“My collections often begin with a feeling, and for Fall, the feeling was love,” shares Stuart Vevers, who presented his collection on Valentine’s Day with a live runway show from “Somewhere in America”, an imagined Coach surburban neighbourhood. The show was actually staged at Basketball City on New York’s Lower East Side.
“To express this, the collection explores tensions between romance and toughness to reinvestigate Coach heritage,” he adds. “I liked the idea of creating a nostalgic world somewhere in American seen through a widescreen lens, mixing the energy of today with the nostalgia for pop culture that has always inspired me.”
The British creative director’s reenergised vision of American heritage for the new season unfolds in structured outerwear, some of which were Coach’s first head designer Bonnie Cashin’s archival designs recast in shearling. Vevers juxtaposes these house staples with babydoll dresses in delicate lace or crochet, as well as athleisure-ready bralettes and baseball caps. There were all-black leather ensembles inspired by ’70s leather bars, while pops of neon punctuate Cashin’s plaids and houndstooth.
What’s more, Coach collaborated with celebrated graffiti artists Mikhail Sokovikov and Jason Aaron Wall of Mint & Serf fame. The duo’s artworks from their seminal Support, Therapy and Instability (2012-2016) series lent a subversive, vandalism-evocative touches on ready-to-wear, outerwear, bags and shoes, capturing New York City’s dynamic energy.
Which makes the new Bandit shoulder bag such a perfect foil for these eclectic, offbeat stylings. Based on Cashin’s Sling Bag from 1964, the timeless flap-front style looks fresh again with a minimalist approach that whispers understated luxe. Its streamlined silhouette is accentuated in refined calf leather with a lustrous sheen, paired with a subtle yet sculptural Signature C brass pushpin closure.
For men, the Bandit bag adopts a bigger messenger bag style that is no less elevated.
Within its sumptuous leather-lined interiors are dual compartments and a snap pocket. These thoughtful organisation details offer easy access to essentials but to ensure the bag stays in shape, the infused hardware does the trick.
Coupled with an adjustable shoulder strap, the compact 24-hour Bandit bag is just the effortless accessory you can throw on that still gives you pulled-together polish. It comes in go-everywhere neutrals or saturated with mood-lifting shades, but its debut calls for a special Mint & Serf edition in Coach’s renowned soft glovetanned leather in black or white colourway.
