Adventures in Sparkles and Ruffles: Wrapped Up: Spring/Summer 2014

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Wrapped Up: Spring/Summer 2014

As I was making my way through the shows from Spring/Summer 2014, a pattern began to emerge. The coats that were usually packed away before reemerging in the Pre-Fall collections never made it into their virtual moth balls. One could say it was a consequence of the industry’s newfound obsession with “seasonless” dressing. With that move away from pieces that spoke loudly of heat waves and lazy days came the prominence of items meant to keep out the chill.

These unexpected pieces added a breadth to the season that was missing from most of the proceedings. Sometimes they reflected the mood of the season. Sometimes they reflected the warmth of the season. And they often referred back to the classics.

Although the tried and true trench tends to dominate the warm weather months, it was joined this season by some of the cold weather classics ranging from the peacoat to the varsity jacket.

At Guy Laroche

At Norma Kamali

At Kate Spade New York

At No. 21

At Marni

At Stella McCartney

These coats of substance were contrasted by those of a diaphanous nature, light and barely there, only meant to add texture to the ensemble as a whole.

At Tribune Standard

At Akris

At Francesco Scognamiglio

At Dries Van Noten

At Fendi

The overarching trends of the season also made their mark. White, one of the dominant colors of Spring/Summer 2014, was seen in coats of all shapes and sizes.

At Jenni Kayne

At Rochas

At Paule Ka

At Nina Ricci

At Mulberry

At Suno

And that cool minimalism floated in here and there.

At Burberry Prorsum

At Osman

At Joseph

At Guy Laroche

At Hermès

But most of the coats were about something more. The vibrancy that was lacking in so many of the collections were all over the toppers that were presented in a variety of colors.

At Marios Schwab