Pre-Fall 2011: Textures

Doo.Ri,Matthew Williamson, Alice + Olivia, Jason Wu

Textures are always a classic print, and are hugely popular both on runway and in retail right now. At Printsource last week, apparel designers were clamoring for textures, soft painterly geometrics, and textury animal prints.

Pre-Fall 2011: Indian Prints

Rachel Roy, Tibi, Baenciaga

Trend Alert! Indian prints will be making a big comeback next year. Look for vintage and vintage-inspired paisleys and florals. This trend goes right along with the 90's revival. Remember long cotton hippy skirts and tapestries? The Grateful Dead? Patchouli? Perhaps you'd rather forget? Perhaps..

Pre-Fall 2011: Animal Print

Carolina Herrera, Thakoon, Temperly London, Carolina Herrera

Animal prints continue to have a big presence on the runways. See our previous post on leopard print in street fashion and retail.

Pre-Fall 2011: Chanel

The blogosphere is a'twitter about Chanel's pre-fall collection, and with good reason. The dresses are opulent but balanced, the hair is effortlessly chic, and of course the surface details are phenomenal. Inspired by ancient Byzantine tile work, the applique is contained in crisp geometric strips, fusing the past with the present in true Lagerfeld fashion.

Pre-Fall 10: Giles

Giles Deacon's show took place in a porcelain factory, with industrial parts and metal music clinking in the background, models adorned in fluorescent nylon wigs, and their beautifully draped dresses were printed with giant wrenches and paper clips. This twisted landscape reminds me of the Industrial movement of the 90's, and also in mood, the movie, A Clockwork Orange. The collection is anything but retro, however. The silhouettes of these garments are sexy and sophisticated, and the mood is very now, which of course includes anything 90s.

Pre Fall 10 | Plaids

Miu Miu, Christian Dior, Vionnet, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu
background by Pattern People

A variation of plaids will be marching their way into stores this coming Fall. From retro to grunge, we'll have a plethora of options to choose from representing every era. My personal favorite is the reinterpreted version presented by Vionnet.

Pre-Fall 10: Textures

Matthew Williamson, Giambattista Valli, Balenciaga, Derek Lam, Proenza Schouler. Background: Pattern People
Solids can be flat and lifeless, so if you want to maintain a neutral surface while still creating a feeling of luxury, richness, and depth, textures are your answer. Of course, some of the textural prints/weaves shown above take on a life of their own, creating a very bold statement, especially for a non-print print.

Pre-Fall 10: You're an Animal!

Matthew Williamson, Just Cavalli, Lanvin
Pre-fall brings us some interesting animal prints. Matthew Williamson's are both digital and watery/ flowy, Just Cavalli's leopard spots look like cigarette burns, and Lanvin's animal prints are all vampy and womanly. I also loved Lanvin's photographs for the season.

Pre-Fall 10: Optical Geos

Derek Lam, Balenciaga, Just Cavalli, Derek Lam. Background: Pattern People
Stark and optical geos are seen all over the Pre-fall 10 collections. Balenciaga's line is stunning, with draped pants that are surely the next big thing in women's trouser shapes. Also present are crayola-colored stockings with what appear to be armored booty heels. Of course the line also presents a few other print trends that we'll cover later. Derek Lam's textural optical zig zaggy lines reminded us of just the sorts of prints we're currently working on.

Pre-Fall 10: Louis Vuitton

The story behind Louis Vuitton's Pre-Fall collection is that a girl happens upon some heritage trunks overflowing with sumptuous treasures like a fox-trimmed coat, crochet socks, and perhaps some cozy afghans. A classic wool blanket is turned into a cape, another into a dress. There's plenty of playful Native American references, from the fringy boots to the furs to the Navajo patterns, but the collection remains true to the classic ethos of Vuitton luxury.

Doo.Ri: Pre-Fall 10

Doo.Ri showed some textured, paint-splattery seperates for Pre-Fall 10. I like the top on the right, the cut is nice, and the print looks like tumbling waves of an ocean during a storm.

Florals: Pre-Fall 10

Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Rachel Roy, Zac Pozen, Thakoon
Pre-fall is a small, safe, and market-friendly season; not too ground breaking, and with very little pomp and circumstance. Print-wise, not seeing any real trends here, just a bit more of the same, although I did like Rachel Roy's pixel floral print (reminds me of one of our favorites from the PP collection) But my goodness, those pink stretch pants with pleats! Why oh why? Also, the Carolina Herrera floral is quite beautiful and I already raved about the rest of the prints in her collection below.

Carolina Herrera Pre-Fall 10

Oh, the gorgeousness of these rich, bright patterns! The inspiration here was the Tango, and the print in the middle is of dancers locked arm in arm. Lava red, dandelion yellow, and Directoire blue were used all throughout the collection, and the color blockings on some ball gowns and the jacket on left were done flawlessly.