Americans traveling to Europe this spring have been indulging in a collective shopping spree, thanks to the dollar's substantial rise in value against the euro (much obliged, Greece!). Co honchos Stephanie Danan and Justin Kern have taken part, too, raiding the top mills in Italy and France for their fabrics this season. Those fabrics, according to the duo, were really the raison d'être of the new collection—basically they just wanted to show them off. The designers did this, in part, by using as much of their materials as possible, elongating dress and coat silhouettes to nearly floor length and giving almost all the pieces an expansive shape. Despite that, there was a definite sense of rigor here, witnessed particularly in the precise tailoring of coats in a satin with a twill-like hand, and details like punctuating covered buttons and high-neck, ruffled collars that hinted at prim Victoriana.
Kern and Danan eschewed print this time out—another exercise in discipline—preferring instead to focus on rich textures like silk velvet and cable knit. The velvet was an especially nice, unexpected touch—the looks made from it felt regal yet unfussy. That tone was echoed in the collection's one flourish of pattern, a lovely, nearly sheer floral jacquard. The richness of Kern and Danan's materials was set off by their expanded range of denim, a continuing collaboration with legendary brand Marithé + François Girbaud. Items such as the lightweight paper-bag-waist jeans and languid trench came across as relaxed but not casual. Which has emerged, more or less, as the signature Co tone.
