Clean lines. Minimalist. Geometric. Luxury. Tailored. Beauty. Structure. Flow. Modern. Raw. Decadence. These are just some of the words that are conjured up when I think of Swedish brand COS. I was at their Autumn Winter Press Day yesterday and their pieces ticked so many of these boxes.
Since the brand launched in 2007 it has managed to seamlessly merge a Scandinavian aesthetic with modern, forward thinking ideas and to me it means that many of the versatile pieces have the depth to be timeless investment additions to your wardrobe. And the AW16 Collection is no exception – everyday decadence and rethought functionality were the running themes throughout this impressive reinvention of classic staples and form.
The Press Day was held in a hidden gem in Camden Street in Dublin and the house was architecturally stunning. When I arrived I didn’t know quite what to expect but the entrance stairs led up to a beautiful open sunlit terrace and a home so visually beautiful that I cannot believe it is in the heart of Dublin. The high ceilings combined with the beautiful furniture and the stunning Piero Fornasetti art pieces made the most stunning backdrop to one of my most anticipated collections of the year.
The Autumn Winter 2016 collection is beautifully structured and I have to admit it was some of the menswear that I really fell for – particularly the elongated bomber. The structure and the cross-over element between both the ladies and men’s collections gives a feeling of being more androgynous than other collections and come the end of Summer when this collection hits stores it will certainly be a hard choice to pick a Winter jacket!
Layering is a big theme throughout the collection and the possible mixes of fabrics and textures means that the unusual combinations can be individually mixed to your own style and this jigsaw style idea really appeals to me.
The textures within the collection vary from a classic crisp white shirt to a viscose-plated merino knit top to a wool wide-leg trouser and the combination has a revolutionary feel to it’s silhouettes while also leaning towards a utility influence.
Something that is common among all COS collections that I have seen previously is the attention to detail. It was particularity evident in the presentation on the press day. The draping of the layers and the well placed bows just added that COS seamless detail to the high ceiling surroundings.
The colour tones throughout the collection are rich and are inspired by the paintings of Lynette Yiadom Boakye and are filled with colours like a rich, dark navy, intense blue, ochre, burgundy and forest green. One of my favourite pieces of the womenswear collection was the above Raw-Edge Wool Double-Breasted Coat in Violet – the colour is beautiful and the detail of the cut make it an unusual eye catching piece.
The accessories for the AW16 collection are also stand alone pieces in their own right. There were three that really stood out for me;
- A wrinkled leather handbag that actually as aluminium foil within itself that allows you to make it into the shape that you prefer – a ‘normal’ handbag or else a fold over clutch.
- The petrol blue gloves – I love the simply cut of them and also the obvious warmth that they would encase your mitts in!
- This cuff – To me it is where art means fashion. It looked like a piece of art on it’s own when displayed and again this has the aluminium foil within it which again makes it manipulable. I personally love wearing a more understated outfit and then adding an unexpected or dramatic accessory to finish off a look and this fits under that love.
I think the reason that I love COS so much is the quality and the timeless feel to the pieces. Another interesting fact is that all of COS collection is created in-house by a team of designers and buyers based in COS’ London headquarters which for some reason I find endearing. You can shop COS online by clicking here and they currently deliver to the US and 18 EU markets!
A massive thank you to both COS and Baluba for the invitation, and I have no doubt that this will remain one of my fashion highlights of 2016.
I will leave you with some more amazing images from the COS AW16 Lookbook – simply beautiful;
COS AW16 WomensWear;
Dear Amie, as you had first hand experience, what would you say, from the beatiful raw cut cost in violet what size would fit a small woman ( 165cm height, 55 kilos ) ? 🙂
Hi, firstly the quality of the jacket is just amazing and the colour would certainly pop on so many people! I think that you would need to go and try it on to be honest, I would think that it would fit most heights as since a shorted jacket it would not be too long etc. My only certain would be that it may appear over slightly over sized – personally I love that look and think it adds to this style but I do think that you would need to go in store to see it.