Coach Spring RTW 2023

Booth Moore
·2 min read
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Coach brought the boardwalk to the Park Avenue Armory on Monday afternoon.

The sandy, wood-planked set and scenic opener — starring a sailor, a pair of young lovers, a cowboy and a traveling musician, among other characters — were meant to convey a mix of “urban and beach,” as in Far Rockaway or Coney Island, said Stuart Vevers of his latest New York inspiration.

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“It made me think of times when people maybe left a club and got on the train to go to one of those beaches, in a quite spontaneous way,” said the designer, who had a photo of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe on his mood board.

For the past couple of seasons Vevers has focused on putting Coach’s outerwear and leather goods forward, and underscoring the brand’s exploration of Americana, of circularity and of gender fluidity, values that younger generations hold very dear. To that end, the surprise ending was Lil Nas X walking the catwalk, which served to announce the pop star as Coach’s newest ambassador.

Although there were 46 looks, this was not an expansive collection. Rather, Vevers wanted to highlight all the techniques used to give garments new life, which included burnishing, patch working and distressing upcycled leather jackets, which will still cost a premium price, of course.

What’s not in for spring, apparently, is pants, as the first models came out in a series of lived-in leather and tumbled denim workwear jackets and nothing else, except for oversized, puffy high-top sneakers or jelly shoes, and stringy shell necklaces nodding to the beach vibe. As seen on all the runways this week, we’re definitely in for another naked summer.

For when the air gets crisp by the ocean, perhaps, Vevers also introduced a selection of cool vintage fisherman sweaters colorfully patched and repaired, which could open up a new — and fun — opportunity at Coach to remake old knitwear.

Rounding out the teenage fantasy were baggy leather skater shorts, leather coveralls, patchwork vests, overdyed varsity sweaters and, for thrift store chic, throwback ’30s and ’40s dresses.

“These experiments as part of runway have become more meaningful and scalable within the company,” Vevers said, noting the brand has opened a new Coach Loved studio. “Luxury today doesn’t have to mean perfection…sometimes [the] wear and use and love people have shown things can make it more beautiful.”

It’s a valid, and forward-thinking, point, but one that’s at odds with the excess in scale of Coach’s runway productions and celebrity-fueled commercial stance. Do we really need a fake beach when the real ones are in such peril?

Launch Gallery: Coach RTW Spring 2023

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