With about 100 women's and men's designs, this pre-fall season is the smallest we've covered on Fashion Runway in nearly a decade. Previously, our pre-fall coverage took our critics all over the world. With Omicron increasing this year, some firms are attempting to make the best of a bad situation, while others are taking the season off. "Sometimes, reckless intransigence is not as smart, wise, or bold as pausing and thinking," observed the independent Milan designer.

Even in the best of circumstances, pre-fall or Autumn collection has typically been a stop-gap season, more concerned with selling than with fresh ideas. However, after two years of the pandemic, the concept of selling apparel has become abstract. What do shoppers want or even need at this point? The ideas presented here concentrate around the concept of helpful, uncomplicated beauty. The season's primary storylines are warm textures, sunshine colours, and lots of seductive, essential black apparel, with a bit of kitsch and fun flowing in via the prolonged Y2K revival—now for the boys!—and a renewed interest in deconstructed denim and weird layering.

If history is any guide, these clothing will form the foundation of our spring and summer wardrobes, complemented by the sure-to-be large, wacky, and unconventional concepts on the autumn 2022 catwalks next month.

Puff And Fluff Are Optional.

Pre-fall is all about fuzzy and fluffy textures. Jil Sander and Proenza Schouler have used them in pants and slip dresses, while Christopher John Rogers and Gucci have created show-stopping dresses and jackets that expand out beyond three dimensions.

Try The Rainbow

Colour theorists have demonstrated that wearing a colourful garment can truly improve your mood. While Moschino and Christopher John Rogers will always deliver the colour, Tory Burch is also getting in on the act with a sunny madras that will take your vibrations to a new level.

Tweed

For pre-fall, magnificent tweed jackets coupled with loose skirts or leather trousers have replaced the two-piece suits we've seen recently. Consider it the working woman's hoodie—as snug as a sweater but refined enough for a trip to Paris.

A tangled appearance for Zoom or Parties

In 2020, portrait necklaces and collarbone detailing were popular—any feature visible on a Zoom call was vital. With knotted and draped silhouettes, designers like Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen of The Row and Maria Cornejo are discovering twisted new ways to bring volume and elegance into a video call frame (and real life!)

Put your faith in Plaid.

Death, taxes, and the timeless charm of plaid are all certainties. Pre-fall designs from Dior, Roberto Cavalli, and Jil Sander feature a slew of punk, prep, and refined plaid prints that can be worn in a variety of ways.

And exactly like that...

The Ball Skirt Is Back

It's difficult to picture black tie events returning, especially with the Grammy Awards on indefinite hiatus, but once the red carpet is rolled out again, expect to see full-skirted designs that evoke '50s elegance, like these looks from Erdem, Prabal Gurung, and Oscar de la Renta.

Jacket, shirt, skirt, and pants... Wear them all at the same time!

Men's skirts? That's ancient news. The new look is less about the skirt and more about what you pair it with. For a longline silhouette with a whimsical flair, Louis Vuitton, Balmain, Roberto Cavalli, and Thom Browne have all layered up four—or more—garments into their menswear designs.

Miniskirts And Shorts Are Still Popular.

The short, short, short skirts of the Autumn collection 2022 runways aren't going away anytime soon; instead, micro shorts and minidresses from Dior, Givenchy, Gucci, and Etro will join them in stores.

 

A Novel Type of Book Bag

The reappearance of the book bag—not a backpack, but a bag meant expressly for transporting printed matter—is another surprise from the pre-fall season. Olivier Rousteing ventured to address the media's most feared question—"Do you still purchase magazines?"—on a zine-shaped tote at Balmain, while Kim Jones at Dior Men produced old-fashioned leather book belts. It's time to put down the Kindle and support your neighbourhood bookshop or magazine business.