Coach’s Winter 2022 collection extends the house’s love affair with gothic Americana and a waft of teen spirit.
Shot against airbrushed muslin backdrops with pennants, pompoms and school desks, the Coach Winter 2022 collection gets playful with an energetic panoply of tartan, velvet, leather and shearling. From lug-soled Mary Janes to keys, whistles and teddy bears for lucky charms, this season’s ode to American heritage is delightfully daring—strong in both the spirit of Western tradition and teenage rebellion.
As a point of anchorage, creative director Stuart Vevers first looked to the house’s first head designer and inventor of American sportswear, Bonnie Cashin, for inspiration. Reimagined as a “mall goth”, the clean and practical silhouettes that she pioneered in the 1940s are decorated with elements of the dark and romantic, combining a sense of ease with the moodier palette of a goth’s.
While the result is an array of looks that seem to fall nicely under the umbrella “adult twee”, a closer inspection reveals a more nuanced take on free-spirited gender bending à la Kurt Cobain or Harry Styles. Leather skirts and skater shorts are abound under 80’s varsity and shearling jackets, while plaid, leather and silver hardware combine to create new Coach classics that are both nostalgic of the festive season and seasonless in its appeal.
Working through phases of youthful and androgynous kitsch, Vevers also marries a Cashin cape, pastel pumps and smocked baby doll dresses with graphics of “Scooby-Doo”—the mystery-themed cartoon synonymous to American culture of the 80s and 90s. Maximalist in size and font, the graphics are a welcome sight of fun amid the darker overtones, an off-beat reminder of the naive optimism that is often associated with “the next generation”.
Discover the rest of the Coach Winter 2022 collection here. Or, click here to catch up with our August 2022 issue.
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