Loewe

Loewe started in 1846 as a workshop of Spanish leather artisans on Calle Lobo in Madrid, making small things: purses, wallets, cigarette cases. In 1872 a German craftsman, Enrique Loewe Roessberg, joined them and the business took his name, and by 1905 Alfonso XIII had made it an official supplier to the Spanish court. Before the clothes, the eyewear and the runway, there was a family of leatherworkers who were very good at bags, and that is still the part of the house I trust most. It is said lo-weh-vay, by the way.

 

The Amazona arrived in 1975 and it is still the shape I would start with. Here it comes two ways: the medium Amazona 180 in soft suede and the small one in a bright red-orange leather that looks almost lacquered. The Puzzle, which Jonathan Anderson introduced in 2015, is built from geometric panels that fold flat, and I picked two: the Puzzle Edge in a deep burgundy and the Puzzle Aviator in black with a shearling trim. The Hammock Flip is a slouchy suede tote in mushroom brown, the Bilbao is a leather bucket bag with a suede panel, the Whisker is a neat shoulder bag, and the Flamenco clutch gathers its top with knotted ties.

 

My test for any Loewe bag is to run a thumb along the edge of the strap. The painted edges should be smooth and even, with no fraying.

 

I added more of the shapes Loewe does best, grouped by type. The Scarf and Whisker shoulder bags are soft and small enough for every day, the Cala and the Loop sit beside them, the Gate Dual Mini and a blue Puzzle shoulder bag add two more house shapes, the Hammock Flip, Verano and Puzzle Fold totes are the roomy ones, and the Flamenco is a rolled knot of leather that works as an evening clutch. The raffia and basket bags come from the Paula's Ibiza line and look better than you would expect next to a wool coat. There are more of each now, too: the Amazona 23 and 28 in olive and black leather, a plain Puzzle Small and the softer Puzzle Panta, the Hammock in two sizes, a Cala Small, the Squeeze, Ola and Glim on shoulder straps, the Draped and Flamenco totes, a black Pebble bucket, four more Flamenco clutches, one in blue denim and one in metallic leather, and a black raffia Paula's Ibiza bag with LOEWE across the front.

 

One bag is a small joke I could not leave out. The Futurist Cat Puzzle comes from the Spring/Summer 2026 pre-collection, a capsule built around Louis Wain, the British artist known for his eccentric cats, who lived from 1860 to 1939. The same capsule shows up again further down on a Ballet Runner sneaker, a Fair Isle scarf and a cat beanie.

 

What I would skip: the shearling Puzzle as your only bag if you live somewhere wet. Keep it for dry winter days.

Loewe shoes are where the house lets itself be a little odd, and I mean that as a compliment. Under Anderson the heels started to look like small sculptures, with folded toes and rounded, pebble-like heels, and the pairs below still feel like nobody else's.

 

The Dive 45 is a slingback with a rubber trim at the toe, which sounds strange and looks great with straight jeans. The Double L loafers are soft suede with the two-L hardware, and they are the pair I would wear the most. The Origami slingback pump folds its leather into a point, and the Oval mules sit on a rounded block heel that is easier to walk in than it looks. The Toy sandals have a croc-effect strap and a small sculpted heel. The Petal Anagram ballet flats are a black leather cage of cut-outs, the Pebble Soft sneakers are low lace-ups with gold hardware, and the Dive ankle boots are a brown suede sock boot on a kitten heel.

 

A pairing tip: these shapes are busy enough that the rest of the outfit should be plain. A gray trouser and a white shirt let the shoe do the talking.

 

The extra pairs are sorted by shape too. The Dive and Origami families bring more slingbacks and pumps, the Pebble Soft Mary Jane flats and the Campo loafer are the calm ones, and the boots run from the Oval and Bobine ankle styles to the Toy over-the-knee. The transparent Storm rain boot is the one I would buy for November. There are more pairs in every shape now. Two Toy pumps and the Double L loafer pump join the heels, the Paula's Ibiza Rio Mary Janes come in brown and purple suede, the Flamenco 45 mule borrows the knots of the clutch, and the Toggle 90 is a leather thong sandal on a tall heel. The two Emily ankle boots are glossy PVC, one in black sold with red socks and one in see-through blue, and the Grip and Jambo are the plainer, sturdier sneakers.

