Raul Lopez named his Luar fall 2025 collection Pato. In Spanish, pato means duck, as in the bird, but in some parts of Latin America, such as Puerto Rico, it’s a homophobic slur. “I wanted to reclaim that word,” said Lopez in his studio the day before his show took place. “Especially right now—I’m not going back in the closet for no one.” The show opened with the first lines of “El Gran Varón” (“The Great Boy”) a classic salsa song from the late ’80s by Willie Colón that details the story of Simón, the pride and joy of his father who wants him to grow up to be just like him. As an adult, Simón transitions, is rejected by her father, and eventually dies of AIDS alone. In his show notes, Lopez also made reference to this song in a short poem: “Poor thing, he looks just like Simón,” a woman from the neighborhood says to him. 

But this was not a somber show. Reclaiming, after all, means changing the meaning of something, owning it. Lopez added, “This show is kind of an homage to the patos that I grew up appreciating: the Gallianos, the Gaultiers, the Lacroixs.” The first look said it all—a white single-breasted jacket with a jewel neckline-turned boatneck draped to expose a shoulder, paired with narrow trousers all in a python print. From there, a certain ’80s maximalism was given free reign: a moto jacket-dress with batwing sleeves and pencil skirt (in denim or leather); a jacket with a Medici collar and ribbed-cuff details at the sleeves in a brown wool with matching narrow pants; beautiful gray wool barrel-leg trousers. 

The menswear emerged the strongest this season: a putty colored tech-y wool suit with an asymmetric detail in both the lapel and the fly, adorned with an extravagant feather brooch; a terrific Persian lamb heavy hooded coat with patch pockets worn with barrel leg dark wash denim. Lopez is a finalist for the Woolmark prize this year, which explained in part the preponderance of wool tailoring and separates this season, but they were also some of his strongest pieces. A highlight was a knitted wool sweater with a curved zip opening across the chest that revealed a white shirt and tie underneath.