Carrie Bradshaw’s styling prowess can make even trudging through the snow a glamorous outing. In a recent episode of Max’s And Just Like That, Sarah Jessica Parker’s iconic character swept through the snowy streets of Manhattan cloaked in a voluminous (and insulated) cornflower blue ensemble that belongs to the same collection as this blush-pink Moncler Genius goose-down confection on 1stDibs.
Equal parts puffer coat and ball gown, this showstopping hybrid is a product of Moncler’s Genius series, a project in which the high-end outerwear brand invites leading designers to conceive collections. Established in 2018, the Genius line boasts an impressive roster of alumni that includes some of fashion’s most exciting players, like Simone Rocha, Matthew Williams and Richard Quinn. For the Fall 2019 collection, Moncler tapped Pierpaolo Piccioli, the creative director of Valentino, who is known for his audacious sense of decoration and couture showmanship. Piccioli coaxed high-fashion forms out of Moncler’s first-rate materials in a suite of dreamy coat-gown amalgams that make one positively yearn for snow.
Offered on 1stDibs by Chez Sarah, a Paris-based purveyor of rare designer fashion, the piece is (unsurprisingly) even more sensational in person. “The A-line cut of this garment gives it a very specific and spectacular silhouette,” says Sarah Rozenbaum, Chez Sarah’s founder. “The fit of the hooded jacket contrasts against the impressive volume of the skirt, while the goose-down fabric gives an impression of great lightness.”
Although composed of textiles not typically seen in his other collections, the gown nevertheless displays Piccioli’s expert use of color and graphic print. The print here is the result of a collaboration with model and entrepreneur Liya Kebede, whose label, lemlem, spotlights the textile traditions of her native Ethiopia and other African nations, employing artisans from these countries as well. “There is no better way to show how time-honored traditions, like artisan’s work, have a place in modern fashion than this partnership, working with Pierpaolo and Moncler,” Kebede remarked when the collaboration launched.
The jacket, skirt and cape are individual pieces that offer myriad styling possibilities. And when attached to the jacket, the cape can cover the head as a cowl hood or be draped gracefully around the shoulders, mimicking the plush form of a fur stole. The graphic elements adorning the jacket’s neck and hood lend them a visual weight that balances the commanding volume of the skirt’s crinoline — yes, crinoline — while the jacket’s padded nylon is tailored to maintain structure in the sweeping ensemble.
It’s a statement worthy of a grand event like a ball or the Met Gala, which Rozenbaum suggests the outfit would be perfect for. But it would also be a brilliant choice as a winter wedding gown or even for an everyday outing à la Bradshaw. Regardless of where it’s worn, strolling through the snow in this confection would be a thrill.
