GRACEFUL TRANSITION
New York: Geraldo da Conceicao will present his first collection as Artistic Director of Sonia Rykiel for F/W 13, and followers of the label anxiously anticipate how he will interpret its signature elements. In the meantime, the Rykiel design team is in charge, and it seems the label is in able hands. Their Pre-Fall offering demonstrated that they have
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HALF AND HALF
New York: For Pre-Fall, Jean Paul Gaultier played with asymmetry, slicing some of his signature items down the center and reattaching them with other pieces. The opening look – a hybrid motorcycle jacket and menswear-inspired coat – was the perfect example of this technique. Gaultier went on to mix pantsuits with knitwear and cardigans with turtlenecks, among other
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STAR TURN
New York: Strong female film stars from various decades inspired Gaby Basora's Pre-Fall collection for Tucker. In an interview, she mentioned Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Sophia Coppola as references. With such style icons as fodder, it would be hard to go wrong. One could imagine Bacall wearing the ivory backless jumpsuit, while Monroe would've sported the cropped pants
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SHOPPING SPREE
New York: In an interview about his Pre-Fall collection, Robert Rodriguez revealed a somewhat surprising inspiration behind the offering – a stack of black shopping bags. Rodriguez told reporters that he noticed the bags while sitting in his studio one day and began cutting into them, creating a range of geometric shapes. The shapes he created were represented with
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Sweatshirt looks get a chic makeover. Styles range from boxy sweater-knit pullovers to cut-and-sew cardigans. Tapered sweat pant silhouettes vary from slim to baggy, with hems finishing above or below the ankle. Sweat-sets get casually elegant with tailored foorwear and accessories. Smooth and dense grey heather jersey is essential. – Sharon Graubard
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LUXE LOUNGE
New York: The design team at Sonia by Sonia Rykiel suggested that their inspiration for Pre-Fall was Andy Warhol's Factory, but volume and loungewear seemed to be the overriding themes. The team played with proportion, offering oversized sweaters, slouchy shorts, and baggy pants. A handful of slimmer looks balanced out the offering. Rykiel signatures made it into the mix,
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STYLE FOR ALL OCCASIONS
New York: From luxe velvet suits to sporty hiking ensembles, Kim Jones offered the Louis Vuitton man stylish options for any occasion. The designer started out with looks that seemed geared toward travel. Tailored overcoats were layered over silky paisley shirts and simple sweaters, and looks were styled with laptop cases or duffels. The classic logo trunks
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THE HUNGER GAMES
New York: Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi turned to the gender-bending fashion icon, David Bowie, for inspiration for their Pre-Fall collection. It was a timely choice, as it seems Bowie is in the collection consciousness of late; a much-anticipated retrospective on him is opening this year at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. Rather than covering his oft-referenced Ziggy
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EASY ELEGANCE
New York: For his third collection for the Japanese label, ICB (which stands for International Concept Brand), Prabal Gurung presented inspired basics with an easy elegance. With the delivery time in mind, the designer focused on warm-weather items, such as spaghetti-strap dresses and short skirts. Many of the pieces featured gathering or bias cuts, giving them a sense of
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SWEETNESS + SEDUCTION
New York: Erdem Moralioglu has developed an expert formula, deftly mixing his signature brand of sweetness with a hint of perversity and making for clothes that are both feminine and alluring. For Pre-Fall, the designer continued this exploration, but incorporated techy details and fabrics that gave his looks an added edge. In addition to elegant lace and lustrous
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FIRE + ICE
New York: A Robert Frost poem about the end of the world (perhaps the recent end of the Mayan calendar got her thinking about the subject) inspired Wayne Lee's Pre-Fall collection. "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice," Frost wrote. The ice element opened the offering, with angular white pieces in boxy shapes.
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LADY SINGS THE BLUES
New York: After last season's sexed-up nineties romp, designers Dan and Dean Caten went the opposite direction for Pre-Fall. They presented ladylike looks inspired by the jazz scene in Harlem in the 1920s and 30s. Elongated pencil skirts and body-hugging dresses were in heavy rotation, and feminine blouses added a touch of romanticism. Cropped wide-leg pants, especially
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ANIMAL INSTINCT
New York: Design duo Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein experimented with new ways to work with classic animal prints. They pixilated and scattered them for innovative prints. They also represented them in subtle ways with jacquards and brocades. A lace jacquard in a leopard pattern looked particularly fresh. Even sequin embellishments, placed in clusters on the front panels of
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BEFORE TAKEOFF
New York: Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, the designers behind Rag & Bone, hinted at the theme of their F/W 13 collection at the press preview for their Pre-Fall offering. They suggested that the theme would involve aviation, citing Pan-Am in the 1960s. Hints of this inspiration snuck into their current assortment. Tonally, pops of bright orange and Yves
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THE SHAPE OF THINGS
New York: Fashion people aren't typically known to be math aficionados, but Ralph Rucci has always been the cerebral type. For his first Pre-Fall offering, he used concave and convex shapes when creating his elegant garments. Visible seams highlighted the curving angles and added visual interest. The tasteful assortment featured A-line coats with bell sleeves, perfectly cut
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