Trends for Pre-Fall ’13 point the way forward in practical terms, revealing cleverly styled, solid collections full of reality-based options. Pre-Fall is a top selling season and hangs in stores longer that the main autumn/winter catwalk collections. As a result an increasing number of designers are producing ranges and the number of shows has grown to around 150, spread over a month from December through to mid January.
This Pre-Fall analysis is crucial to forward planning, it will confirm trends and suggest exciting new possibilities and directions for your own collections.

This Paris report absorbs the mood from previous catwalk cities and defines the key trends for S/S ’13 and beyond. Our unique edit of the shows highlights all the exciting developments and new directions. The Japanese influence featured in Japanese Dynamic is proving to be an unstoppable force, providing a minimal look with an edgy vibe. Other trends lean into masculine or feminine territory: in Masc + Femme, we look at the new ways women are embracing masculine styles, and in Neo-Feminine the femininity proves to be both sophisticated and provocative. Abstract Subtract embraces the optimism of the sixties and transports it forward with renewed excitement.

M is for Minimalism this season as Italian designers show us how to redefine the parameters and add impact to the art of reduction. There’s a Japanese edge to styles with angular silhouettes that mimic the line of martial arts costumes and kimonos; examples of exquisite cutting in Future Woman, a sixties revival full of doll-like proportions and in Ethnic Tech styles filled with contemporary pattern and texture.