New York Fashion Week: The Latest in Leather

A LITTLE LEATHER, AT OSCAR DE LA RENTA
Longtime devotees of Oscar de la Renta were in for a little surprise at the label's runway show Tuesday evening: a leather dress, in a cool shade of raspberry.

What? Leather dresses at de la Renta? Peter Copping, only about a year into his job as the late fashion icon's hand-picked successor, was trying something different.

"It was something new to put into an Oscar de la Renta show," Copping said in a backstage interview. "I think the silhouettes felt very Oscar in some ways, fitted through the waist and then going into a bell skirt. But the material took it somewhere else."

Change is important - but in small steps, the designer said.

"I'm very respectful of the legacy of the house but you have to challenge it as well, it can't just stand still," Copping said. "You need to move forward. But it's very important to do it gradually, step by step."

Copping was also going for a juxtaposition of old and new. And when we say old, we mean 18th-century old. He went searching through a historical archive of fabrics in upstate New York.

"I was really looking at old 18th-century fabrics like tapestries," he said. "Then we brought them back and scanned them into the computer, played with the scale, changed the colors ... and then found some interesting fabric bases, to add some modern touches."

Speaking of modern, Copping said he was also influenced by the contemporary artist Jeff Koons, who displayed his famous balloon animals at the Chateau de Versailles in 2008. That's the sort of contrast Copping was looking for with a shiny silver sequined bodice paired with a traditional timeless skirt, for example.

And that leather dress? It was paired with a brocade "Antoinette" pump. How's that for mixing old and new?

COACH GOES FOR A MAKEOVER
Coach is scrapping its Middle American image.

The leather goods brand, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, grabbed the fashion crowd's attention Tuesday with its luxury collection called Coach 1941. It marked the second runway show for the high-end line, which made its debut in stores this month.

This time, its executive creative director Stuart Vevers reimagined Americana looks, for example mixing team sport uniforms with feminine touches like ruffles.

There were oversized varsity jackets paired with floral dresses or ruffled blouses. The collection also highlighted lots of shearling coats or vests shown with leather or floral skirts. There were all types of handbags from shoulder strap versions to satchels.

"What really appealed to me was the idea of this juxtaposition between something quite tough and then a softness," said Vevers, interviewed backstage. "There is a certain nostalgia about a varsity jacket and these very nostalgic dresses with the frills, very feminine."

Vevers acknowledged it's not easy to reinvent a label.

"Changing someone's perception of a brand is a feat," he said, but he added: "People have a fun nostalgic place for Coach. "

Among the front-row guests was Riley Keough, actress and granddaughter of Elvis Presley.

"I love what he's doing with Coach. It's very much my vibe," said Keough, wearing a floral-printed dress from Coach 1941's spring collection. 'It's a lot cooler now, and younger."