Hermes

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Text Josh Peskowitz

Coats and jackets ruled many a runway this season — we are talking Fall/Winter collections after all. There were shearling coats in all shapes and sizes: from big to really, really big; from shaggy to refined; from authentic to continental. At Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Bailey showed the skin and the wool on his high-neck transatlantic pilot’s coat. Gucci’s take was better suited for the back of a Gulfstream than the cockpit of a propeller plane, and everyone from Rick Owens to Salvatore Ferragamo to Hope showed a variation of the sheepskin staple.

Then came the varsity jackets. Thom Browne showed an oversized version worn over the shoulder. Danish designer Soulland (in collaboration with Kopenhagen Studio) showed one with sheared mink sleeves. Junya Watanabe applied the leather sleeve technique to overcoats, and Riccardo Tisci used a suit shoulder on his sleek, all-black version at Givenchy.

Thom Browne’s varsity jacket wasn’t his only oversized piece. In fact, the majority of his overcoats, stadium coats, and cardigans were of floor-sweeping proportions. Not what you’d expect from the master of shrunken suits, but it reflected a larger trend. Kris Van Assche’s flowing, belted overcoats for Dior Homme reached to the cuffs of his cropped trousers. At certain points all you saw were boots and coat. Stefano Pilati explored volume at Yves Saint Laurent with oversized sleeves and convex back seams. Italian sportswear giant C.P. Company cinched its big coats at the waist, and at Calvin Klein, Italo Zucchelli’s ankle dusters covered the techno-inflected (and razor sharp) tailoring underneath.

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Gentleman's Club
Alpine Adventure
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