Coach's Fall Show Was A Gen-Z Rom-Com Personified

Throughout his 10-year tenure at Coach, Creative Director Stuart Vevers has repeatedly made each collection a chapter in his grander romance novel ode to New York City. Last season’s presentation paid homage to the vibrant club culture of the city in the ‘90s while the season before nodded to the self-expressive spirit of Manhattan and, in-turn the brand, which has called the city home since its founding in 1941. Coach’s fall/winter 2024 collection takes a more romantic route, however, as the presentation draws from the countless love stories and narratives that exist on the little metropolitan island — with a fearless Gen-Z twist.

At the February 12 presentation at The James B. Duke House, attendees were met with a procession of looks to the tune of a modern rendition of “Moon River” by music director Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes that seemingly aimed to capture the dramatic, angsty, and joyful emotions of young love. “My vision for Fall was to explore the archetypes of codes of luxury, recontextualized through the progressive spirit of New York today,” said Vevers in the show notes. “I was inspired by the city as a setting for love stories old and new, the tension between the romantic and picturesque and the real and spontaneous that is unique here.”

Indeed, the presentation further dug into Vever’s ongoing exploration of American classicism juxtaposed with youthful counter-culture attitude — an element that’s been exhibited in the aforementioned past collections. For the upcoming fall and winter season, this materialized in extravagant bow-bedecked taffeta skirts paired with oversized distressed hoodies and equally worn in moto boots. (The latter of which seemed to be a common thread in the collection, paired with everything from blazer dresses and leather shorts to slouchy denim.)

Functional, timeless outerwear — a brand signature — was a focal point for the collection, with ankle-grazing trench coats in earthy neutrals and candy-colored pea-coat styles featured as well as boxy blazers with outsized lapels that nod to a yesteryear Meg Ryan rom-com. It seems, this was also intentional. “The images of John.F. Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette were compelling to me ever since Carolyn and I worked at the same company in the 1990s, a time that felt like a real-life mirror to the films of Nora Ephron I find so emblematically New York,” said Vevers in the show notes. “These patrician, heteronormative stories have now been queered by a different generation and celebrated anew to showcase their most inspiring quality: true, honest love that is accessible to everyone.”

Said new generation’s penchant for maximalism, color, and a heaping dose of nostalgia could be seen in the show’s accessories, particularly the bag fobs. Big, cartoonish pretzels, apples, taxi cabs, Statue of Liberty figurines, and “I ❤ NY” mugs dangled from Coach’s latest Tabby bags and the new Empire Caryall, which made its runway debut.

“We’re based in New York and embracing it — fashion escapism is not our style,” read the show notes. “We find joy and purpose in being present and in presenting diversity — of race, of body, of shape, of gender. We celebrate where we stand and where we’ve come in recent years in our industry, because only then can we move forward.” With that said, perhaps the collection isn’t so much about young love, but the journey of an unconditional one.

See the highlights from Coach’s latest collection below.