Sonia Rykiel: An Archival Coat

A black cotton Sonia Rykiel coat from 1980, worn here with a vintage Sonia Rykiel hat and photographed in Copenhagen for WILDE Journal 01.

The coat belongs to a period in which Rykiel had already established a language distinctly her own: clothes designed around movement, ease and the woman wearing them. Black became part of her everyday vocabulary, while construction and material were often allowed to remain visible rather than disguised.

This particular design has an unusual historical reference. An example dated 1980 is held in the permanent collection of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Met records the coat simply: Sonia Rykiel, French, 1980, cotton.

The hat extends the story beyond the coat. Also by Sonia Rykiel, its structured black brim is interrupted by a wide woven gold band — a small but emphatic detail. Worn together, the two pieces show another side of Rykiel’s vocabulary: black used not as austerity, but as a ground for proportion, texture and wit.

Seen today, its appeal is not dependent on nostalgia. The generous proportion, cropped outer layer and movement of the cotton still feel remarkably contemporary. It is the kind of archival piece we are interested in at WILDE: significant in its history, but entirely capable of returning to a modern wardrobe.

Vintage Sonia Rykiel coat and hat, selected by WILDE. Photographed in Copenhagen by Peter Irgens for WILDE Journal 01 — Late Summer.

View the Sonia Rykiel coat at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

See WILDE Journal 01 — Late Summer