NEW YORK has always had a wild and romantic evolutionary energy, and so has Coach‘s creative director, Stuart Vevers.
Around the archival-inspired Coach décor inside the James B. Duke House on New York’s Upper East Side, models unveiled Vevers’ vision of accessible heritage and codes of luxury reimagined under the feisty counter-culture attitude of young New Yorkers today.
The relaxed tailoring of tuxedo jackets and taupe trenches were paired with casual hoodies and loose shirts, illustrating Vevers’ desire to explore and open up the possibilities of what “classicism” actually means.
Ignoring the overused colours of autumn, here Coach offered us a refreshing palette of baby pinks, navy blues, light lemon yellows and, of course, blacks – it’s still New York after all.
Distressed heritage archetypes of leather, denim, and cotton walked the House’s interior, each a tangible visualisation of Vevers’ love for earned imperfections and clothes overworn with love.
The line continued to build on the House’s circulation craft initiative, Coach (Re)Loved, which gives a second life to pre-loved Coach bags and materials, introducing denim, leather and shearling pieces crafted from second-hand materials, patchworked into new designs.
Opening and closing the show with black, pink, and lilac taffeta party dresses which Vever had cut and snipped into born-again tops and skirts, we can see sustainability is at the forefront of both the collection, and his mind.
Introduced the House’s New York collection, the show debuted the Brooklyn bag and the Empire Carryall in the House’s iconic leathers, bringing playful proportions to historic silhouettes. It also brought forth a new iteration of the Tabby bag, the Times Square Tabby, in washed nappa and velvet.
The looks were finished with charms inspired by New York souvenirs, including figurines of the city’s famed Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty, yellow taxis, and post-cards featuring personalized messages written to each model.
What were once corny tourist traps, Coach has recontextualised into sweet, must-have charm accessories.
On the autumn/winter collection, Vever said: “I was inspired by the city as a setting for love stories old and new, the tension between the romantic and picturesque and the real and spontaneous that is unique here. Embracing and celebrating love-worn textures and repurposed materials is critical to this vision. For us, it’s about finding joy and purpose in being present, and championing the way the next generation is redefining heritage in their own way.”
The designs are as cool and classic as they are child-like and playful, with oversized bows and butter yellow duck-motif jumpers met by fringed leather jackets and distressed, utilitarian-esque cardigan jackets.
Clearly channelling fashion’s future crowd, school blazers were custom embroidered with unique Coach crests and even the initials of the models who walked the show.
The collection offers a wonderful blending of masculine, feminine, and androgynous looks, no doubt Gen Z’s new luxury uniform.
by Madeleine Ringer