Historically speaking, pre-fall collections have been among the most lucrative for fashion designers. While the in-between season doesn’t get the spotlight of its own dedicated fashion week, the looks themselves are typically deemed as more wearable than the editorial creations that headline the fall, spring, and haute couture runways. But with the pandemic blowing up the entire fashion cycle as we once knew it, designers are experimenting more with their off-peak designs—and their presentations. Chanel kicked things off with an inspired show at the Château de Chenonceau, a castle in the Loire Valley. And for the first time, Dior staged a pre-collection see-now-buy-now runway presentation—a disco, to be exact, held at Shanghai’s Long Museum West Bund and complete with a live performance from Chinese rock band Black Panther. Check back here often as we track the latest and greatest from the pre-fall collections.
The Look: Color-blocked sportswear, elevated track suits, cozy coats and smart belt bags.
The Inspiration: The collection is brought to you by the letter J for Joy from the McCartney A to Z Manifesto and supports Humane Society International’s (HSI) mission to end the fur trade both in the United Kingdom and around the world.
Melina Matsoukas
The Look: Minimalism with a maximal touch, smartly tailored suits, bold sequins, and slick separates.
The Inspiration: The power of personal style as modeled by a host of lookbook stars including director Melina Matsoukas, rollerskater Oumi Janta, British rapper Slowthai and artist Neneh Cherry.
Skater Oumi Janta
THE LOOK: Hybridizations of ready-to-wear in which party dresses meet military parkas and tuxedo suits meet jeans. Richly-hued gowns with exploded ruffle details and frills in both sumptuous fabrics and leather.
THE INSPIRATION: According to the show notes Sarah Burton was focused on silhouette and “a study of clothing and of character: portraits.”
THE LOOK: Jeans, elevated loungewear, and artful capes and gowns—all of which, when taken together deliver a complete wardrobe for easing back into day-to-night dressing.
THE INSPIRATION: A shifting of Valentino’s glamorous house codes. Per the show notes, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli aimed to create pieces that are warm and approachable while speaking to every mood.
THE LOOK: Cozy knits, deconstructed suits, sneakers, wooly shoes and bags: A new artful approach to cozy dressing.
THE INSPIRATION: Romanticism which in Marni-land means providing “a soft shell for hard reality” according to the show notes.
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