Stuart Vevers is, understandably, feeling a bit emotional. As a parent of three young children (he dedicated the AW26 Coach show to his newborn daughter, Fawn), he’s been thinking about the passage of time. His show notes were tinged with tenderness. There were references to watching The Wizard of Oz at Christmas time and to the film’s optimism as it transitions from black-and-white to technicolor. Though sustainability is an oft-used catchphrase, not many designers at big conglomerates use their press materials to express that “recycling means sharing,” or that gently worn hand-me-downs are love notes passed between siblings.

Fittingly, vintage was a big inspiration here, with a youthful, updated twist. Varsity jackets, patchwork denim and lots of jorts for the skater types, should they want to invest in that kind of thing. Blazers were spliced three ways, featuring different suiting fabrics on each panel. Most models were shirtless underneath their sporty jackets (when you’re a rebel, shirts aren’t totally necessary). Like Dorothy’s famous footwear, there were pops of colour in the form of red slouchy pants. shorts and dresses, but overall, the tones were pretty muted. The best dresses closed the show, black velvet with silver star motifs.

A smattering of the featured accessories, such as the sun brooch, moon earring and Kisslock Frame Bag 30 (which practically every model carried), was available immediately afterward. Those new varsity jackets were too, in four different styles.

In the front row, fresh-faced celebrities like Elle Fanning, Odessa A’Zion and Quen Blackwell bobbed along to the soundtrack, LCD Soundsystem’s American Dream, a moody anthem about fleeting youth and existential despair. But for the most part, Vevers and his team (he thanked them all in those aforementioned show notes) are looking ahead to a much brighter tomorrow.

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