For her Pre-Fall 2009 collection, Miuccia Prada worked with volume and texture, keeping other elements, like color, under control. Fur was used quite liberally as was black. If her Men's Fall 2009 and Pre-Fall collections have anything to do with it, we think the Prada Ready To Wear Fall 2009 collection will be quite dark indeed. Is this troublesome? When it's Prada, it's hard not to love.
The menswear and couture shows have been rolling out in rapid succession, but Pre-Fall 2009 continues to haunt us. Frankly, we'd skip right over it if we didn't think that mid-season can offer particularly revealing clues as to what the impending fall collection will look like. That said, it seems Stella McCartney is in a darker, more textured mood for Fall. Will we see this attitude on the runway come March? As much as we'd like to count on McCartney's cool light heartedness, we think her this is an act of foreshadowing indeed.
If there's anyone who can bear the weight of making a heavy fall collection during a time of great global economic decline, it's Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent. Sharp suiting, monochromatic layers, and a no-nonsense approach to dressing are almost to be expected from Yves Saint Laurent this season.
An aristocratic 19th century theme has run through both Alexander McQueen's Fall 2009 men's collection and his Pre-Fall 2009 women's collection--and we can hardly wait to see it on the Fall 09 catwalk. For Pre-Fall McQueen kept with aristocratic tradition and made clothing that either suited hunting by day or a formal dinner by night. As for accessories, both looks came with a bowler hat, leather gloves, or a walking stick.
Recession or no, we can always expect Riccardo Tisci to give us dark, gothic clothing for a fall season. In this Pre-Fall 2009 collection Tisci was influenced by two famous Latin women (Preuvian diva Yma Sumac and Frida) and their confident severity served as his jumping-off point. Periwinkle Chanel-like booties help lighten things up a bit. As with everyone this season, it's all about the accessories.
For Christian Dior Pre-Fall 2009, Galliano looked to some of the potent female characters first imagined by Alfred Hitchcock and Helmut Newton. What that translates to, really, are strong hyper-female outfits not unfamiliar to Galliano in the slightest. In a recession, this uncompromised way of dressing might be the one sentiment that impresses women.
First up, the Pre-Fall 2009 collections of Giambattista Valli, Christian Dior, and Pucci have dropped--this close to the Fall 09 shows, there's no way these looks weren't cut from the same cloth...
Samples from the Spring 2009 Obedient Sons & Daughters collection which will not be produced will be sold at a sample sale next week.
Blackbook offers their take on recession lingo adopted by the glossies and yes, "crisis chic" is among them.
Thom Browne staged his powerful dystopia-themed show in Florence yesterday which consisted of two outfits and a choreographed office scene.
Marc Jacobs took his inspiration for the Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2009 collection from "a book about wartime fashions"--well, at least he isn't sugar coating it. Aside from a couple of suspiciously tent-like day dresses we think this throwback is a welcome one. Still present in the collection are modern platform heels, cropped trousers, and fur bombers which help bring the retro cuts and accessories up to date.
Alber Elbaz stuck with current trends (like sequins and lace) for the Lanvin Pre-Fall 2009 collection and paired them with fur accents and a heck of a lot of black. These nighttime looks might be intended for daytime experimentation, or, perhaps Elbaz knows that when a lady buys Lanvin during a recession, she has somewhere special to go. We find the latter a more likely explanation.
