Spring/Summer 2022 marked the first true return of Paris Fashion Paris Fashion Week. Loewe’s creative director Jonathan Anderson, decided to toast the beginning of a new époque with an unique and, at times, chaotic collection and show.

The discreet surrounding and setting—absent of artwork or props—ensured the entire focus was on the garments. The dynamic and complex collection reflects the uncertain times. Surreal details, such as 3D metal structures, helped to create an eye-catching geometrical game and reinforce this theme of hysteria, as did the use of flamboyant colors throughout. More sophisticated pieces included the pastel separates adorned with wraps and chiffon or the asymmetrical paillettes dresses.

Jonathan Anderson’s objective was to evade accuracy and begin a period of experimentation, taking up a poetic license where garments were framed by nothing but instinct. This was apparent in the stand out heels made from a bar soap, a bottle of nail polish, and birthday candles, reaffirming once again the beauty of nonsense. The Deposition from the Cross by Jacopo Pontormo (1528) played a crucial role for Anderson, who drew inspiration from the uncontrolled contractions that emerge from the painting. Fittingly, Deposition was created after the end of the Bubonic Plague in Florence, and served as a beacon for the resurfaced society that came.