Loewe has been in the leather-goods business as long as many of its French and Italian peers, but the Spanish brand scarcely enjoys the same profile. Brit designer Stuart Vevers was brought to change that state of affairs, and he has found a suitable springboard in Loewe's late -'70s/early-'80s golden era. That also happened to be a time when Bruce Weber was helping to define a new male image. "Strong, striking, masculine…but with a love of luxury" -such was Vevers' take on the Weber man. Translation : soft-shouldered blazers over bare flesh paired with full-legged trousers for what the designer called a "louche" feeling. On the sober side of louche, anyway -Vevers' luxe fabric and monochrome palette were in tune with the season's mood so far. A hooded shearling parka trimmed in fox was a little more overt, as were the leather riding pants. It's a leather house, after all, and that heritage looked more appealing in applications rooted in utility and tradition : updated riding boots and bags, for example, or when Vevers put his fabric research skills to work with waxed suede bombers, crisp cable knits of yak hair, and overcoats cut from densely woven wools developed in Japan.
