Shearling for winter. We know what you're thinking: how… original.
Sure, we get it. No cutting-edge silkworm spit-infused neoprene hand woven by grannies in Alaska here. And that's fine, because a classic is a classic, and they don't come much more classic than a shearling jacket (rhyme unintentional).
In a week that's seen 12 inches of snowfall and the subsequent big slushy melt, it seems only fitting that fleece played a big part in the looks that will shape the AW17 season.
At Coach it was an Americana vibe, British Creative Director Stuart Vevers' (he hails from Yorkshire) love note to the country that has become his home, if you will. The brand is, after all, a leather brand so shearling has always played a big part, and Vevers' first collection back in 2014 gave us some of the most beautiful shearling pieces we'd seen in years.
This collection, he has said, was a way for him to look back at his greatest hits for the house so far (although he's only been there since 2013) and so shearling loomed large. There were 70s-ish coats with ragged hems and embroidery, bombers and collars all formed in cosy fleece. But it was the hats that made the biggest statement – expect to see the fluffy shearling baseball caps all over street style this time next year.
Flatform Birkenstock-style sandals were also lined with it (the fugly shoe trend is still going strong), while chunky-soled sneakers-cum-snow boots had shearling tongues.
At Proenza Schouler's final NYFW show – the brand will move to January and July show dates in Paris to align them with the Haute Couture schedule going forward – shiny long-line leather coats in black and white were lined with loopy, over-flowing shearling.
There has been plenty of shearling on the streets too…
But, our favourite shearling jacket of NYFW? This one from the theatrics-free Yeezy Season 5 show. Yep, really…
