The pre-fall season is one often referenced by designers as a transitional period of wardrobing built to accompany their customers’ summer travels, day-to-day and officewear, events and, in fact, fall-friendly carry-through layers. Up to now, the season has seen a combination of trends corresponding to slip dressing, pastel hues, modern takes on the polo, updated denim and a minimalist style emerging in tandem from the posh and contemporary markets.

Here, WWD rounds up the ever-expanding contemporary market’s offerings for the pre-fall season.

Vince

In line with economist George Taylor’s hemline index theory, the length of ladies’s skirts and dresses will be indicative of the direction of economic markets. In theory, hemlines rise in times of economic prosperity and elongate when the economy slows.

“I’m feeling a kind of stripped down vibe,” Vince creative director Caroline Belhumeur said, “raising hemlines, not mini but slightly below the knee.” A subtle shift in silhouette, but meaningful, injecting newness into Belhumeur’s more austere offering for the season with cleaner shapes in her monochromatic matching sets, for instance a pleated shirt with zip-up jacket over a textured T-shirt top or bralette. Knits are discreetly tactile, breathable and ideal for a summer outing or over her caramel leather pencil skirt. Color has been in the combo the past few seasons, shown here in a pastel violet sheer slipdress over satin. Sheer details are throughout, like on piping on a skirt, are little winks to a growing trend.

“If you change your hemline. Abruptly your wardrobe adjusts since you look different with a coat on otherwise you look different with a shirt or a sweater,” Belhumeur explained, underscoring how she builds a wardrobe for a client who wants greater than just seasonal trends. “It’s an easy way of doing it for a customer without having to vary all the things.” 

Tanya Taylor

“We actually focused on things feeling very natural and female. I got very inspired to color prints that had interesting color combos,” Tanya Taylor said during a walk-through of her elegant and artful pre-fall collection.

The designer took signature ideas and whipped them up as streamlined, transitional layers to hold through summer into the autumn through a combination of neutral (sand, chalk, olive, deep sea green) and color pop (kiwi, shell pink, vibrant aqua) hues. As an example, knit dresses with latest smocking details, hand-crochet color-pop inserts and soft lettuce edging; versatile linen jackets atop feminine dresses and skirt sets; a sleek color-blocked bias column gown; twisted shirting and chic polka-dot dressing in the shape of a drop-waist dress or whipstitch lace-up top with matching trouser. 

Whether on the lookout for a relaxed yet elevated summer dress or transitional wardrobing (a la scuba-crepe draped dress or cotton boucle twin set), each look offered a refined take to Taylor’s signature femininity.

Lela Rose

“We’re loosely calling it under the ocean as a funny jump-off point, and it actually began as a funny way of coming together,” Lela Rose said of her pre-fall collection, which had a jumping-off point from visiting Coney Island’s iconic Mermaid Parade. The designer loves costume parties and themes, and was inspired to reinterpret the under-the-sea themes right into a playful (but not overtly kitschy) lineup of pretty feminine fashions. 

Other than an lovely open-weave fisherman sweater with dangling fish charms, a soft painterly under-the-sea print (with fish, running water and coral) on sweet dresses, and trenchcoat with fish and striped “fish scale” embroideries, Rose rendered the inspiration calmly. As an example, a crushed plissé blue cocktail dress that mimicked undulating waves; “buried treasure” metallic beaded trousers; oversize blue and turquoise shell buttons on matching monochromatic tailored sets, and breezy sailor striped maxidresses. 

Although an outlier to the general theme, body-hugging knit dresses (a strapless tube dress with file coupe-inspired maxi florals or long-sleeve ivory ribbed number with slim open-stitch sleeve details) served as strong latest ideas for the brand.

LoveShackFancy

“Now we have here summer and pre-fall, which is the primary time we’ve shifted the seasons a bit bit. Summer is our classic traveling free-spirited girl — we had little bits of Capri, Saint-Tropez and Ibiza. We just opened our store in London so I used to be really inspired by those European girls and the jet-set vibe of being fresh off the beach, putting her hair up and throwing on a gown,” LoveShackFancy’s Rebecca Hessel Cohen said during a preview of her latest collections.

Summer exuded the brand’s quintessential feminine vibe with a nod to ‘90s and the 2000s with bias slip dressing (a standout ruffled “candy sparkle” midi dress or lace camisole with maxiskirt), summery knits (including latest Alaïa-inspired jersey bodycon dresses), quintessential lace, floral, ikat and macramé beach-to-event wardrobing and, in fact, flirty party attire (including a standout mermaid-esque netted gown and vintage-inspired minis). 

