Fashion Review: Coach F/W 22
ROM-COM ON THE RUNWAY
Stuart Vevers delivers a 1980s chick flick film to the 21st century, giving us the nostalgia we need.
Coach’s romantic, storytelling fashion show weaves through feminine and edgy styles. At first glance, we see a couple of houses and their front yards capturing us with nostalgia. As warm, tangerine colors fill the room and Beach House’s cover of ‘Superstar’ plays, the nostalgic chick flick begins.
The show opens with several of Coach’s signature suede shearling jackets and skirts. We see oversized boyfriend-style shorts and shirts. Following these masculine and edgy looks, there is a drastic shift when the next model comes out with a floral Peter-pan-collared shift dress. Is she dating Mr. Oversized Jacket? It seems as though Vevers is telling us a story.
The feminine looks consist of delicate lace trims, houndstooth and floral patterns, and mary jane heels that look like they came out of a 60s magazine spread (in a good way-we love the 60s). The show shows romantic shift dresses followed by oversized T-shirts and bulky shoes. In the second set of mini shift dresses, we see delicate and playful crochet styles-which weren’t my favorite-they belonged to early 2000s American girl dolls. However, the third set of shift dresses caught my hopeless romantic eye. After seeing so much faux leather and massive coats, it was a breath of fresh air. The first dress was pistachio green and had a lower neckline-pretty scandalous for the character I created in my head. Every style was in floral lace fabric, reminding me of tea parties and easter. Some silhouettes had added flare, giving a dreamier and more romantic approach.
As for the more masculine looks, there wasn’t a drastic change in what lay underneath the bulky coats, but much like the feminine dresses changed fabrics and patterns, the outerwear did as well. Vevers shifted through abstract houndstooth patterns, clean plain black leather, and an interesting spray-paint print (edgy-art school-bad boy energy). While the feminine looks adopted sorbet-like colors, the masculine looks took a more traditional approach to fall colors: several burgundy browns, nudes, greens, and blacks. To contrast the conservative plaids and colors, we see a pop of pistachio green and bubble gum pink occasionally. On the front of every oversized T-shirt, there are vibrant sketchy designs. The highlight of the show was the 90s-style spray-paint print. After seeing perfectly polished coats and neutral palettes, it was exciting to see splatters of colors and scribbles on luxurious coats, returning to the nostalgic energy of the collection.
The production paints a romantic chick flick story alongside nostalgic 80s-like music, cinematic sceneries, and distinctive styles. Stuart Vevers gave the audience a John Hughes-like short film on Valentine's Day with casual yet intricate designs: a much effervescent and needed break from the chaos of reality.
