1) Suddenly we really need a puffer coat
There’s a sense of the raw, unaffected and practical bubbling in fashion this month and it’s surfacing in a range of ways, from the nuanced (all the relaxed, slightly undone tailoring we’ve been seeing) to the obvious (the popularity of ideas like grunge, punk and goth).
Mind you, there’s also a very dressed-up, hyper-embellished moment happening too. But it’s this deconstructed, dressed-down sensibility that feels the freshest right now. And you can’t get more dressed down than the puffer coat, right? Or can you.
We’ve seen some good ones this month, with the idea peaking at Balenciaga where Demna Gvasalia made them oversized (above), in red and black, and cut to fall off the shoulders.
And then there was Stella McCartney (below), who moved the idea forward, expanding the puffer’s possibilities to night by producing it in a longer length, and in velvet.
It was the kind of thing we never knew we would ever want until we saw it (it’s very cold here in Paris). Not stopping there, she also produced the quilted parka in a bomber cut and three-quarter length, layering the sportier versions over pleated skirts and dresses for evening.
Chitose Abe had a similar idea at Sacai, layering a cropped puffer-moto jacket hybrid over a diaphanous sheer skirt. You’ll want.
2) Strips and straps
We haven’t discussed this show season, but straps: they’re everywhere, trailing off of shirts, trousers, skirts and coats. And I’m not sure why.
For example, Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein (below) used them beautifully on his loosely tailored suits in New York, as did Chitose Abe throughout her entire collection at Sacai (above). The straps heighten that sense of things being slightly undone that I spoke about above, almost as if to pull one would unravel one’s entire look.
It’s a beautiful runway statement but I’m not sure how this will play out in real life.
3) One easy piece
Sandwiched between the fur-trimmed coats, leg-of-mutton-sleeved knits, silk pyjamas and sequin trouser suits at Sonia Rykiel, was one relatively simple and easy piece that stood out more than any other: a belted, tiered midi dress.
Creative Director Julie de Libran produced it in a full day-to-night range of colours and fabrics: light, fluid silks in red, and graphic gold and mustard, as well as a more casual pale blue denim. And despite the layers of ruffles, it looked lithe, pretty and easy to wear. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
CATWALK IMAGES: GETTY