The ideas nicely translated into pre-fall’s “golden hour,” dusty-toned assortment of Peruvian hand-knit sweaters and little cardigans paired with quite a lot of easy skirts (starting from an airy tulle maxi to sweet ruffled minis), a powerful black crochet pant with matching bra-top and romantic event dresses (a gold metallic lamé pleated gown). Overall, the collections exuded a romantic summer spirit with loads of versatility from day to nighttime.

Derek Lam 10 Crosby

“We were feeling for much a soft or subdued palette,” explained vice chairman of design Shawn Reddy, referencing the movies of French Recent Wave film director Éric Rohmer. “Prints and things just felt like a bit bit simpler, type of this high summer romantic vibe.”

The nostalgic place to begin translated into summery staples like an embroidered white tweed jacket, a large mix of sunshine wash jeans and dreamy floral dresses. Fabrics were airy, like a soft linen shirting seen on a pistachio hued dress with rosette detail. Suiting is loose, like a chambray wide-leg pant and double-breasted blazer with a pointy shoulder, perfect for a summer Friday on the office or a stroll through a park.

Youthful pieces with the pre-styled design twists the brand has imbued in it’s work since its starting, their customer will find loads of pieces so as to add newness from high summer into fall.

Adeam

Tennis anyone? Adeam’s Hanako Maeda mused on the game through the lens of her childhood summers spent within the resorts of Kawaguchiko. American preppy along with her Japanese sensibilities, the hybridization produced a cardigan and pleated dress combo, oxford stripe shirtings layered with sheer striped fabric that became pleated summer dresses.

“Nineties prep is having a comeback with the Japanese youth,” Maeda said at an appointment in her Upper East Side studio. “It’s through the lens of the young Japanese people in like Tokyo and like Harajuku. They do lots of layering and blend and match of various pieces. And lots of the layering and likewise the more like oversize, off-kilter shapes.”

There was a crispness to her work, with interesting takes on the polo juxtaposed with a poplin button down and a grass green cotton dress with shoulder ruffle details or a wrinkle resistant technical fabric asymmetrical plaid skirt/top/jacket number. It was American sporty married to Maeda’s tackle youthful Eastern style.

Cinq à Sept

“We hearkened to the romance and excitement of the Twenties and ‘30s while, in fact, adding a little bit of ‘70s, because that’s my thing. Really attempting to evoke that romantic feeling,” Jane Siskin said of her latest collection for Cinq à Sept. The gathering didn’t overtly lean into one era or the opposite (because it also incorporated moments of ’90s and 2000s nostalgia), but quite touched on references with a festive, feminine and glam spirit.

The clothing embraced the romantic spirit through latest calmly ruffled and ruched vintage floral slip dressing (starting from sweet babydolls to sweeping gowns) in pretty pastels while celebrating Twenties opulence with fun, party-worthy latest embellishments. As an example, tailoring with cascading crystal fringe or jewelry-like crystal trims (as seen on a green three-piece suit) or standout sheer midi skirts and blouses emblazoned with crystal teardrops. Elsewhere, the designer continued to uplift her structured denim assortment with patchwork and corsetry details (best seen on a dark wash minidress) and peppered in on-trend cargo parachute pants to combine along with her girly tops.

Merlette

For the pre-fall season, Brooklyn, Recent York-based Merlette designer Marina Cortbawi looked to Fifties cinema and the contemporary paintings of Swedish artist Mamma Andersson for handcraft and romanticism — two pillars also key to her brand. To capture the gathering with a more cinematic lens toward the “rhythms of every day life with beauty,” Cortbawi worked with filmmaker Carlotta Guerrero and artistic director Roxane Danset.

“There’s lots of textural elements in [Andersson’s] works, in addition to realistic depictions of textiles. We took loads from her in color palette and her Western elements, just like the ikat-inspired landscapes. The opposite inspiration was the film “Giant” with Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean, really specializing in that power of the landscape, the mood, palette of blue sky and Taylor’s character as a muse.”

The gathering calmly riffed on Western elements with ikat-inspired floral prints, debut denim and artisanal belts, chambray layers, hand-done soutache and contrast stitching details and tiered silhouettes derived from diamond patterned hand-smocking across her airy fashions while embracing the landscape’s palette with terracotta, off-white, chalk, khaki, Berber blue and deep pink hues. As all the time, the designer found latest ways to tweak her thoughtful signature blouses and dresses with shirred paneling, pintucks and pleats, subtle asymmetrical neck and hemlines and more cinched waists while upping the ante in knitwear with the introduction of lightweight striped knit midi skirts and jumpers.

L’Agence

The summer season for L’Agence is all about versatility.

