Who would’ve thought three years ago, before Stuart Vevers’s arrival at Coach, that we would be gathered at Pier 94 on a blustery winter night to watch the label’s Pre-Fall show? In a short amount of time, Vevers has worked magic at this American heritage brand: designing shearling coats and jackets that have spawned all sorts of copies and conceiving a T. rex mascot, Rexy, that you see all over town—on bus stop ads and dangling as charms from editors’ handbags. Last month, a new 20,000-square-foot Coach flagship opened its doors on Fifth Avenue. Not a bad way to cap off the company’s 75th year in business, but tonight was the real celebration.
As an Englishman, Vevers has a deep well of curiosity and affection for America. That, and a savvy way of repackaging it. Boiled down to their essences, his collections are about playfully practical bags and shoes, and, by extension, item-y leather-driven outerwear, with clever statement knits and toss-them-on dresses to sweeten the mix. But each time, he finds a new approach. One season it’s cowboy boot–wearing prairie girls, the next it’s Elvis-loving biker babes. Pre-Fall was his most eclectic mash-up so far, starting with the fact that he put both women’s and men’s collections on the runway. “Uniting the collections got us thinking about togetherness and optimism,” Vevers said. “That inspired the clothes, the set, the casting. It’s diverse; it reflects real life.”
Excerpt words vogue.com
