VERONICA BEARD AW15’16 READY-TO-WEAR NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

With an endless flurry of winter storms disrupting New York fashion week this season, everyone has escape on the brain. (“Where are you getting away after the craziness ends?” has one-upped “Can you believe this weather?” in the way of preshow small talk.) Sisters-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard were dreaming of a cabin getaway when they designed their Fall collection, specifically in the great camps of the Adirondacks. “It’s all about this refined, rustic elegance,” Swanson Beard explained. “We wanted to reimagine our urban tailoring for an outdoorsy wardrobe, but one that you can still wear in the city.” The designers are best known for their sharp jackets with removable dickeys, which are ideal for girls who love to layer but don’t love the bulk. They whipped up new styles that combined menswear plaids, mohair, denim, leather, and fox—sometimes all at once. The simplest pieces were some of the best, like the wool parkas with contrast piping and giant fur collars. A clean camel coat with a black leather Perfecto dickey was also a standout; it looked effortlessly cool over a cream crepe jumpsuit.

Other looks intentionally had a lot going on, like the blue mohair jacket layered over a jacquard sweater layered over a dot-print skirt. Ditto the camouflage jacket and fur stole paired with pinstripe pants and a trompe l’oeil sweater and blouse. Girls on the more-is-more bandwagon won’t be afraid to wear the full looks, but many women are conscious not to over-style these days. For the bohemian Veronica Beard shopper, an embroidered silk blouse tucked into a lace midi skirt felt soft and romantic next to all that tailoring. The collection could have used a few more easy pieces like that. Overall, the Beards’ instinct for luxe textures was right for the season—shoppers are responding to the idea of elevated comfort, and we’ve seen lots of fur, mohair, and other cozy materials this week.