In most of the world it may be pre-Christmas, but in the fashion world, which pays attention to no calendar but its own, it's … pre-fall!
Which actually, as Maria Cornejo of Zero Maria Cornejo said as she went through her collection of signature pieces (jumpsuits, kimono coats, asymmetric dresses) in prints culled from sky and street, is a synonym for "high summer."
At least in the Northern Hemisphere, and at least in theory. Though given how this winter is going, high summer could be more like a slush-summer come May, which is when these clothes start rolling into stores.
In the Southern Hemisphere, May is something else entirely, which may be why Michael Kors simply refers to the whole shebang with the highly neutral, and cultur ally au courant, "trans-season."
Got that? Probably not, which is fine, because it's even more complicated: The pre-fall presentations continue in January, with most European labels making a trek to New York at the beginning of the month, just before the men's fall shows begin.
Before you throw up your hands in frustration, however, know that there are really only five things you need to understand about pre-fall in order to appear informed and seasonally fluent over your eggnog and stuffed endive, and which you can then cut and keep, post-cleanse, for later — when you can finally buy the stuff.
Designers find this confusing, too
There appears to be a consensus around pre-fall's sister season, pre-spring, a.k.a. "cruise," a.k.a. "resort," and the financial need to go big on its promotion (these are the clothes that land before the holidays and, hence, can provide a big uptick in sales), which is why Chanel has already announced it is taking its cruise collection to Cuba, and Louis Vuitton is going to Rio. Because pre-fall sneaks in when everyone is otherwise occupied with year-end, however, designers are divided on how much outside attention it merits.
Coach, for example, decided to embrace the season, with the designer Stuart Vevers presenting his collection of "new basics" — shearling biker jackets and peacoats, prairie print shrunken chiffon tea dresses and intarsia character sw eaters — for the first time, while at Bottega Veneta, Tomas Maier unveiled men's wear (faded jewel-toned "suits" of malleable leather jackets and matching washed silk trousers) alongside women's wear.
And Stella McCartney, who is known for holding a pre-collection party complete with models, games and entertainment in lieu of a standard presentation, announced that she was taking her event on the road, and swapping New York for Los Angeles in January.
Proenza Schouler followed Céline in declaring that while it would show the collection to both the news media and retailers, no one was allowed to discuss or photograph the clothes until they went into stores. (We would tell you what they looked like, but then they would have to kill us.) Marc Jacobs opted not to present to anyone except retailers.
But there is one thing everyone agrees on …
This newish season is the source of all that "buy now, wear now" you keep hearing about.
Fashion's latest mantra, "buy now, wear now" — which can be effectively translated as, "Hello, retailers! Nobody wants to buy a coat in June that they can't use until November, or bikinis in December before they go skiing" — is the single driving force behind what you see in pre-fall.
Photo Pre-fall collections by, from left, Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg and Michael Kors.
"My customers simply will not accept wool," Ms. Cornejo said, even though nominally wool is a fall fabric. The whole point of the pre-collections is to give consumers a reason to go back into stores, after they have exhausted the main season's offerings, and fill in their wardrobes with whatever is relevant at the moment and thus needs to be purchased. People are now conditioned to want, as Mr. Kors says, their fix of "new stuff." So that means …
It's all about layering.
Because really, who knows what the weather will bring? If one look characterizes 2016's pre-fall season so far, it is the slip d ress under shearling, or atop ribbed knits. See, for example, Victoria Beckham's mustard and grape cocktail negligees trimmed in Battenburg lace, worn with nubby coats; or Michael Kors's transparent Perspex miniskirt dotted with giant crystals and worn with a gray cashmere turtleneck sweater, as modeled by Zendaya on the red carpet at the "Star Wars" premiere mere days after it was shown.
Or, for that matter, Calvin Klein and MaxMara's cropped and bandeau tops with slouchy trouser suits and fishnet T-shirts atop pleated lamé skirts. Or Narciso Rodriguez's one-shoulder tuxedo tops and tunics with asymmetric trains that can be worn under jackets or over trousers, but also look elegant just as they are. Within this overarching trend, however, there are a few other, smaller trends. Like …
Continue reading the main story Graphic prints
Not just any old prints: top-to-bottom graphic numbers, as seen at Diane von Furstenberg, where everything was scarf-print-inspired in '70s shades; Bottega Veneta, where day dresses came in geometrics and evening halter gowns in giant intarsia stripes; and Altuzarra, where polka dots played over matching trousers and tops.
At Oscar de la Renta, Peter Copping mixed overblown tweed tops with rectangle-splattered sleeveless blouses, and even Ralph Lauren combined an Art Deco-style geometric in both new trousers — wraparounds that create a skirtlike line — and a matching shirt and even cardigan.
"I wasn't sure about the print," Mr. Lauren said. "I didn't want it. And then we tried it." Think of it as the new suit, which is one kind of quasi-innovation. As was …
Athevening
It was only a matter of time after athleisure took the runways by storm. "I see how mothers dress when they are picking their children up from school," Carolina Herrera said. "And they all look like they are going to work out. So I asked, and they said, no, they just want to be comfortable all the time."
Then she thought: Why should they have to stop at black-ti e events? No reason, according to Mrs. Herrera, who created formal sweatshirts in emerald neoprene, trimmed in lace and paired with fluted floor-length evening skirts.
Burberry went for cashmere sweatshirts, while Ralph Lauren offered up a dusty-rose suede tracksuit worn with a diamond-sprinkled chiffon tank top (warning: do not wear this to the gym) not to mention a buttery leather puffa jacket, and Tomas Maier opted for jewel-tone duchesse satin baseball jackets and matching A-line skirts. Score.
