Coach displayed for a second spring season how the brand has reinvented itself from the Lindsay Lohan of fashion to the Britney Spears comeback kid.
The brand – which experienced a dramatic fall from grace in the public eye – has undergone a strategic reinvention under the steady hand of Stuart Vevers, who staged a much-needed intervention and has since overhauled the brand.
In the designers latest offering, he collaborated with Californian artist Gary Baseman to create a series of cute and quirky animal creatures on bags and kooky knits, cited to be a nod to American skate and surf subcultures with a decent dose of Big Apple love thrown in.
Shaggy coats in pretty pastels opened the show, which were teamed with funky metallic cross-body bags and white lug sole slides.
Vevers revamp of Coach’s stale bag repertoire was evidenced through fun animal prints on totes and handbags. With the current personalized kitsch bag craze that is currently overtaking the fashion world, the accessories are likely to have a waiting list for next season.
Leopard print was also key, featuring on coats with fur trim and a cute matching jacket and short set that was given a pop of color with a green bag.
The designer perfected the mix of catering to the gritty downtown hipster and Upper West Side princess, hitting all the right notes as he attempts to change the brand’s customer mix.
A standout look for the former was a powder blue shaggy jacket over a quirky print top, teamed with a green miniskirt and metallic bag.
The latter is certain to be voted best dressed in a light blue parker with fur trim over a white dress, complete with matching white bag, given a hint of glamour by metallic clogs.
Chunky knits, long lean flare silhouettes and printed tees rounded out the mix, which has put the brand well and truly back on every fashionista’s radar. And achieving that might just prove that Vevers is the best coach yet.
