Why we all want to be a Coach girl next winter

The British designer Stuart Vevers is two years into his tenure at the American heritage label Coach, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary later this year.In this time he"s graduated from a small presentation with a capsule ready-to-wear collection into a full blown show, which is fast becoming a fashion editor favourite.

Clothes have not been long a part of this brand???s identity but he has created a keen sense of wit and covetable humour with his upbeat collections which play on the label???s Americana identity but without getting too bogged down in the heritage detail.The ex-Mulberry and Loewe designer???s aesthetic has always had a playful touch which feels at home here.

It would be easy to churn out Love Story era pieces and throw a few tan satchels on top, instead Vevers has taken a more considered approach.He says that ???this is a reset for the whole brand.The collection is an exploration of the cool clothes of America, and taking those archetypes and making them believable as ???Coach???.???

For autumn, he took the 1986 Rob Lowe film Young Blood as an initial reference, throwing a hint of Velma from Scooby Doo and disco-era Michael Jackson.???Paris has chic and New York has cool, for me that has been such a great starting point for the Coach girl.It???s that sense of ease and rebellion, which feels like an opportunity to say something very different from the world of traditional European luxury??? says Vevers, who took the ???Varsity jacket, and that idea of being part of a gang??? as the collection???s central point, ???there???s a big play between the codes of toughness, and juxtaposing that nostalgia with femininity.???

This translated into an almost thrift store appeal ??? an illusion of quilting, dresses spliced together from pieces of different fabrics, patchwork leather coats offered a lack of formality and that elusive cool.

Western shirts were prettily and cleverly put together with contrasting coloured collars and cuffs with sweet ruffle details, worn with clashing patterned A line mini-skirts in kitsch florals.

Teddy-bear sheepskin boots were paired with fabulous metallic cowgirl boots, oversized Varsity jackets featured kitsch-detailed badges sewn onto them, there were flirty dresses in off kilter pinks.

That Michael Jackson reference appeared in a very covetable gold sequin star intarsia knit, while navy naval-in-feel over coats were worn with a low slung, hands in pocket attitude.The sweet motifs continued in the bags, which were embroidered, and studded with rivets creating a very vintage meets modern feel.This Coach girl might be new on the scene, but boy oh boy do we want to be in her gang.

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