The coat, on the shoulders or fallen?

[dropcap letter="E"]

n general, placing a coat over the shoulders is seen as a gesture of distinction. For some years now, this way of wearing a jacket, so diva-like or lady-like from the 50s, has been recovered and, in part, it has been Melania Trump, since her arrival at the White House, who has ended up leading the trend.

And it's not so much the garment that matters (it even works with a thin summer cardigan), as the act of doing it (strutting like a bird spreading its fan-shaped tail). Increasing the size of the body, the vital space one occupies, increases the level of self-confidence and self-mastery and emanates a subtle message of empowerment to the world. With this purpose, throughout the history of clothing, numerous possibilities have been offered to lengthen the human presence: crinolines, top hats, heels, shoulder pads...

The American first lady walks around the world with her coats like a cape (enlarging her back) as if the security guards who escort her were not enough and she longed for more protection. Not even the empty sleeves - with which she tricks her husband into not having to intertwine their hands publicly - that impede or limit her freedom of movement and action are necessarily seen as a sign of weakness, but rather of ostentation: royalty and the elite do not need arms (for that they have servants...).

As a faithful social reflection, fashion always ends up confronting archetypes each season. In these last cold weeks that remain, before the classic lady, the idea of relaxing the codes is gaining more and more strength. If the wool coat covers the shoulders, anoraks and down jackets uncover them. Brands like Balenciaga, Dior and Acne Studios brought the studiedly careless oversized silhouette to the runway. And despite the fact that this fabric drop, such a grunge attitude of "I don't care" (down the arms to the elbows), apparently clashes with the superiority and authority that the widening of the shoulders provides; in the end it also promotes indifference and inaction. Fortunate (or not) are those who can afford it.