Pre-fall is the collection of clothing that usually arrives in stores in August, if not before.  Some people prefer these fashions because they seem to be a little less trend driven.  They also don’t get as much press so you don’t get sick of them before you ever get to wear them.  I also love that they are shown as small runway shows or presentations. My favorite was from Erdem Moralioglu in the Dulwich Picture Gallery. The more colorful designs make me wish I hadn’t just cleaned all the pattern from my closet.  That’s a story for another day.

“An eerie portrait of identical twin girls in the 1960s by Diane Arbus sets the tone for Erdem’s interpretation of complex female duality for Pre-Fall 2015. Taking its cue from the designer’s fascination with the tension created in the juxtaposition of ladylike elegance and boyish preppy-ness, the collection is imagined in a maritime setting, inspired in part by the seaside austerity of Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice but modernised through the oddity of Tina Barney’s contemporary portraits of Europe’s upper-class families in her book, The Europeans.  A strict palette of black, navy blue, warm ecru and crimson back up the nautical theme, while masculine argyle lace and an Aran knit further contribute to a boyish undertone fused with a certain boating vibe.  Manifested in casual day garments such as a dress covered in layered irises, the collection is characterised by a kind of nipped 1960s glamour with a nod to Romy Schneider: polite but with a certain underbelly. Drawing on this notion, florals are inspired by flower images found in 1960s Japanese graphics magazines. They represent a flatness contrasted in the volume of garments.”