Having acquired control of his namesake business from Coach earlier this year, Reed Krakoff had a shiny new headquarters to show off at his Pre-Fall appointments today. If not a new beginning per se, the collection marked a turning point. The clothes had a confidence about them, as well as a sense of purpose.
Krakoff turned around Coach s fortunes during his tenure, but he hasn t been immune to beginner s challenges since launching his own company four years ago, chief among them a tendency to overdesign. In previous seasons, sports-influenced clothes might ve had too much of a gym slouch about them, or gauzy slipdresses weren t substantial enough for a cocktail affair. Now, though, he has a firmer handle on exactly whom he s designing for. His client is an urban career woman with money to spend on her office clothes, along with the occasional party dress. "We re exploring fewer ideas, in a deeper way," is how Krakoff explained his approach this season. In essence, he s fusing masculine pieces, like the button-down shirt and overcoat, with more overtly feminine touches, like ruching and Fortuny pleating.
There was a compelling simplicity about a ruched-front sleeveless sheath and a trompe l oeil tweed coat tossed across its shoulders. Coats were a strong suit, be it a sleeveless style worn over a pony-hair-and-leather layering vest, a structured cashmere topper with strong shoulders, or a more softly tailored style with the ease and informality of a cardigan. His sweaters, too, looked great. Lots of building blocks here for a strong Fall collection come February.
