Advertising duo Jacques Bungert and Frédéric Torloting, recent acquirers of the Courrèges design house, are about to do a major overhaul on the label, which fell into quasi-abandon in the late 70s. . Their challenge? “To only focus on timeless styles”, without playing the vintage card.
Their signature style has been able to enter into the mainstream without losing touch with its agelessly pioneering roots: simplicity, Parisian chic, easy to pull off, comfortable to wear. Geometric lines, architectural styles, pieces that exalt pop culture by being fashioned out of vinyl or plastics. That 70s trend that’s been happening for a few years now? Few designers can boast about being at the forefront of it!
And what better way to keep up with the label’s non-conformist streak than with a brazenly unique trench coat? Dug up in the archives: a snapshot from Peter Knapp depicting one such coat designed for the Fall/Winter 1969 season. Sculpted in a white plastic material, this is the source of inspiration for today’s style. The coat is making a comeback in blue, white, red, or black vinyl, and just so you don’t get sick of it, it’s getting reworked into two shorter, quirkier versions in twill gabardine and neoprene.
“I’ve got to be quick, for women are rising in the ranks… My dress is made to clothe them as such.” confesses André Courrèges. Forty years after contributing to the success of the mini skirt with a Courrèges reinterpretation that incorporated all the beauty of French stars like Brigitte Bardot, Françoise Hardy, and Catherine Deneuve, this flawless, authentic trench coat is now reappearing before our very eyes. It might just have you making some confessions of your own!
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