High-Street

Iconic high street brand Coast has had a major glow-up, and our Fashion Director predicts these dresses are going to sell out

You won't believe this high street brand's glow up.

21 June 2021

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I get to look at a lot of clothes... From front row seats at fashion shows to up close presentations with designers and private previews, I see hundreds - thousands - of dresses up close every year before they hit the shops. (And that’s without adding on the tops, trousers, jeans, bags, shoes and jewellery!)

Most of them are lovely... on-trend... useful... It takes a lot to surprise me. But browsing through a preview of upcoming drops from Coast last week, I was left slack-jawed (a rare occurance.)

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The Coast that we all knew (or thought we knew) was the #1 high street destination for classic occasionwear. You could kit your bridesmaids out in tasteful pastel satin, find a black tie-appropriate gown, an elegant dress for the races or a floral number for a wedding. But note those adjectives... fashionable doesn’t even come into it.

So when I flicked through a rail of directional pieces including neon gingham, scuba-fabric co-ords, bold prints that had a Rixo vibe and delicate lace that reminded me of Self-Portrait’s best dresses, surprised doesn’t cut it. And I was intrigued. Coast has had a Cinderella-style transformation into one of the most trend-led destinations for dresses on the high street.

But instead of a fairy godmother, Annabel Louise, Head of Product at Coast, is in charge of the changes and I wanted to know more.

Q: Why did you decide to go in a new direction for Coast’s occasion dresses?

A: It was perfect timing. After over a year of lockdown, with no events to go to and a rise in casual ‘work from home’ dressing we decided to celebrate dressing up. We (saw) a rise in sales in occasion dressing during lockdown and we wanted to bring Coast’s heritage of occasion dressing back - with a modern twist.

Q: Where does the inspiration for the collections come from?

A: Catwalks, Instagram, influencers, music, film or the latest Netflix sensations. Our customer is very print and colour focused, so we look to a lot of artists for inspiration for prints or embellishment.

Q: How would you style your dresses?

A: The beauty of our dresses (is that) you can wear the same dress with a court shoe or a trainer, there are no limits. We try and make things versatile so people can reuse and re-imagine styles. In the current situation, with so many rules, style is the one thing where there are no restrictions.

And that’s why fashion can be a perpetual mood lifter!