It’s a been six years since husband-and-wife duo Justin Kern and Stephanie Danan launched Co with a tactile collection of cashmere knits and summer-ready furs. The former film industry insiders have done an impressive job of building out a bigger picture for the brand since then, and their sophisticated take on SoCal style now has recognizable hallmarks. With that in mind, the duo honed in on some of Co’s most covetable signatures for Pre-Fall, revisiting the romantic silhouettes that helped propel their business forward in the beginning.
Elegant blouses with voluminous balloon sleeves, tiered ruffled peasant dresses, opera coats, and swingy knife-pleat skirts formed the foundation of the new collection. It was a greatest hits selection of sorts, though the clothes were cut with a markedly lighter hand than they have been in the past. The crisp cotton pieces that were embroidered with a floral motif were particularly charming, managing to bridge the gap between utilitarian and polished without too much fuss. “No-brainer clothes with a sense of joy,” was how Danan described the aesthetic. In addition to mood-boosting ditzy flower patterns, the lineup was also awash with lilac, a grown-up alternative to the current yen for millennial pink. Their denim dresses have proved to be a big crowd-pleaser in recent seasons and there were several versions of the look on offer here. The sky blue maxi frock that was neatly belted at the waist was certainly chic and figure-flattering enough to tempt die-hard denim heads out of their favorite skinny jeans.
