I don’t know whether I was in the majority or the minority as far as being on the fence regarding pre-fall. On one hand it provides excitement between the more formally established collection seasons as we get a peek of what is to come. On the other hand it is a more targeted collection and as such may not have the variety we look for in regular collections.
If the resort collections are for those who are about to travel, then pre-fall is for those who intend to wow at work. These work-friendly interpretations tend to be geared to those who have the consistent interest and capital, and that usually mean the working woman. And it’s not often that one gets excited about functional clothing. I would get used to dialling down the anticipation.
Economic austerity tends to put the brakes on the usual accelerated pace that we forget is a 20th century evolution reflective of our consumerist values. If you recall in the 90s, this resulted in a lot of streamlining, proliferation of classics and a slowing down of trend evolution. It was a response to the market that was changing too much too fast. In a good economy you have participants, but in a bad one you have alienation.
So the pre-fall collections are a delicate balance of freshness versus practical and desirable for investment value. The cleaner solids and streamlined modern silhouettes were shown so far in collections from DKNY, Elie Tahari, Rachel Roy and St. John. These tend to be labels where function is foremost in their design process so there are no surprises that those who are naturally in their element will do well during periods like these. Some interesting working of simple pieces came from Michael Kors, where it was the heavy accessories that took the reins on shaping the wardrobe, mixed in with a bit of the pioneer spirit we saw in the SS2012 collections. In fact, so far the collections have been a continuation of the SS2012, albeit with less flash in the colour palette. It will be interesting to see what others bring to the table (one will get mentioned coming up, for certain).
Where the business aspect of the design process becomes more prominent is during economically challenging times. Ornamentation and ostentation are vulgar in moments like this and the public dresses accordingly. Given the animosity from the recent political movements materialistic bravado will not be in vogue. Just as in the 90s it will be understated.