Pre-Fall 2013

Pre-Fall 2013 has wrapped!...or has it?...Nobody can quite say for sure, but with the Fall 2013 shows quickly approaching in mid-February, we figured now was as good a time as any to take inventory of our favorites from “the season between seasons."

Pre-Fall 2013 proved a classic study in the Marni tradition of taking that which might be considered dowdy and workaday--generously man-tailored suits, performance-outerwear parkas--and rendering it exciting through bricolage and modern-magpie styling.

Fabric often comes first with Jonathan Saunders. In previous seasons, his work has explored experimental, textile techno-craft (spring's holographic metallics were stellar) but for Pre-Fall 2013, he took his digi-cloth in a decidedly more ladylike direction.

When we dropped by his press appointments to see the collection up-close-and-personal last week, Deacon pointed to pioneer British kink-mag Atom Age as a key source of inspiration for the season.

Pre-Fall 2013 finds Derek Lam continuing his exploration of Britain's youth-fueled, mid-century cool. He's been injecting this mod energy into the collection for several seasons and it's beginning to truly gel as an integral part of his brand's current aesthetic.

For his Pre-Fall 2013 Christian Dior collection, Raf Simons gave us a peek into the inspired laboratory that is his creative process.

For Pre-Fall 2013, Louis Vuitton continued the 60s-inspired, mod, and ultra leggy theme first explored in the label's Spring 2013 collection.

Alber Elbaz's Lanvin is one of opulent femininity and cinematic drama; Pre-Fall 2013 played to his strong suits as his penchant for the unapologetically "fancy" heard the call of the wild. This meant that those signature cocktail frocks were put on a short hiatus--no doubt they'll be back for Fall--in order to let some seriously glamorous sportswear take center stage.

Few may recall, but back in the day, Stella McCartney's eponymous debut collection featured t-shirts emblazoned with the word "Bristols" (British slang for...well, here see for yourself). Fast forward to today, and the mother of four has moved on to decidedly more polished fare, as evidenced by the assortment she presented for Pre-Fall 2013.

Riccardo Tisci proved, yet again, why he's a consistent trendsetter with his directional and diverse Pre-Fall 2013 collection.

With a seismic change of guard from Nicolas Ghesquière to Alexander Wang having just occurred, an entire industry's eyes are craned on Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2013.

Phoebe Philo's evolution of luxurious simplicity continued at Céline for Pre-Fall 2013.

Opening Ceremony's cool cred is undeniable; this once, small-time operation has blossomed into an international taste-making force with which to be r

Though intended to land in stores for late July-—as we make our way through December Gucci's Pre-Fall 2013 collection feels so right for right now.

Thakoon Panichgul's Pre-Fall 2013 served up a smorgasbord: Imagine ordering a light brunch and receiving a seven-course banquet (where to start?). Pendleton blanket-stripes met William Morris florals, in the midst of military austerity dialoguing with kitsch-and-wit.

For Pre-Fall 2013, Bottega Veneta's Tomas Maier went in a decidedly more minimal direction than his vintage-inspired Spring 2013 collection, though he maintained the same notes of femininity and elegance.

We've noticed a few trends from the spring 2013 Paris collections making their way into the new pre-fall collections--and this season, even trend-resistant Scott Sternberg was not immune to the power of le Smoking.

For Pre-Fall 2013, Prabal Gurung took a deep dive into the digital ocean, exploring that fascinatingly synthetic 90s-inspired aesthetic, which was so recently buzzed about during "Seapunkgate".

For Pre-Fall 2013, Wang got rid of the teenage angst we sometimes see in his collections--but he still maintained plenty of edge.

Years ago, at the height of his industry acclaim, Narciso Rodriguez was heralded as a master architect of construction, and the ultimate designer of minimalist chic. Fast forward to today and Rodriguez finds himself in new and less defined territory.

The Proenza boys have gone even more graphic than usual for Pre-Fall 2013, playing with high impact black/white contrasts and painterly lines.

For his Pre-Fall 2013 collection, Jason Wu channeled the work of the late illustrator/photographer/boy-about-town Antonio Lopez whose portraits of style icons like Jerry Hall, Grace Jones and Pat Cleveland captured the hedonistic, glamorous vibe of New York's elite in the 1970s and 80s.

Unlike many NYC designers, Oscar de la Renta knows that his consumer base is well over the age of 18--and his designs cater as much (if not more) to the mature, luxury customer as they do to the hip PYT.