STREET STYLE FINDINGS - KEY PIECES

As a follow on from a few posts ago- We put our retail analysis into practice this week by doing a street style task. This task meant we had to go onto the streets of Nottingham, and find examples of the trends we had identified at the start. The most successful pieces of street style we found, came under the Key Pieces section.

One of the main trends under the Key Pieces category was the wrap coat. We were expecting to find a lot more of this style - however their were only two examples, with the exception of another jacket which was a hybrid of trends:

(image on the right)-
This is a hybrid between a wrap and a trench coat. This is due to the fact it has the neckline of a wrap coat alongside the tie detail in the middle which indicates this. Furthermore, it has a double breasted effect, which again, is a nod to the trench coat trend. The texture of this coat is also interesting as it is marl/grain-like, again something that seems to be popular with consumers.We didn't get round to asking her where the coat was from or when she brought it- this would have been interesting to know as we could of judged whether this was brought specifically for this years trend or for practicality. To make a judgement, I would suspect the latter; as by the rest of her outfit, I feel that she is dressing for comfort and to be warm- not to make a conscious fashion statement.

Similarly to the wrap coat, we were expecting to see a lot of the Trench Coat on the street. However, we also only found two - but were both for very different purposes.

(image on left)

This was a more practical take on the Trench Coat. The lady wearing this trench told us that she had had this garment for 5 years. This shows how much of a classic piece this really is.

It originated in World War 1 for the use of the soldiers. Before the trench coat, they used to wear heavy greatcoats, which were made from wool. This was clearly impractical due to the conditions. In contrast to this coat, the trench was much more practical. It was lightweight, shorter and waterproof. It was far easier to clean, and easier to be able to camouflage due to its beige colour- this meant that the soldiers would not stand out or draw attention to themselves. Since this era, the trench coat has slowly changed its nature and become a fashion staple that is both stylish and practical. This shows how much of a staple piece this has been since 1914.

(image on the right)
We can see that this is a much more modern take on the trend. This is mainly because it is oversized and much looser in comparison to the fitted ones that we've seen before. This trench coat has clearly been worn as a deliberate fashion choice. We know this to be true through what else she is wearing- the girl has kept it minimal by only wearing black yet added a bit of colour through the scarf. The fact that this coat wasn't lined or overly classic suggests how it hasn't been worn for practical use. The flowy an thin nature of the material suggests it is used as a fashion statement and the girl is clearly much more trend aware.