There was an era in human history when you d no sooner look for tweed and flounce skirts at Belstaff than you would for steel-toed boots at Chanel. That time s not this one. The current Belstaff revival continues to make a case that the broad strokes of moto-fetishism can work for womenswear as well as for menswear, and that the hard edges of aerodynamic biker jackets are strong enough to survive a little softening. Literally. The Pre-Fall collection designer Martin Cooper showed was as soft and rounded as any he s ever shown, from the relaxed trousers to the round-shouldered, chunky knits. They came in black-and-white tweeds and lacquered checks—more graphic than anything Cooper has yet attempted. Skirt lengths got shorter, boots got higher: All in all, a flirty, more gamine take on Belstaff, not too dissimilar, in this way, from Cooper s Spring 13 collection. It was sweet, with plenty—especially those knits—to keep registers ringing.
The possible downside is that as Belstaff tiptoes away from its moto raison d être it may begin to blend in to the designer crowd. Still, cross-pollination is the way fashion lives now—just ask Chanel, where some seasons you can get a work boot (admittedly sans steel toe). And Belstaff never ventures too far afield from its heritage. The latest element of its retrenchment, in fact, is repatriation: After a few seasons showing womenswear in New York, and sitting out last Spring, Cooper revealed that the Fall 14 women s show will be staged in Belstaff s native capital: London.
