September 1, 2013 |
A recent office conversation on the subject of Louis Vuitton’s autumn/winter 2013 show went thus…
Antony: “Coats!”
Que?
Antony: “It’s all about coats.”
What is? I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Antony: “The shows, you twat. It’s coat season. Louis Vuitton is all about coats.”
Well, obviously. It’s winter. What else is it going to be about? Trunks?
Which brings us to Wikipedia. According to its hallowed pages, “A coat is a long garment worn by both men and women for warmth or fashion.” As would be the case here. “Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook and loop fasteners, toggles, a belt or a combination of some of these.” The coats at Louis Vuitton featured all of these. “Other possible features include collars and shoulder straps.” They also featured collars, and in some cases they even featured hoods. It was the Persians who apparently introduced the seamed and fitted coat to the world. They also introduced trousers, which featured in the show and were worn with coats, but we’ll focus on the coats. There was a pale mink-coloured double-breasted coat, Look 1, which appeared to be printed with leopard but was in fact mink overlaid with cashmere that had been delicately pricked with a needle, allowing the mink to push through, forming a leopard print. Is there anything more fabulous than a cashmere and mink coat? And even better, animal-rights protesters won’t douse you with red paint if they should happen upon you, as they would have no idea that you were in fur. There were parkas, too. Made of reindeer, which had been dyed a deep navy and trimmed in orange. Reindeer hide is surprisingly soft, much more so than suede, and has a nice matt texture. Mountaineering-style jackets in striped cashmere had mink-trimmed hoods. We think it was mink. Shaved beaver and fox also featured. And can we take a moment to mention the seamless black cocoon coat? Made from a single hide. Imagine the size of the animal that gave life to that. Kim took his inspiration from the Himalayas and the Bhutanese cloud forest, the only place in the world where the paths of the snow leopard and tiger cross, apparently. It’s quite possible that you would fly over what was once Persia on your way to the Himalayas. Though, truth be told, you’re more likely to fly over Russia. Russia is cold. There is a great need for warm coats. In other coat facts, “The coat is one of the earliest clothing category words in English, attested as far back as the Early Middle Ages. An early use of the word coat in English is coat of mail, a tunic-like garment of metal rings, usually knee or mid-calf length.” There was no chainmail at Louis Vuitton. Just cashmere. Which is warmer. And softer. Less abrasive on the skin.
by Natalie Dembinska
