens of historical influence. The collection explored various ideas, such as reimagining iconic visual media, redefining the classic T-shirt graphic, reinterpreting the sober trouser suit, and recontextualising a dress that was last in vogue over 160 years ago. While this may seem like a departure, it's the kind of move we've come to expect from Anderson. Undoubtedly, we'll all be navigating—and embracing—the space of the crinoline by 2025.

Loewe Spring/Summer 2025 by Jonathan Anderson

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