 

What I would skip: the Petal Anagram flats for a long walking day. All those cut-outs rub once your feet swell.

Loewe did not make women's ready-to-wear until 1963, more than a century in. LVMH became the sole owner in 1996, the house's 150th year, and Narciso Rodriguez arrived the year after to give the clothes a proper runway. The big change came in 2013 with Jonathan Anderson, who spent eleven years turning Loewe into one of the most discussed labels showing in Paris. His departure was announced in March 2025, and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the duo behind Proenza Schouler, took over as creative directors that April.

 

The clothes here hold on to the leather heritage. The leather scarf jacket and the corduroy-collar leather utility jacket are the two I would look at first, and the padded shearling-trimmed canvas jacket is the warmest. The double-breasted blazer is a good wool one, and the brown teddy coat in wool and silk is the most fun. For trousers, the pleated cargos and the removable-flap wool pair are the sharpest, with two wide-leg options in belted twill and gathered wool. The knits are logo embroidered or plush trimmed, and there is a ribbed logo tee, a striped shirt with a draped waist and three dresses: a backless draped crepe maxi, a shearling-trimmed crepe midi and a fringed wool mini dress, with a fringed mini skirt to match.

 

My test for tailoring is to sit down in it. If the trousers pull across the thigh or the blazer bunches at the back, size up.

 

The rest of the clothes are grouped by type as well: the oversized wool peacoat and leather jacket with the coats, the Double L cardigan, turtleneck and cashmere polo with the knits, shirt dresses and a ribbed midi, belted and asymmetric skirts, draped wool and corduroy trousers, and barrel-leg and wide-leg jeans. I added more of each: a navy belted double-breasted wool coat, a checked mohair and wool coat with fringe, a caped wool blazer, a suede jacket, a taffeta bomber and a shearling-lined puffer, a yellow Double L sweater and an intarsia bouclé one, a gingham midi and a black satin maxi, a pleated leather mini, wool stirrup pants and leather barrel-leg pants, and slim, belted and barrel-leg jeans.

 

What I would skip: the backless maxi for a daytime event. It is an evening dress and looks it.

The Anagram, four interlocking Ls, was designed in the 1970s by the Spanish painter Vicente Vela, and you will find it on a lot of these frames. Loewe eyewear takes more chances than the bags do, which makes it a good way into the house if you want something playful.

 

I kept twenty-eight pairs across shapes. The Anagram oval and the oversized Anagram D-frame are the classics. The Signature cat-eye and the Signature square in metal are the cleanest, and the Slim square is the one I would buy for every day. Then come the fun ones: the Butterfly, the Beveled Pentagon, the Shooting Star cat-eye in metal, the Curvy oversized aviator, the Triangle Slim, the Curvy cat-eye and the Island round metal frame. The Shield mask frame and the Collage mask are big wraparound shapes, and the Paula's Ibiza Dive in Mask comes from the summer line named after the Ibiza boutique Paula's. The Coil pair and the Curvy cat-eye finish the first run, and the pairs after them are simpler acetate squares, rounds, aviators and cat-eyes, a few shown on a model.

 

My test for sunglasses is to look down at your phone. If the frame slides, the bridge is too wide for your face.

 

What I would skip: the mask styles if you have a small face. They take over.

If you wear glasses every day, this is the part of Loewe I find easiest to live with. Many of the same shapes come as optical frames, and since a frame shows up in every photo for years, I go for the quietest version I still love.

 

The Anagram square carries the logo on the temple. The Slim square and the Pilot Slim are thin acetate and very light. The Slim aviator is a softer, rounder take on the pilot shape, and the Epsilon Slim round is the one I would pick for a narrow face. The oversized cat-eye and the Anagram round are bigger and more of a look, and the Anagram eyeglasses round out the set. Three more acetate frames, a square, an aviator and a round, plus a slim navigator, finish the grid.

 

A practical test: if you wear progressives, ask your optician to check the lens height first. Slim frames can be too shallow.

 

What I would skip: the oversized cat-eye with a strong prescription. Thick lenses show at the edges.

