British heritage brand Aquascutum is the quintessentially British brand known for rainwear and outerwear. It sounds boring, but designer Michael Herz’s Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear collection certainly wasn’t. The looks were classic and accessible to women of all generations, and showed that “classic” doesn’t have to mean “dated.” In fact, the adorable Dev Patel, young star of the award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, was dressed in an Aquascutum dinner suit recently for the 2009 British Academy Film Awards.

This collection contained double-layered taffeta coats, elaborately embroidered tunics, and edgy new designs in rain gear paired up with feminine, old guard floral blouses. The overcoat seen below looks like it might be the very devil to keep clean, but oh! How gorgeous it is! Model Aminata Niaria works this look like a young Beverly Johnson, with confidence and knowledge that standing out doesn’t have to mean making a spectacle of oneself.