The first full show from the New York brand brings us womenswear, a skate ramp and all kinds of awesomeness. Here are five things we learned from Coach’s menswear spring/summer 2016 show.
The sliders
Coach designer Stuart Vevers is a key player in the world of sliders. Last summer’s deliciously orthopaedic versions were eclipsed this season by chunky sliders covered in loud acid-tinged print with a shearling strap. These may be an early contender for the shoe of Spring summer 2016, people. A really, really nice bit of fluff.
Girls in boys’ clothes
Mixed in with the men were a few well-chosen female models, including Binx Walton. The show was more about girls wearing boys’ clothes rather than womenswear sprinkled in with men’s. Backstage, Vevers said he was inspired by girls he knew, wearing men’s clothes and it “looking really cool.” It’s all about effortlessness, in other words – something we can all get behind.
Zebra print hoods
Animal prints, lawn chair patterns, bright line green and pink appeared on the catwalk, sometimes in the same outfit and layered up in a way that worked for our post-seasonal world. A highlight was the back view of parkas, which were lined with a faux zebra fur fabric. Vevers said he wanted to do “pieces, you know, but I’m trying to do something different with them so they could only come from Coach.” Mission accomplished.
The 1960s vs 1990s references
Vevers also said he wanted to mix up the “old money Kennedy thing, with counterculture” which has to be one of the best fashion combinations in recent years. He also said the Coach man needs to “have some slouch”, which we like. To get the look, you’ll need a boxy shirt with a Stan Rizzo-approved look, teamed with an oversized mac and skate shorts.
The set
The 1990s appeared in the set too, which was made up of a series of wooden veneer skate ramps. They were decorated with the requisite stickers that anyone who (mis)spent their youth doing ollys - or watching others do ollys - would understand. Add a frow that included London Collections Men regulars like Tinae Tempah and Lewis Hamilton, along with models Dree Hemingway and Sam Rollinson, and the view on and off the catwalk was good stuff.