The Anagram runs through all of this. The Spanish painter Vicente Vela drew it in 1970, and the design is modelled on the branding irons once used to mark cattle and leather hides, which says a lot about how the house sees its own logo: as a maker's stamp first.

 

The belts are the quietest way to wear it, from a slim Anagram leather strap and the reversible Bombé to a coil belt and a crystal chain belt for a dress. The scarves are wool and cashmere with the logo woven in, and the fringed mohair and cashmere ones are lighter and softer. The ribbed beanies are plain cashmere with a small leather patch, and the two bucket hats are for people who like a bit of play, one in canvas and one crocheted with strawberries.

 

The card holders and the wallet are the smallest way into the house, and the strawberry charm is what I would hang on a bag that has started to feel too serious.

 

I added a few more of each. The Pebble belt has a rounded buckle and the studded suede one is the loudest, the sequined logo scarf is for evening and the embroidered mohair one is the softest, and the Fair Isle beanie and the Louis Wain cat beanie are the fun ones. For small leather goods there is a Puzzle wallet, a Pebble Dice pouch, a padded Anagram card holder and an Anagram keyring, plus four bag charms: a red lion, an artichoke, a shearling bunny and a brass padlock.

 

What I would skip: more than one charm on a bag. One reads as a wink, three read as a keychain.

Loewe takes craft seriously enough to fund it. In 2016 Jonathan Anderson set up the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, an annual award open to artisans working in ceramics, jewelry, textiles, woodwork, glass and metal, and the first winner was the wood-turner Ernst Gamperl. It was meant as a tribute to the house's start as a craft workshop in 1846, and the jewelry has the same feeling: each piece looks like a small object first and a logo second.

 

The Anagram Bombé earrings and ring puff the four Ls into a rounded dome, and the Anagram brooch is the flat, open version, good on the lapel of a wool coat. The Anagram necklace and the Pebble bracelet are fine chains with a single charm, the Pebble leather bracelet wraps twice around the wrist, and the Blown hoops are big, glossy shapes, one gold and one silver. The frog pendant is the one with a sense of humor.

 

My test for logo jewelry is to wear it with the plainest thing you own, a white shirt or a gray sweater. If it still feels loud, go one size smaller.

 

What I would skip: the Blown hoops with a busy collar or a big scarf. One statement near the face is enough.

Loewe Home Scents launched in September 2020, and they started with Jonathan Anderson's love of gardens. He has said he joined the house already wanting to make candles that smelled like plants, and with the in-house perfumer Nuria Cruelles he built eleven of them around essences like tomato leaves, beetroot, oregano, ivy, honeysuckle, liquorice and cypress balls.

 

The pot is the best part. It is ribbed terracotta, modelled on a fifth-century BC Greek mug Anderson bought at auction, stamped with the monogram and the words Made in Spain, and filled with vegetable wax around a cotton wick. It comes in three sizes, and the empty pot is good enough to keep for pens or a small plant.

 

I picked eight. To my nose honeysuckle is the sweetest and the easiest to give, ivy is green and a little bitter, oregano and beetroot smell like a kitchen garden, and cucumber is fresh enough for a bathroom. Incense is the darkest, the marihuana one is more herbal than you would think, and the cypress balls piece is a pale blue wax candlestick rather than a pot.

 

Burn it for at least an hour the first time so the wax melts out to the edge of the pot. Otherwise it tunnels and you lose half the candle.

 

What I would skip: the large size as a first try. Start with a medium in the scent you are curious about, then go big on the one you keep relighting.

If I were buying one thing, it would be a bag, because that is what Loewe has been doing the longest. The Amazona and the Puzzle are the two that have lasted, one from 1975 and one from 2015, and both still look current. After that I would add the Double L loafers, then a frame from the Anagram line. If a bag feels like too big a first step, a candle in its terracotta pot or a pair of Anagram earrings is a smaller way in.

 

The house is in a new chapter now under McCollough and Hernandez, and I am watching to see what they do with the leather. For now, everything here is the Loewe that already exists, and it is a very good place to start this fall. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Loewe Belt Turns A Logo Into Architecture and Loewe Sunglasses.