The harsh European winter is upon us, and top designers are ready to fight back. The weapons featured in their F/W 12/13 collections include furs, leathers, and puffy jackets.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Leather jackets, fur details, and full fur capes and coats were the French designer’s weapons of choice for the upcoming cold months. Although the leathers stayed in classic hues, the furs took a vibrant turn. Inspired by street-art motifs, Gaultier painted the town, and his furs, in neon oranges, greens, and pinks.

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Blumarine

Yellow, aqua, pink, magenta, and orange! Designer Anna Molinari began her show with a bang, and that bang was defined by five fluorescent fur coats and matching over-sized bags of the same Mongolian lamb material. However, fur wasn’t the only defense Blumarine offered against the cold. As per Molinari tradition, an array of options was readily available: metallic puffy coats, woolly outerwear, and platinum jackets were all cinched at the waist and ready to combat the cold.

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Etro

Verionica Etro decided to fight off the chills with a velvety touch. Etro’s F/W 12/13 collection featured coats in an array of fabrics blocked in one silhouette. Velvet, wool, and a touch of fur were the leading deterrents against the cold. However, in true Etro fashion, prints and intricate details were delicately entwined into most of the ice-fighting looks.

Lanvin

The dresses themselves were enough to face the harsh winter. Alber Elbaz combined body-enhancing frocks with thick textures that looked like they could confront even the coldest of chills. However, Elbaz didn’t forget about the power of furs; fur stoles, coats with furry details, and heavy intarsia knits, often accompanied Lanvin’s heavy silhouettes.

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Vivienne Westwood

As per Vivienne Westwood tradition, a look back to costume-design history is required. In this case, Westwood has chosen to fight breeze with Charles Dickens inspired tweeds and multi-layered coats. However, unlike most designers this season, Westwood chose to ignore the fur trend and instead cover her coats in Mongolian lambskin, a weapon that will certainly keep us warm.

Burberry Prorsum

It’s no surprise that Christopher Bailey chose trench-like silhouettes to fight off the freeze. This season, Burberry Prorsum’s collection featured cold-weather outerwear in a variety of wools and corduroys as well as beautiful long puffy coats. We know Burberry Prorsum won’t let us down in the cold.

With all these winter looks, we can’t wait to go out into the chilly battlefield with our outerwear as weapons. Even though we have the summer months ahead,  those winter collections are having us pray for the rain, snow, and winds to come at us again.

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