In a season all about outerwear, Véronique Leroy’s walking-coat-inspired collection is pitch perfect.
The Belgian designer was thinking about hiking and hill walking — stylishly of course — for a collection built on coats and jackets. She looked to technical fabrics and waterproof nylons to create exteriors with gentle ruching and ties. Clever twists run through the collection like wide, removable collars that can double as scarves or hoods, or shoulders that unzip in a slash for an asymmetric edge.
Other versions are rendered in wool for more leisurely or city strolls, including a coat with an interior belt to give cape-like proportion and flare, while others are lined in mohair for warmth that doesn’t add bulk. The pieces were protective yet without aggression.
Wool gabardine jumpsuits, velvet dresses with ruched bodices, and sweaters with mutton sleeves offered options to go under all those great coats. Turtlenecks were cut so generously one could burrow in against the elements, and she looked to the house’s ‘80s roots for wider shoulders on other knits.
Denim was rigid and wide, both in voluminous skirts and generous-leg trousers. In Leroy’s never-ending quest for utility, jeans had a hidden elastic and an adjustable waist so they can be worn high or low while still being comfortable and chic. She looked to simple colors of nature for this collection, in rich bark browns, sky blue and a plantain green.
Leroy went for a full look and complete coordination, creating removable shoe and leg covers that coordinated with key pieces for a full, monolith of a look. Take on the elements with these clever coats and key accessories.
