While they may not get as much attention as the spring/summer and fall/winter collections, the pre-fall presentations tend to skew unrestrained—and, therefore, intriguing, possibly because of the lower stakes surrounding the mid-season displays. Not as regulated to the cities within the fashion canon, creative directors often take the opportunity of these out-of-schedule events to travel outside the confines of New York, Paris, London, and Milan, using the new destinations as inspiration for their collections. A perfect example of this came from Demna’s pre-fall show for Balenciaga in early December, which took place on Windsor Boulevard in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. With the Hollywood sign in sight, models (and Cardi B) trekked down the closed-off street, looking like they were dodging paparazzi in their athleisure, lugging coffee cups and leather Erewhon shopping bags along with them. Five days later Chanel staged its 2023/24 Métiers d’Art show in Manchester, England, providing a stark contrast to Demna’s much more casual display. Ahead of the presentation, the house previewed Virginie Viard’s latest designs in a series of photographs directed by Sofia Coppola and shot by Jamie Hawkesworth, offering a taste of the new collection in the city that inspired it. Native Mancunians posed in tweed sets and jersey sweaters, signature Chanel motifs rendered in bright reds, mustards, and calming lilacs. At the presentation that followed, those designs were joined by sequin-covered skirts and embellished sheer tops, rounding out another classically Viard show.
Of course, that was just the beginning—Louis Vuitton presented its pre-fall collection with its debut Voyagers show in Shanghai on April 18, 2024. Stars including Cate Blanchett and Ho-yeon Jung were on in hand to take in Nicolas Ghesquière’s colorful collection featuring animal balloon prints made in collaboration with the Beijing-born artist Sun Yitian.
Fashion’s world tour will continue as more and more brands debut their mid-cycle collections. Check back here as we keep track of the most outstanding looks from pre-fall 2024.
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