For the moment it is a trickle, but like the first leaves turning colours, the 2014 Pre-fall collections are starting to emerge. Like the resort, collections, these are the bridge between the main seasons, created not only to capitalize on providing clothes to the market in advance of the regular season, but also as a testing ground for pre-empting other designers by introducing or testing out design directions. Although the full expression is held back, the sample of concepts are of note.
Before the internet (BI), collection knowledge was restricted to a select few who kept the secrets until collections came into retail. Outside of the few influential trendsetters who either inspired, informed or were in alignment with coming trends most people had to wait for cues. As fashion media became more widespread and accessible, collections were shown in magazines. The race to reveal it first helped spur along the encouragement of showing collections in advance to the public. After the internet arrived (AI), it became a different story. As the technology became more widespread, the real-time access became more sophisticated, and designers jumped on board to keep the crown of being first.
We know where it is now. Everything about the collections comes out worldwide the moment they're out and reduced production times, sharpened since the 90s, have resulted in releasing observed trends before collections have time to hit the shelves. To compete, some designers release items not featured on the runway into their stores while others are moving towards a more fluid production schedule. The embrace of resort, once reserved for the more established luxury-adjacent houses, and creation of pre-fall are a result of this shift. Now, a house has to produce within these parameters to stay competitive and there has been debate in the last year about whether we are seeing the end of "seasons".
While that looks to be inevitable, there is still seasonal distinctions that the public relies on because that is how their mindset is regarding wardrobe maintenance, and from a marketing perspective, these distinctions helps better group presentation vision better; having an amorphous blur would not serve the market well. So, for now, we have these compartmentalized seasons in fashion, and this one has only a few collections revealed so far. Already the early indicators are worth pondering.
As we “speak”, the conflicting information continues regarding the glass of economics being half full/half empty. Lots of stories are coming out either supporting the continued growth and expansion of luxury or the slowing of its market in the face of austerity measures or, such as in China, political measures meant to curb ostentation to appease public concern over fund use. In Canada, a continued political upset regarding senate finances is coming under increased scrutiny in their media and the US struggles with budgetary issues that have almost crippled the country. While the Euro is starting to recover slowly the continued economic hardship in places like Cyprus and Slovenia and the high unemployment after almost a year and a half of recessionary conditions are hardly praiseworthy. The realities of political climates is hard to ignore in the face of the good news that affects a rather slim segment of the population and there are a few parallels that fashion is only to happy to reflect.
In the late 80s the cracks in economies long dependent on credit to support consumption was taking its toll. The earlier years were propped up by a false sense of security as money spent was borrowed. For credit use was rampant much in the way it was in the 20s. The initial ease of access to credit coupled with over optimistic domestic economic habits set the populations up for inevitable claw-backs that would pop the bubble and while it wasn't as rapid a panic as the 20s, the chain reaction of slowdowns was palpable.
Much like the post-crash years that heralded the Great Depression and the credit crisis of the Great Recession, fashion took a hit. The hyper-creative artistic expressions no longer fit a climate where practical realities mattered. For some populations, the shift went from pouring attention into the superficial to allowing it to take back seat, and so fashion suffered. The late 80s mall rat looks reflected the domestic abandonment of competition into the fashion race that was more rabidly pursued when cash flow concerns were less apparent and credit was handled less responsibly, and the fascination of the abandonment of taste at this time is almost voyeuristic now, such as the recent interest in Michael Galinsky's "Malls Across America". From a fashion standpoint it gawks at what we would deem as fashion atrocities yet back then the expression of individuality coupled with the economic wake-up calls are the very things that supported this degradation into taste.
We saw some of the hypercasual expressions in the 2014 Spring/Summer collections, such as the suburban L.A. looks that were played with by Rodarte, and there were a few collections that catered to a more carefree less put-together youth where sportswear was the only items of choice, a casual direction embraced in the 90s as a spin-off of hip hop's track-suit obsession the decade earlier. Of course, elements of sportswear has been returning for a few seasons with the reemergence of 90s trends we have had happening as well.
But we also have been in an increasing love affair with the 80s as we look for a new identity for our coming century, and the 80s was a massive influence in experimentation of textile use, cut and form, much of what serves as the foundation of modern style that we appreciate and currently emulate today. Just as the 20s was the foundation of modern dress for the last century, the decade that followed both of these current influential periods seem to be an increasingly relevant launch point for inspiration when looking at economic response parallels. The looks now aren't trashy or void of effort compared to style abandonment that faced those post-prosperous decades and our senses are still hopeful enough to include a degree of polish.
For DKNY, a few of the pieces had a sophomoric sportiness coupled with hard clean cuts, suggesting a playful youthful casualness that was at the tail end of the 80s. Other pieces hold the asymmetric architecture loosely with the same waist-definition abandonment of the 20s but honoring the current architectural focus we have had in the last few seasons while carrying a late 80s Commes des Garcon modernity in execution.
Tory Burch, Burberry Prorsum and Akris all went leaner, much like the 90s did when volume was abandoned in favor of more body-conscious fit. Tory Birch's collection had more pants and more of a 90s feel when it came to pants and some drop waist items and pan collars, again much of it catering to a more youthful energy.
Akris and Burberry Prorsum featured a few elements that somehow had a streamlined cleaner almost 30s edge. Some of the coats reminded of the early 2000s when the 30s were explored for jazzy inspiration a la Versace. If Burberry, outside of featuring one high contrast graphic tribal printed car coat, oscillated between architectural 3D and Arts & Crafts-inspired prints and brocades merged with some 70s-ish edge (which is very 90s) to hint at a vintage vibe, Akris leaned towards the clean cuts of the 90s, all under a jaunty Bonnie Parker-esque beret to say 90s Donna Karan in Paris or, especially with the skirts, a streamlined gun moll.
The observations are preliminary, and anything is up for grabs for the next month as collections unveil. It will be interesting to see which designers are catering for which perspective. Will it be denial? Adjustment? Recollection? For now, it will have to be about patience; the answers will come soon enough and nobody here will rob you of the opportunity to speculate.