Serious Intrigue at Loewe

There was mystery. There was Jamie Dornan. And there were great clothes.

One of the most delightful shows in Paris wasn’t a show at all. It was a — what? Exhibition? Career retrospective? Opportunity to snack on gossip along with some croissants?

Officially it was the Loewe Fall 2025 men’s and women’s wear presentation, held in the ornate halls of the 18th century Pozzo di Borgo, the hôtel particulier residence of Karl Lagerfeld that, since his death, has become one of fashion’s favorite venues. (In the hopes, perhaps, that some of that Lagerfeldian mystique remains in the halls.)

Unofficially, it was — maybe, possibly — the last chance to see the version of Loewe that emerged from the mind of the designer Jonathan Anderson, who is widely expected to be leaving the brand to move to Dior.

LVMH, which owns both houses, has resolutely refused to comment. Loewe employees at the presentation smiled coyly and offered to talk about the collection. Mr. Anderson, who had recently posted on Instagram what seemed like a two-and-a-half-minute greatest hits compilation of his 10 years at the house (Look, there’s Daniel Craig in a weird woolly jumper! Look, here’s a puzzle bag! Look, Rihanna at the Super Bowl!) was nowhere to be seen. He had reportedly checked the setup, and left the building.

No matter. You could see him in the clothes. In the giant pumpkin by the British artist Anthea Hamilton, which had appeared at a 2022 show, that greeted everyone at the entrance. And in the fact that even Jamie Dornan, one of the house’s ambassadors, was strolling through the rooms, perhaps contemplating how he would look in some giant leather boots that resembled a pair of waders from the closet of a Three Musketeer.

If this was, indeed, a last collection, it was a telling one.