The journey to the Coach show venue at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan forced the showgoers to take a pause and take in the cityscape and the iconic landmarks of New York. The slight remoteness of the venue which sits right on the edge of the East River offering great views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges and the skyscrapers of the Financial District made the often hurried and harried fashion set appreciate the glamour and grit of New York.
Perhaps this was Stuart Vevers’s, Coach’s creative director, intention since his spring 2006 collection is a great ode to the beauty, charm and rough edges of the Big Apple. Inside the show venue, the walls have been draped with sepia toned images of New York City, further emphasizing the love affair with the city.
But what is New York through the lens of Vevers? It is a city for the young.
The clothes spoke directly to the Gen Z clientele. The likes of Elle Fanning who sported a long, bleached denim coat with coordinating wide-legged jeans, and Charles Melton who were both in the front row along with a slew of fellow hot, young things.
The clothes were mostly genderless. Wide jeans that have been given the patina of wear paired with sleeveles leather biker jackets or oversized blazers. Leather vest dresses that swept the floor. Trousers made with panels of plaid in various scale. Jean jackets and skirts that look worn in. Call it grunge style for today’s generation. Even the trio of gauzy dresses with heart, balloon and star appliqués paired with work boots had a grunge bent to them. The models often sported vintage style coin purses that dangled from their necks and carried barrel bags and satchels.
“I thought about a delicate balance of polish and shine with grit, a pairing I think of as very New York. And by grit, I mean resilience, and the beauty of how the city comes back to life every morning,” described Vevers in show notes. And it is not difficult to imagine this collection stepping off the runway and coming to life on the streets of New York City… and beyond.