pre-fall 2013 | carven.

The rancid, delirium-inducing burden of exams has finally been lifted (for now), and I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to drift aimlessly from blog to blog and catch up on all that I've missed - namely this monstrosity of a success that is Carven Pre-Fall 2013. 

Firstly, I've always kind of had a crush on the whole concept of Pre-Fall. While it can be perceived as an aspirational attempt by the modern fashion industry to suck even more money out of consumers' pockets in the form of a 'not-really-season' sandwiched between S/S and F/W, I actually think it's a beautiful concept that is somewhat relieved of the impending expectations that Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collections find themselves buried under year after year. Everyone is now so accustomed to holding their breath during the two main seasons because we all expect to be absolutely blown away; I don't know about you, but I certainly didn't see the whole "let's put a train on the runway" thing coming (cough Marc Jacobs). Not that that's a bad thing of course - we all like to be surprised and thrilled during fashion week, but sometimes I think the large-scale theatrics and superfluous stunts can end up taking away from the fashion itself. It suddenly becomes a question of "what crazy shit can we do on the runway THIS time round?" as opposed to "what kind of aesthetic, era, emotion or concept can we evoke and be inspired by this season?"

And that's why I love Pre-Fall. There are no loco expectations of trains and oversized crystals adorning the runways; heck, it's not a competition of which fashion house can drive an A380 down their runway first - it's just about the clothes. Pre-Fall collections are smaller and much more focused, with a refined aesthetic and an almost nonchalant vibe, in the case of most of the collections I've browsed. They tend to have a ready-to-wear flair to them which I absolutely adore, because that way, the clothes are automatically brought one step closer to you.

 Okay - onto Carven.

 I don't know how a collection can embody youthful sportiness and elegant sophistication at the same time while exuding silhouettes from both the past and the present, but Guillaume Henry clearly has that downpacked. The eccentric, well-selected colors have an ornate, historical feel to them - terracotta parkas, muted blue lace sheaths, speckled vermillion trenchcoats and prussian-blue everything is evidently all that's needed to make for an absolutely dashing Pre-Fall collection. It's all very young and nonchalant, yet it's clothing that seems self-assured of its sophistication. The smooth leather separates were a refreshing reincarnation of the raging trend which dominated the runways over the last few years, and it reminded me why equestrian-inspired clothing has such a universal appeal. There's a great emphasis on visually manipulating the neck too (a good way to move on from the Fall 2012 shoulder-obsession!), be it with high collars, fur, or simply lots of volume. The verdict? Ah-mazing.

"She likes to collage textures, prints and color," Guillaume Henry says of his muse. Yep, sounds about right.

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