The days of “elevated basics” are over at Vince. A better way to describe the label’s cashmere knits, elegant blouses, and soft tailoring now might be “low-key luxury.” Caroline Belhumeur joined as creative director about a year ago, and has been working closely with Vince’s brand director, Tomoko Ogura (who came on two years ago, after her 12-year stint at Barneys), to elevate and refine the label—and, at the same time, bring it a bit more down to earth. Vince was formerly associated with workwear and simple, upscale—but not always covetable—pieces, but the brand’s Spring 2019 collection had a sense of warmth.
The palette was warm, for starters: olive, poppy, every shade of sand, and a glow-y marigold satin. But there was also a new softness, both in fabric and silhouette, that gave the clothes a different attitude, rooted in Vince’s California heritage. (Did you know Vince is a Los Angeles brand? A lot of people don’t.) A few cashmere hoodies and light puffer jackets touched on L.A.’s active lifestyle, but dressing for the West Coast is really about finding that balance between undone and elegant.
Knitwear is the most familiar category for Vince; the luxe, summer-weight cashmere and merino knits here were reliably good. The proportions have changed a bit, though: Belhumeur scaled things down and designed knitwear with an eye toward the trousers, skirts, and silk basketball shorts you’d actually wear with it. On that note, the cargo-style midi skirts stood out, and there were a few pairs of excellent new pants: low-slung jeans, belted pin-striped trousers, and a silky, wide-leg pair with a drawstring waist. Those pieces were simple, sure—maybe you’d even call them “basics”—but they were also seriously desirable, and that might be the key difference between old and new Vince.
