Love Story: a love letter to a precious fashion friend
Dear Sacai coat,It really was love at first sight. I was lucky enough to be invited to a preview of your collection for A/W14, a showroom appointment in Paris back in March 2014 with your creator, the brilliant Chitose Abe.
Sacai AW14 - the coat of my dreams
And there you were.
I was mesmerised by the rich jewel colours, the digital dotty print that on closer inspection turned out to be a mix of dots and printed sequins. I loved the quilting, your pleasing complexity, the way I couldn't work out whether you were one coat or several all buttoned together.
It turned out you were made up of two layers, a thick cardigan under a quilted coat. You could be worn in so many ways - buttoned over the cardigan, the cardigan buttoned over the coat, with or without each other. What fun we would have together. I was totally seduced by the curve of your peplum, the sheer voluptuousness of your silhouette, your innate Nanook of the North quality.
Yes, I was in love.As a fashion journalist, this can be an occupational hazard - shopping while on duty. As a rule, I try not to do it. But as if in a trance, I ordered you (at a third of your astronomical retail value). I knew I couldn't afford to buy much else for the rest of the season, but that was a price worth paying.
You arrived in my life about six months later and we have been inseparable ever since, regardless of the passing of the seasons, the new collections that have since replaced you. I knew - to steal a metaphor from my friend Orsola de Castro - that this was no one night stand. We were in this for the long haul.
We were - and still are - a perfect fit. You have kept me warm, protected me from the wind and the rain (have I mentioned how much I love your giant fleece lined hood?), you've been my constant companion at countless events, nights out, days by the sea, gondola rides in a shivery Venice. 30 wears? More like 300 - and counting!
We've enjoyed every minute. Even now you're getting a little threadbare around the sleeves, and you've lost the bloom of new love, I'm still hopelessly unable to live without you. I might have do a few repairs here and there, a touch of careful darning. For this is a relationship like any other, and the best clothes deserve some TLC.
And that's the way it will continue to be - for as long as you are precious, timeless and intact, I will be forever faithful.
Much love,
Tamsin
