Coats were key at Julien David’s fall show. He worked them in brushed, quilted cotton for structure and embroidered them with colored cords to mimic camouflage prints, providing a nice contrast to the strict, military theme of this particularly masculine and moody collection.
Some of the outerwear was long and double-breasted with faux-fur collars, while other styles with more fitted, linear shapes resembled equestrian uniforms. The designer admitted backstage that the production was meant to bring to mind a military parade. “I wanted to reference that rigor but in a youthful, rebellious way,” he explained.
David’s new-model army was of the highborn kind, as the fabrics implied anything but destitute foot soldiers. Most attractive were the Peruvian wool coat-blazers, buttoned below the waist and adorned around the lapels for extra visual fodder. They read nifty dandy. There was less to love from the waist down, which was a pity — although David did lighten up the mood by slicing a coat or two open at the bottom to provide a soupçon of a dress.