Stella McCartney Pre-Fall - Simplistic and Polite Dressing

Stella's pre-fall collection was pretty unsurprising but still had a lot to offer a woman slowly making her transition to fall weather. The pieces for the most part are extremely wearable and have added longevity to them. Simple yet body flattering - three-quarter length dress, easy and structured coats, subtle (yet very 'Stella') geometric prints, and basic tailored combinations were all present. The seasons bottled greens, bordeaux reds, simple camels, and rustic oranges were ever apparent in this collection. Love the clothes paired with simple neutral pumps.

Diane von Furstenberg Pre-Fall 2011 - Colorful Working Girl

Diane's main focus for her pre-fall, more than it has ever been, is easy and trendy dressing for the working girl. Going to work everyday should always start off in excitement based solely on the outfit one choose before stepping out the door. Or am I the only one who looks forward to picking out my work outfit? Like or not, a woman's lifestyle changes the second she steps into the corporate world. DVF offers an array of appropriate dresses, knee-length skirts, and lush blouses, and cozy sweaters in colors or burnt orange, red, pink, green, and blue. The main color being that bottle green we keep seeing pop up on the season's dresses, blouses, and skirts.

Chanel Pre-Fall 2011 - Empress Tendencies

When the first model stepped out onto the runway at Chanel's Pre-Fall show with her subtle priestess crown, gold adorned buttons, "your majesty" chain necklaces, and cinderlla leopard print slippers - one could just tell how magical this collection would be. It certainly marked to be one of my favorite Chanel collections by far, for Karl decided to stear clear from dark and edgy to creating something a little bit more soft and feminine yet still powerful.

The key word here is "jewel" - jewel tones and actual jewels is the main trend here for this  modern day empress collection. The first look was one of my favorite looks - I loved the all black look - yet the gold accents and animal print slippers lightened up the look. Hints of amethyst, deep emeralds, and exquisite azurites were ever present in pants, jackets, and dresses.

Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2011 - Femme Fatale

Balenciaga's most recent collection in pre-fall world carries on the line's usual utilitarian edge in street dressing. However, there is a hint of subtle femininity that is also suggestive and dangerous if you will. "Femme fatale" is a french term that refers to a mysterious and seductive woman - with many looks portraying such relevancy to this notion.

Bold prints that correspond with the wallpaper in the background, cool metallics that stand out against black, reds that pop uncharacteristically, and razor-sharp mary-jane heels that will go with everything...With Balenciaga's new collection, there are multiple ways you can change around the way you dress this early fall season.

Akris Pre-Fall 2011 - Making Big Strides for Luxurious Dressing

I am in many ways just figuratively speechless in regards to Akris' recent pre-fall collection. Perhaps it was the luxurious camels and intimate chocolate browns in beautiful leathers, cashmeres, and suede form - that just leaves me anxious to buy (a girl can dream but certainly a $3000 double faced cashmere coat isn't in her budget ....yet). The designer toned it down a tad by giving his customer a reason to buy a casual sweater or trouser for a weekend out.


The leather underpinning is so eloquently paired with this sharp camel hair skirt. The suede booties adds the necessary kick to it.

A soft brown suede jacket is definitely on the wish list for my fall wardrobe...love it back against a crisp conservative shirt.

Stripe sweaters are continuing to be THE chic way to looked relaxed AND chic at the same time.

Plaid suiting? No. But worn separately in your own way - yep!

Ummm...favorite look of the collection. I love a long casual tailored blazer - especially paired with a black leather skinny pant. The red slouchy clutch = divine.

Just a simple dress with a little architectural and almost leopard-like design. Love it with a comparably sharp brown or black blazer.

This outfit is so fresh and young. I love the thought to pair a longer sweater with a party dress - especially on head to toe black.

ADAM Pre-Fall 2011 - Sky High Booties Making the Outfits Pop

These days, I have been becoming more and more attracted to the multi-function dress in either solid colors or subtle prints. Every outfit we see here in ADAM's pre-fall collection is set around a dress. The hems hitting either right above or below the knee - form fitted and cinched at the waist. Leather dresses have become a popular trend this fall and I am a big advocate of utilizing leather in classic and subtle ways. The other noteworthy idea the designer had for fall was his use of artsy grey print dresses paired with basic blazers and boyfriend cardigans. The black and white tweed dress is also a smart investment piece for the early fall season.

Phillip Lim Pre-Fall and Fall 2011 - Modern Streetwear

The key to effective branding in the fashion world is establishing a lifestyle and re-creating each and every season. Phillip Lim's unique designs have experienced decent success. He strives to make an ordinary piece turn into creative chic. Truth be told, his allure is in the details. Let's face it, an over-sized dress can only be seen as fashionable with the right twists in cut and fabric choice.


Fall at Phillip Lim serves to be very functional and loose (if you will). His colors for pre-fall were very soft and comforting. He played around with different layering techniques and accessories choices. For the most part, each look has its own signature casual nature to it. Pairing a loose over-sized tunic with a crew neck cable knit sweater and leather blazer, for an example, is not necessarily work appropriate but is certainly a stylish way to dress this fall. He was one of the few designers to re-introduce camel into his pre-fall collection - something we saw a lot of last fall. I continue to love the classic way a crisp camel jacket brings to an outfit. It is a must have for every woman's wardrobe. The pale pink jacket and skirt suit was also refreshing to see. I love how everything looks so effortless and cool.

The fall runway collection certainly had great idea and thought to it, however it was extremely unfavorable in my eyes. The pieces were way too elaborate and oversized in my opinion. I did however like the use of bright emerald green - a color in common use this season. Loved the gray wool blazers as they were used against winter whites and blacks.









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