What’s Pre Got to Do With It?

Post by CM

Once upon a time there were but two major dates for designers to aim for – the Spring/Summer shows in September and the A/W shows in February. But you know how restless those designers and their teams get. They need more! More pomp, circumstance, revenue. So along came the Pre (“pree”) shows.

Unlike the bi-annual Fashion Weeks, the Pre shows come in drips and drabs, whenever, wherever and however the fashion house wants to present them. The summer shows are also known as ‘Resort’ and they’re designed even more than usual with their wealthy customer base in mind; where the collections at Fashion Week spark trends for the season that filter down to the high street, the Resort collections are standalone, not too concerned with appealing to mainstream retailers.

Back in May, Karl Lagerfield took his Chanel Resort show to Seoul where he played with the traditional Korean hanbok, adding to it the iconic Chanel signature look.

Nicolas Ghesquiere presented Louis Vuitton’s Pre S/S16 collection in Palm Springs, Florida. The vibe was bohemian seventies globe-trotting girl, certainly appealing to the type of customer he’s likely to envision wearing his clothes as they chase the sun around the world next summer.

Stella McCartney invited all her celebrity friends to a garden party to launch her collection, simply letting models swan around in her creations amongst the guests. This is what Pre is all about; a more casual approach to fashion, yet still exceedingly exclusive and luxurious.

Ricardo Tisci took to London to showcase his Givenchy pre-collection – check out the pointed wellies! Pure festival fashion, right there.

While I have been known to roll my eyes a bit at the Resort/Pre hullaballoo, when I saw the Valentino Pre-SS16 look-book I quite literally fell in love. Say what you will about the over-saturation of ridiculously expensive commodities on the market, as fashion and style bloggers interested in fine craftsmanship and beauty in fashion I feel that the pre-shows, in most instances, are to be welcomed.

What say you? Are Pre collections a bit much, or do you enjoy viewing the creative freedom designers can take? Join us for chats on Facebook and Twitter!