From left: Balenciaga Opera Jacket, $4,250, Bergdorf Goodman, 212-753-7300; Bouclé Jacket, $2,265, Proenza Schouler, 212-585-3200; Kortina Houndstooth Jacket, $448, Joie, 212-897-1878 F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

A cocoon coat by Mr. Balenciaga, 1964 Tom Kublin/Balenciaga

SCULPTURAL. That's one of the words most often used to describe the work of Cristóbal Balenciaga, the Spanish-born couturier known for creatively reimagining women's silhouettes. Like many of Mr. Balenciaga's designs, the cocoon coat, which made its debut in 1957 with round shoulders and arcing sleeves, has outlived its inventor. And this season, it's boomeranged back, now cut to the hip. Wear one with a tidy pencil skirt or slim trousers for a modern haute time.

—Meenal Mistry