In 2020, Justin Kern and Stephanie Danan of Co decided to rework their business model. The pre-season collections would focus on their essentials line—which, as the name suggests, is a line of basic wardrobe foundations–leaving the fashion-forward, special pieces to the fall and spring collections. This serves two functions. First, it allows Kern and Danan to compartmentalize their creative process. One season they refine the basics, and the next they offer a more fashion-forward vision. The customer can similarly separate their uniform from their statement pieces. “We all love fashion, we all love to wear more novelty and eccentric pieces, but our day to day reality is more of a uniform,” Danan says. “Getting dressed in the morning shouldn’t be a two hour ritual, it should be efficient and in-line with your lifestyle.”
Pre-fall leans into the oversized, minimalist silhouettes that have become Kern and Danan’s signature, but puts styling at the forefront. Working with stylist Samuel Drira, they turned the basics into layered masculine ensembles. Waistcoats feature heavily, as do slouchy trousers and blazers. Many of the looks are capped off with ties, a Drira signature. “It’s a lot more styled than it was in the past,” Danan says. “It shows how essential clothing can have a lot of personality and it depends on how a woman styles it and interprets her uniform.”
That’s not to say there is no femininity here. A tan, A-line trench coat with tiered bands, epaulets, and a high-neck feels distinctly womanly. There is also a long, waist-cinching white cotton poplin skirt paired with a form-fitting knit cardigan. Co has always been adept at walking the line between masculine and feminine. Nowhere is this clearer than in an outfit where the model wears a black vest over a trapeze-cut white shirt, layered over two skirts. Sometimes overly styled collections can feel like the designers are using a crutch, but this playful and varied approach seems more like proof of how many ways there are to wear a cotton poplin blouse. It just takes a little imagination.
