The Love Story Effect Lives on at Loewe

2 min read

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez spent years defining New York’s downtown uniform at Proenza Schouler. Now, as co-designers of Loewe, they’re still drawn to the ease of American sportswear. It was a sensibility at the heart of their spring/summer 2027 collection for the house, where familiar American staples met Spanish drama.

The show space, designed with Casper Mueller Kneer Architects, took the form of a two-tiered amphitheater in the courtyard of the Château de Vincennes, bringing the audience close to the clothes. Their cuts and construction felt forward-looking, while the styling carried a note of ’90s nostalgia: several of the men’s looks called JFK Jr. to mind, Kangol hat and all.

The designers cited the concept of “old world meets new world,” a recipe that smartly doesn’t hinge on vintage dressing but converses with it and pushes it forward. It resulted in staples of the sportswear lexicon that were completely reconsidered.

Suede overcoats lent notched capris a Continental air, as if a New Englander had packed for Euro summer. Chiffon evening dresses in jolting primary colors borrowed their bodices from basketball jerseys. A roll-neck sweater was paired with vibrant orange short-shorts.

The more sculptural silhouettes, including a pair of architecturally draped miniskirts that opened the show, nodded to the exaggerated shapes Jonathan Anderson made synonymous with the brand. Now in their third collection for the house, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have found their sweet spot in balancing those off-kilter proportions with an easy, distinctly American approach to getting dressed.

The collection’s strongest moments came from familiar shapes made new, and from color and embellishment that recalled the Spanish Baroque movement. Nods to the house’s heritage appeared in silk ties printed with motifs from Spanish paintings and satin scarves whose florals flared from taleguilla-style pants. Sashes and draped folds added movement, sometimes cinched with bungee cord for a sporty counterpoint.

“What we’re putting forward here is a proposition for dressing,” the designers explained in the show notes. “How does this new Loewe language become a wardrobe? We’re taking the vision, the craft, and injecting a reality and character. There’s proximity to the clothes, proximity to living, and proximity to our own sensibility—even our autobiography.”

Matthew Velasco is the Fashion News Editor at ELLE. Based in New York City, he previously worked as a News Writer at W magazine and an Assistant Editor at V magazine. Outside of fashion, he enjoys interior design, tennis (both watching and playing), and a jam-packed antique store.