#ModelDiaries; Coach Autumn Winter 23 show with Amber Later. #NYFW

Photo by Jason Lloyd-Evans

Before the Coach show at the Park Avenue Armory, catering staff served hot toddies and white chocolate cherries while classic American songbook tracks like ‘Close to You’ played in the building’s elegant foyer. The mood shifted when the show started and the music abruptly cut to new wave and alternative rock from the eighties and nineties; the opening look, a long and straight striped red and black wool dress with a frayed NYC apple graphic, called to mind that era’s grunge aesthetics. The most immediately memorable items were several of the variations of shearling outerwear that emerged throughout the show. In particular, I loved the coat for look fifteen, which featured a belt and other accouterments, all shearling, that gave it a unique shape and depth. 

I imagine the most popular looks from this show will be these coats, but it was overall most interesting to see how creative director Stuart Vevers continues to pay special attention to Coach’s heritage in leather. Several pairs of looks presented tight leather shorts with slightly cropped jackets and black turtlenecks. Combined with the heavy black boots worn by a number of models, the collection possessed a stronger edge and tone than recent seasons. Some of my favorite looks, like that worn by model Sherry Shi, included hard-edged leather jackets with long skirts that, though made from the same material, captured a more flexible form and fluidity in the models’ walks. One unique paradox of leather is its ability to evoke punk rebelliousness as well as discipline and authority. In this collection, Coach made clear their position that power aligns with youth.