1) It's all about the coats and bags
This cape kind of says it all: it's a new day at Mulberry. Recently hired Creative Director Johnny Coca revealed a slicker vision for the brand with a series of strong, sellable military coats and jackets studded with silver hardware and a range of structured handbags. The strength and cool factor of Coca's outerwear brings to mind the overhaul Stuart Vevers gave Coach, another handbag line that had become plagued with falling profits and is now the go-to among fashion insiders for fashionable yet functional top layers. Coca's is a distinctly more masculine look than the quirky, girlier days of Emma Hill, with a tougher edge. It's not groundbreaking, but rather a polished, wearable take on ideas we know and love.
2) Platforms are trending
Could this runway season signal the return of the heel? There was a time just six short months ago when the runway was awash in flats. But this season, shoe heights are creeping higher via a range of block wedges and stacked-sole heels. The dilemma with platforms, however, is that they tend to look dated and tacky. But if the style must return, let them look like Coca's strappy versions, which were entirely civilised.
3) Sheer will
Spring's lingerie looks have given way to a whole new level of barely-there dressing — as in, dresses that are literally barely there. We're talking sheer, tulle and gossamer numbers that expose the body for all the world to see —bare breasts, legs and bums (only the bold and those immune to the cold need try this.) Coca is the latest in an ever-growing line of designers to turn out a seductively see-through dress this week. And it's a fabulous look on the runway. But our question: who is going to wear all of these dresses IRL? And what happened to the slip? As ELLE Senior Fashion Editor Michelle Duguid speculates, next autumn will be all about creative underpinnings. And judging by the plethora of delicate, wispy lace and tulle dresses on show, I think she's right.
