erdem pre-fall 2012
(images via style)
if i were going to be completely honest, i’d tell you that there are things about the pre-collections that can be a bit of a bore. with resort, it’s generally that the pieces are delivered in december or january, yet sunnier than anything we see for spring, largely because the fashionies still have the conception that it’s 1924 and we any of us who like good clothes spend these month on the riviera, or perhaps shimmying on a beach somewhere in the west indies, rather than slaving away at a desk all the while watching freezing rain pound away at our thin city windows. and the pre-fall season, which we’ve come upon now, tends to be just as bad in its own way, but perhaps most because while these are actually technically summer collections, instead we generally get a lot of furs, confusion, and maybe a few evening gowns as a not-so-subtle reminder to the actresses readying themselves for awards season that each designer’s atelier is but a phone call away.
maybe that’s why erdem had such a good pre-fall 2012 collection. in lieu of so much of the ridiculousness, this was largely a range (with, of course, a few exceptions for later) appropriate for wearing upon delivery, if a little skewed in colour scheme towards the indian summer (which probably no one would mind anyway, given that most spring collections don’t much touch on that subject). as fashionologie pointed out, designer “Erdem Moralioglu infused his signature prim-and-proper silhouettes with an eye-popping mix of tangerine, citron, deep blue, and blood orange — just the thing for the girl who likes her sweater sets with a side of boldness. Prints and lace — two more Erdem classics — were used strategically and to great effect: fiery florals sprinkled the hem of a full-pleated skirt or the bodice of a slim-lined shift, and dainty lace added graphic intrigue in the form of applique on trenches and sweaters.”
and style wrote that “Erdem Moralioglu uses words like politeness and control to define his design signature, but the rhythm of his collections also points to an obvious, almost violent call and response. Where Spring was all cool, controlled blue, Erdem’s new pre-collection was distinguished by volcanic splashes of orange. True, the signature politeness was there in a pleated, strapless dress with a boned bodice—its ideal accessories a dry martini and a little light jazz on the hi-fi—or the black lace twinset, or the dress that masterfully matched a high-waisted pencil skirt to a draped, three-quarter sleeve blouse (that combination of structure and drape is a new fascination for the designer). But tucked away on Erdem’s mood board were some small photos of Jeanne Moreau, the French actress whose combination of twinsetted bourgeois decorum and knife-in-the-back wantonness electrified uptight audiences back in the days of black-and-white. Those images were a more meaningful signpost to the essence of the collection.”
and between pointing out that there was something slightly sinister in those florals, vogue added that “Moralioglu has developed his highly recognizable language of style—the fitted knee-length sheath dress, the neat trench, the use of print, embroidery, and lace…he’s finessing details—like raising and sculpting the waistline more—and adding more separates, like the knits and fan-pleated skirts. ‘I think at this stage of the year it’s more about pieces you can add and subtract, dress up or dress down.’ And he’s shaking off the idea that his clothes are for debutantes. ‘That’s why I wanted to shoot on Kirsty [Hume], and last season with Guinevere van Seenus—because it’s about a woman.’ He’s right: Erdem is most popular with what might be mentally labeled the International Editors and First Ladies Club—professionals with high-visibility jobs who need to dress pretty formally at all times in public, on the off chance that they might be thrown in the way of cameras while going about their daily business.” indeed, that leaves us plenty to be pleased about, no?
