Even if they tried not to be, Coach is, and will always be, an entirely New York City brand. And for Fall 2022, despite taking place on a suburban set, the picture of NYC youth culture has never felt stronger.
It is nostalgic in a sense. Transporting us back to club days in 2016 when leather chokers with silver hardware were secured to everyones necks, and underneath second hand shearling jackets (Acne aviators for the rich kids) were nothing but bralettes. When rolling into China Chalet at one in the morning was a standard Wednesday night before its tragic closure in 2020. Remember it? Coach revives the energy of American nostalgia for Fall 22 with oversized shearling in classic tans and later on down the runway, in neon lime Coach checks and again covered in graffiti.
There is always an air of punk to modern Coach shows, and while there are threads of it present in Fall 2022 in chokers, leather ensembles, and oversized boots, indie sleaze is embraced with open arms – both a nod to the past and a signal of the present. Pleated A-line dresses are offered in brightly rendered prints, in check, florals, and oversized houndstooth, worn with t-bar patent pumps and neon sunglasses. Graphic, oversized t-shirts are layered over knee length skirts and secured at the waist with flannel shirts.
Feminine options are offered in knit shift dresses and lace mini dresses adorned with peter pan collars and bows under the bust line, while for menswear knee length shorts are layered with graphic tees and leather waistcoats, worn with track sole boots or the brands rendition of an UGG boot, adorned with the logo motif.
For accessories, caps are iterated in black leather, neon lime, and the canvas Coach motif, carried with the brands new Bandit Bag in various sizes and colours.
“My collections often begin with a feeling, and for Fall, the feeling was love,” said Stuart Vevers in a post-show press release. “To express this, the collection explores tensions between romance and toughness to reinvestigate Coach heritage. I liked the idea of creating a nostalgic world somewhere in America seen through a widescreen lens, mixing the energy of today with the nostalgia for pop culture that has always inspired me.”
For Fall 2022, Coach reminds us how able it is to adapt to the times, even for a brand with such strong roots in American culture. A little bit "twee", a little bit punk, and a tribute to the current climate with punctuations of the brands classic identity, makes a convincing case for a return to New York.
Watch the full show, below.
Images: @coach
