We knew Stuart Vevers’s new take on Coach was going to be a hit when a public relations exec we know reported seeing the metallic silver, kitten-heeled loafers from his Fall collection for the label and making a special trip to the brand’s Soho store to preorder them. This is a woman who shops high-end designer and, as a European, has no warm and fuzzy feelings about her first Coach bag in the ’80s. If Vevers can bag an unlikely customer like her, he’s really onto something.
The Englishman’s success so far comes down to a couple of things: an understanding and appreciation for Coach’s all-American, no-nonsense roots and an item-driven approach that has generated several must-have pieces beyond Fall’s silvery shoes; see the shearling-lined combat boots and the oversize shearling coats from his Fall ’14 debut for starters. His first Pre-Fall collection for the brand looks to have no shortage of new It items, either, key among them one leopard-print faux-fur peacoat with pom-pom buttons and a whole slew of shearling jackets and vests. Beyond the excellent outerwear, the Western shirts with multicolor piping are bound to be popular as are the micro-floral-printed frocks that looked like gothier versions of the dresses he put on the runway for Spring.
We’d be remiss not to discuss the bags. There were many different styles on offer, but this reporter, who does happen to have warm and fuzzy feelings about her first Coach bag, liked a shoulder bag with the heritage turn lock best.