“There’s a reason for all the things, and what we’ve found is that we all know her higher than her best friend, and more importantly, that we dress her for each occasion. From the minute you get up until you fall asleep, there’s a story,” fashion director Tara Rudes Dan said of the brand’s latest collection. “Straight away is the time to have a good time in denim. Where we’ve built the client is, she’s on the lookout for all the novelty,” she added of the expanded assortment, which included Barbie pink styles, coated denim, latest utility styles and more.

There’s wasn’t one specific narrative or theme, but quite a wide selection of easy-to-wear, elevated wardrobing that bridged casual day and officewear (loads of latest denim with flattering camisoles and bestselling blouses; updated colourful suiting) and a combination of travel- and party-minded attire (starting from quite a lot of slipdresses to shimmering jackets) with playful footwear to match.

Kate Spade Recent York

Freshly minted creative directors Tom Mora and Jennifer Lyu have found their footing at Kate Spade Recent York. Taking the reins in spring, the duo have firmly found their voice channeling the elegance mixed with playful kitch the brand is understood for.

Their pre-fall is decidedly summer, with embellished lemons on a white T-shirt, paired with a lemon print A-line skirt. Wide navy strips, colourful floral prints — American summer staples — were seen on dresses and separates, like an off the shoulder floral print top with puff sleeves styled with a high-waisted striped wide-leg pant, the playfulness was on full display, but the actual fun got here from the accessories like shell shaped bags, stacked colourful bangles and printed bucket hats.

The duo have leaned into the charm and wit with the the unexpected pairing in styling and conversation-starting novelty accessories — fun, easily approachable pieces for summer’s most memorable occasions.

Aknvas

Christian Juul Nielsen’s Aknvas brand is growing, doing well at wholesale and landing on celebrities like Ariana Grande. Being in the combo at retail means his nascent brand now has pre-collection baked in as a part of his deliveries. So, while that is his first pre-fall collection, Nielsen is delivering his trademark Scandinavian design with a firm summer bent. “I considered what do you wear when it’s super hot in the town and you can not wear anything. You simply wish to wear thin shirts,” he said of his mood. Thinner, breathable fabrications were the lynchpin to his work, like his tiered ruffle dress in neon, a mode he has created before but here, it’s light and airy.

His work is super feminine, with sporty details and unexpected shapes, like a vegan leather black short dress with ruffle hem fused with a white T-shirt tank. Skin is in with crop top blazers paired with a wide-leg pant for a summer suit, a press release maker but not for the office. Knits are lighter too, but still with the nubby volume he has channeled in seasons past. Need a straightforward summer tote? His comes with ruffles and twine cascading down, a crafty tackle the seasonless handbag staple.

Hervé Léger

Inspired by a visit to Hudson’s Dia Beacon contemporary art museum to see the large-scale architectural works of Richard Serra, creative director Christian Juul Nielsen injected his latest collection for Hervé Léger with intriguing dimension through organic lines and latest fabric combos.

“I believed there was something interesting about these feminine organic curves that swirl across the body and are strategically placed to emphasise the feminine shape,” he said of the elevated lineup, which incorporated a dense technical half milano, flat knit with silk georgette in the shape of a tank dress in lieu of the brand’s signature bandage look. There was also a standout multilayered three-piece asymmetric black look that played to the inspiration with soft volumes.

Nielsen also upped the ante by mixing latest fabrications into the lineup. “I feel that’s where there’s space for the brand to grow,” he explained. “To do it dramatically feels a bit pointless, it’s more organic for me to little by little add more fabrics into the gathering. We began last season with just a few chiffon skirts, and now this season, we have now a fitted compact knit that we drape taffeta around with a couture vibe. The identical with the silk chiffon, which is draped across the hips,” he said of two standout blush pink minidresses. Elsewhere, the designer’s knits (each dresses and matching sets) boasted knitted mesh textures, curved cutouts, swirled motifs and sheer technical nylon panels with modern, graphic appeal.

A.L.C.

Brilliant, sensual and beachy. If that’s your summer spirit, A.L.C. has it in spades. Inspired by Positano, Italy, the designer Andrea Lieberman leaned in with vacation focused unfussy warm weather staples with crochet dresses, crop tops and white denim.

Lieberman’s relaxed Los Angeles DNA is true in step for a summer getaway with easy takes on evening dresses with a bandeau top with side cutout and full skirt, a crochet detail prairie dress in salmon or a playful tackle mens sky blue shirting, with a short-sleeve button down, cropped with an elastic detail.

Swim is a latest category for the brand and has grown significantly, with the seasonal prints ending up on rash guards, maillots and more. Throw all of it in one in all her oversize raffia bags and your summer vacation in Europe wardrobe is sorted.