Which way will the fashion winds blow when the fall 2024 collections begin in February? If Catherine Holstein’s latest Khaite collection can offer any clues, the 1980s may knock the ’90s and Y2K out of the trend cycle. The shoulder pads on the black leather motorcycle jacket that opens the look book call to mind … Read more
Lutz Huelle only ever met the late Alber Elbaz fleetingly—notably at the fashion dinner hosted by President Emmanuel Macron—but the two had more in common than meets the eye. Both were lured to Paris by a dream of working in fashion, and each forged his own signature in an adopted hometown, in a language not … Read more
New year, new Blu: Blumarine pre-fall marks the beginning of the post-Nicola Brognano era. In the revolving doors game of creative directors, where tenures are increasingly getting shorter, he’s been replaced by Walter Chiapponi, formerly at Tod’s. Although this is a transitional collection put together by the design studio, it hints at what’s to come … Read more
Alessandro Dell’Acqua has the art of harmonizing polarities down to a T. His pre-fall collection read as an exercise in idiosyncratic styling, playing on apparently irreconcilable elements to gently break the rules of symmetry. “I don’t like going for predictable standards,” he said at a showroom appointment. Without courting subversion, Dell’Acqua has a way of … Read more
Sportmax’s design studio went for a “more with less” approach for pre-fall, drawing upon references to the Mod culture of the 1960s, the Belle de Jour bourgeois look, and the sleek modernism of the ubiquitous ’90s. Silhouettes were kept clean and fitted, aligned with the current trend of less oversized proportions; sportswear influences were also … Read more
In recent years, Eudon Choi has taken to approaching his pre-fall and resort collections as palate cleansers. His inclination has been to present what is (at least at first glance) a more stripped-back offering of his chameleonic wardrobe staples: layered knits, coats with detachable panels and sleeves, or trousers with inventive fastenings and belts, as … Read more
Elie Saab is in a 1970s state of mind. Like the styles of that time, his pre-fall collection covers a lot of territory. But he had one muse in mind overall: the inimitable Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. In her spirit, he titled the collection Perfectly Marvelous. The designer also took other of her admonishments to … Read more
Designers are as curious and cautious about AI as the rest of us. The new technology has been used at basic levels to create prints and to write at least one press release (Stine Goya). Last season Collina Strada and Heliot Emil dove deeper, experimenting with the tech as a design partner. Now Nehera’s Ladislav … Read more
For spring, Natasha Zinko transformed Soho Square, a de facto public park in the heart of central London, into a campsite adorned with tents of innumerable sizes. The Ukrainian designer’s pre-fall collection likewise has an outdoorsy theme, but with a cold-weather approach. “It’s a continuation of what we’ve done before, but everything’s a little bit … Read more
Like many designers this season, Naeem Khan was drawn to the idea of stripping things back and toying with minimalism. “I needed a palate cleanser—like a sorbet after an amazing appetizer,” says the Indian-American designer. But simplicity looks a little different for someone who’s known for his extravagant eveningwear and heavy embroidery work. Instead of … Read more
