What’s Hot (15.5.23)

May 15, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

A Certain Lifestyle. Loro Piana AW23

March 23, 2023March 23, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

The fashion world seems to start catching up with Loro Piana. This Italian brand isn’t only delivering the finest cashmeres and vicunas to the Italian, as well as global, market, but also offers clothes that are synonymous with a certain lifestyle. Of course, it’s a very, very pricey lifestyle (*the Succession intro playing in the background*), but not a noisy one. There’s pretty much nothing flashy about Loro garments and accessories. You won’t find a single logo on the outside surface of their bags. Fashion trends, cores and themes don’t matter to this label’s design universe. The anonymous design team (the rumor has it that most of these designers came from Phoebe Philo’s Céline studio) keeps on refining the delightful house codes of Loro Piana, and the last couple of seasons are clear examples of that. The autumn-winter 2023 line-up is exceptionally great. This season, the brand celebrates the countries of its supply chains: Peru, Bolivia and Argentina (for vicuna) , New Zealand and Australia (for wool) and Mongolia (for cashmere). These inspirations were gently applied in pattern and tone to two collections – women’s and men’s – that worked hard to get along: adapted outerwear pieces from Loro’s more traditionally mannish canon were adapted for womenswear, while the pleated, fuller pants shape that the women’s team majored on was reflected in multiple menswear looks. An absolute harmony. Loro Piana is an inherently discreet brand that is traditionally more progressive in its technical development than its expression. This collection pointed to the shaping of a more coherent voice with which to declare its excellence.

And here’s a couple of my current Loro Piana favorites. Those are pieces you could have in your closet and actually never shop again. And pass them on as family heirlooms…

Loro Piana – Monginevro Cashmere Sweater – Brown

Loro Piana – Leather-trimmed Striped Alpaca-blend Bouclé Poncho – White

Loro Piana – Golden Hour In Dubai Suede-trimmed Printed Cashmere Throw – Orange

Loro Piana – Wintercozy Faux Shearling Slippers – Gray

Loro Piana – Sesia Happy Day Large Textured-leather Tote – Brown

Loro Piana – Cotton And Linen-blend Canvas-trimmed Leather Baseball Cap – Brown

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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What’s Hot (20.3.23)

March 20, 2023March 19, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Understated Luxury. Loro Piana SS23

December 18, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

For a long while, Loro Piana has been a fashion-insider favorite because it exists outside of fashion, its silhouettes are unchanging despite shifts in trends and its materials are always made at the highest levels. Understated luxury has always been the story for this Italian brand. But as the company makes efforts to grow, it’s adopting some of the industry’s ways. The spring 2023 collection was designed around the theme of an Italian grand tour, beginning in Piedmont and making stops in Tuscany and Portofino, before ending up in the Aeolian Islands, with clothes designed for each destination. Piedmont, Loro Piana’s home base, yielded cold-weather outerwear: a shearling bomber; a bouclé camel hair and silk poncho; an alpaca wool coat with a subtle stripe; and a mohair, cashmere, and technical fabric coat whose weightlessness has to be felt to be believed. As the tour progressed south with the season, the clothes became more summery. A navy and yellow anorak and a shirt with rope embroidery spelling out the house logo both said “seaside,” and linen dresses like a loosely belted smock and a striped linen and cotton caftan were direct tickets to August holidays in the country. A sorbet-striped caftan in silk was a bit loud by Loro Piana standards. Handbags are a main focus for the company. The large bale bag in a warm brown leather with white topstitching and a bucket in striped woven cotton with leather trim are two worthy investments. Loro Piana already stands apart from the sexiness and flash of the Italian fashion, but to this insider’s eye, the best of the collection were the house icons, the unchanging “winter voyager” and “horsey short” jacket, both in cashmere; the cotton and linen “traveler”; and a bomber in water-repellant microfiber. No theme, no concept, and just great.