The Fall 2016 ready-to-wear deliveries had been hanging on the floor since August, and by the third Tuesday of September we had walked the full edits at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and the smarter end of Barneys. Fall 2016 read warmer than the previous autumn — more colour, more texture, less hard tailoring. Velvet returned, knits got chunkier, and the shoe story moved decisively from the lacquered stiletto to the block-heel ankle boot. Below: the seven big-brand collections worth knowing for the season, and the capsule we are taking home.
Marc Jacobs Fall 2016
Marc Jacobs‘s Fall 2016 — the Beetlejuice-themed show in February — translated to the floor in moodier tones than the Spring’s prom-court explosion. The tailored coats in burgundy and forest green, the ribboned blouses, the platform Mary Janes in patent black. The collection felt lived-in by August, ready for proper autumn by September. The takeaway: Marc continues to be the brand that makes a wearable closet out of a maximalist runway.
Calvin Klein Fall 2016, Costa’s farewell
Francisco Costa’s Fall 2016 for Calvin Klein Collection — his last full collection at the house — read like a master’s thesis on minimalism: cashmere coats in oyster, narrow trousers, leather shifts that fell exactly right. The store sell-through reflected the fact that this was a closing statement; the cashmere coats sold faster than at any time in the brand’s recent history. We went back twice and bought a piece each. The takeaway: when an era ends, the customer reaches for permanence.
Tory Burch Fall 2016
Tory Burch‘s Fall 2016 leaned heavily into the country-house wardrobe — paisley shirts, a-line midis, riding-style boots, a parade of velvet jackets. The Robinson tote got a corduroy reissue. The collection was shoppable end to end, the price points stayed friendly, and our group chat went around the rack collecting pieces. The takeaway: a brand that respects the customer’s daily wardrobe earns repeat shopping.
Coach Fall 2016
Coach‘s Fall 2016 under Stuart Vevers continued the western-Americana story but added a more sophisticated outerwear offering — fur-trimmed shearlings, broken-in leather, the Rogue 25 in burgundy. The brand was now firmly in the prestige conversation, and the autumn floor was the season’s most-shopped Coach assortment in living memory. The takeaway: a confidently-edited collection beats a wide one every time.
Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren
Michael Kors‘s Fall 2016 stayed on the camel-and-cashmere brief, and the camel coat was the only piece every working friend in our group bought — the Kors Joan tote in saddle was the season’s most-photographed bag. Ralph Lauren‘s Fall 2016 leaned into the burgundy-and-tartan story, with rich corduroy and a more Anglo country-house mood than the previous fall. The lesson: the dependable end of the floor was, this autumn, the most quietly considered.
Proenza Schouler and the editorial end
Proenza Schouler‘s Fall 2016 — the deconstructed coats, the off-balance leather pieces, the chevron-pleated knits — translated to retail with the right level of editorial complexity. The PS1 bag in oxblood remained the bag of choice for our most editorial-leaning friends. The takeaway: there is still a market for clothes that argue with the body rather than flatter it.
Tommy Hilfiger and the see-now experiment
Tommy Hilfiger‘s Fall 2016 assortment was, by mid-September, on the racks in some volume — but the news of the brand’s Spring 2017 see-now-buy-now Pier 16 show with Gigi Hadid, walking just a week ago, dominated the conversation. The fall pieces felt, by comparison, last-season. The takeaway: see-now-buy-now reorganises customer expectations not just for one collection but for the brand’s entire calendar.
The accessories that finished the season
Fall 2016 was a strong accessories season, particularly for the bag. The bucket bag had its quiet revival — Mansur Gavriel‘s tonal black Bucket and the Coach Saddle bag both crossed our wishlist. Belts pulled in: B-Low the Belt‘s western-style options were the third Tuesday’s most-discussed accessory, and the wide-belt-over-coat styling on the runways translated to actual streetwear. The takeaway: the bag and belt did the heavy lifting this fall, while the shoe story stayed quiet under the trouser hem.
Outerwear, the fall priority
If the season had a single shopping priority, it was the coat. We mapped four reliable options through September: the camel cashmere from Max Mara, the Calvin Klein oyster cashmere we already mentioned, the heavier black wool from Theory, and a corduroy chore-jacket-meets-blazer hybrid from J.Crew. Two of us bought the Max Mara, one bought the Theory, and the corduroy hybrid landed on every weekend wishlist. The takeaway: in fall, the coat is the only fashion decision the rest of the wardrobe answers to.
The capsule we are taking home
Our actual fall 2016 capsule, narrowed on the train home: a Calvin Klein cashmere coat in oyster, a Tory Burch corduroy a-line midi, a Coach Rogue 25 in burgundy, a Marc Jacobs ribboned silk blouse, and a pair of Theory wide-leg wool trousers in chocolate brown. The capsule was three hundred dollars over budget, again, by design. We will see you on the third Tuesday of December for the winter jewellery edit.