Trend report SS13: Neil Barrett solves the cape-jacket conundrum
Here’s the thing about trying to perch your coat on your shoulders, Hamish Bowles-style. It’s actually very difficult to do. And if you’re trying to walk around like that while keeping your dignity intact, well… good luck to you. But here’s a natty solution, and as usual, it comes from a menswear designer, whose approach is more about problem-solving than decoration. Readers, I give you Neil Barrett’s ‘double jackets’.
According to Vanessa Friedman’s blog, these contraptions aren’t just coats flung over shoulders. They actually have clever interiors so you can drape them cape-style without them sliding off, or you can put your arms in the sleeves. And Barrett has patented the design, which is remarkable in itself as I thought utilitarian items (i.e. like clothes) couldn’t be patented.
All this would be redundant if the coats themselves weren’t visions of beauty. Just look at them, aren’t they lovely?
