Fashion with verve

What can you ask a man who's already answered and silenced all the critics?

Lounging on a cozy fuchsia pink sofa with Stuart Vevers, creative director of the fashion house Loewe (pronounced Low-ev-eh), in the back room of its Parisian headquarters, I decide to go back to his Paris Fashion Week presentation at Les Folies Bergere.

Few are as accommodating and as easy-going as Vevers. And clearly, after the rave reviews the Spanish brand received for its spring-summer 09 collection, even fewer are as talented. In between glancing down at the warm textures and electric hue of the sofa and gazing up at the austere classical cornices in the ceiling, Vevers remembers how it all began.

"A friend sent me a picture of Paloma Picasso from the '80s. She had a simple black vest on. The photo was in black and white, but you could tell she had her signature red lips on," he says, referring to the photograph featuring the fashion icon and businesswoman wearing lots of chunky bangles stacked up on each arm.

"There was just something very austere about that image," Vevers says. With Picasso being half-Spanish and half-French, the daughter of one of the most famous artists of the last century and a fashion icon in her own right, somehow it all just fell into place for him. Picasso was the inspiration for Vevers's first season at Loewe. "She embodies a provocative take on classicism that just feels so right for Loewe right now."

Respect

Whatever you think about the brand itself, you can't question its quality. Loewe commands respect. Vevers recalls collecting Loewe catalogues from the '70s and '80s and being impressed with the minimalist designs and traditional craftsmanship.

As head of the Loewe design team (15 designers in total, including a few freelancers), Vevers is in charge of getting everyone together for brainstorming sessions. The team usually meets when the stylist and editor-in-chief of Pop magazine, Katie Grand, visits Madrid. Grand is also the stylist for Louis Vuitton and several other luxury fashion brands.

What about all the quirky naval/military connotations in the collection — how did all that come about? "That was a really funny reference actually," Vevers recalls. "I saw a picture of Princess Stephanie of Monaco in an old French '70s magazine. Loewe's got a real connection with royalty and I just thought Princess Stephanie would be a great muse for the brand."

The tearaway princess also possesses the "provocative classicism" that Picasso imbues. Vevers got the idea of taking the classic spring and summer nautical theme and trying to make it super sexy and über-cool.

That said, there was still one thing in the presentation that was bugging me. A bracelet. Was it even meant to be a bracelet?

Vevers assures me that not only was it a bracelet but, in fact, his favourite piece of the whole collection. It comes in three tiers of graphic shapes cut out of Perspex and wrapped in golden sheets of metal.

Each of the three parts can be separated and worn individually or interlocked and worn as one — if you've got the mettle. It's huge and in-your-face. But, it looks awesome. With that on your arm, you can give your man the night off and know that you have something very special by your side.

Key piece

The brand's signature bag — the Amazona — is another key piece of the new collection., Ververs admits to being very playful with it and changing it quite a lot last season. But after getting to know it better, the British designer decided to take the bag right back to its original design, which first saw the light in 1975.

"It's almost as old as I am," muses Vevers. The iconic Loewe bag has such soul and integrity, how could you possibly improve on that? "I just tweaked it so it works for now — functionally and aesthetically. But essentially, it's gone back to its core, and I feel quite proud that it's back."

The Amazona is one of those timeless bags. From a cool girl sifting through thrift stores on Portobello Road, or browsing the boutiques at the Dubai Marina — to meeting the Queen, the bag works on every level.

With such a fantastic collection, I wonder if there is someone out there that Vevers would still love to dress. "I'd really love to dress Penelope Cruz. She's like the biggest Spanish star at the moment. She was filming around Madrid recently and she actually borrowed some pieces for the film from the Loewe archives," he says.

Madonna is apparently also a big fan of the brand: the singer was spotted leaving her hotel with the Lola bag on her arm.

It's not just celebrities that Vevers enjoys making a creative connection with through his collections. The 35-year-old believes that the women of the Middle East also share a thrill for the creative flair and quality craftsmanship that is the cornerstone of Loewe. Vevers can't wait to visit Dubai, and hopes to visit in the near future.

No doubt about it, the man in the slick black Dior blazer, indigo fitted jeans, green socks and scruffy white Converse trainers is definitely steering the prestigious Spanish brand into fresher, richer and deeper waters. Full steam ahead!