Pre-seasons, as the term suggests, have a sort of in-between existence. Delivered as one time of year segues into the next, they need to meet a lot of needs. In this case, we’re looking at clothes for the months when the days are the longest, at least in the northern hemisphere. And, so, for pre-fall 2025, designers have given us easy-breezy scarf dresses and shorts of every length, and they’ve rethought tweed for warm temperatures. Back in rotation, and in sharper focus, are slim pencil skirts, and to pair with them, a legion of not-your-grandmother’s cropped cardigan jackets. Though skirts and dresses with cascades of flamenco-like ruffles and side drapes are also trending. Adding some stardust to wardrobes are looks gilded in gold (a trend we’ve recently seen on the red carpet) and others that sparkle with crystals.
The sense of play that animated some of the spring shows is present for pre-fall in creature prints, and, taking this idea into three dimensions, animal shaped accessories. Bags-wise, the reticule, which dates to the 18th century, has been modernized for the 21st century in the form of drawstring pouches, many of them embroidered. Also soft and unconstructed are the rave looks that have danced back into view. Centering the season, and perhaps offering a glimpse of what is to come, are dramatic silhouettes. These include soft poufs and angular trapeze shapes. In many cases you can’t tell whether the material used is nylon or taffeta, and this blurring of the line between functionality and form is an interesting thread to follow.
A Strong Line
Instagram favors a close-up (people need to be able to read those logos, after all), but for pre-fall designers are taking a longer view. The result is a focus on dramatic silhouettes—be that exaggerated (MM6 Maison Margiela), poufed (Rachel Comey), or A-lined (Victoria Beckham). The materials that are supporting these shapes include dense wool and crisp taffeta.
Side Hustle
A good percentage of pre-fall fashion is designed to be left, or right, of center, in a very literal way. This is achieved through side slits, some festooned with flamenco ruffles (Adam Lippes), twisting (Monse), and bias cutting (Courrèges).
The Reticule Returns
Adding charm to the season are drawstring pouches. These 21st-century iterations of the reticule—featuring intricate embellishments and fringe at Valentino and Etro—walk a line between Victoriana and Boho.
Rave On
With Balenciaga and The Row leading the way, rave style is being reconsidered for pre-fall. Their versions are more impressionistic than literal, focusing on improvised looks created by combining soft, layered, and roomy separates in not-quite-random ways. Leave it to Moschino to provide the requisite smiley face.
Sharpen Your Pencils
The pencil skirt, prevalent in the resort 2024 collections, is back and in sharper focus for pre-fall 2025. Designers are emphasizing its long, slim line by showing it with tucked, or cropped, tops.
Foulards Rush In
The supple silk foulard has been reworked into light-as-air summer dresses for pre-fall, some, expanding on the theme, with handkerchief hems.
The Gilded Age
There’s a reason we’re seeing so many metallics on the red carpets and in the pre-fall collections—gold has a winning presence. If you’re not ready for full-on shine, lamé knits and metallic-shot jacquards offer another way to work the trend.
Summer Tweed
In an unexpected twist, designers gave us plaid for spring 2025. Continuing this trend of textile surprises, pre-fall is full of what Ganni’s Ditte Reffstrup dubbed “summer tweed.”
The Long and Shorts of It
Shorts are where it’s at for pre-fall, even if there’s a lack of consensus regarding shape. You can wear them over-the-knee or at cut-off length, sporty or sophisticated, and almost everything in between.
Short Takes
There’s no denying a conservative streak in contemporary American culture (trad wives are a TikTok trend, after all). The buttoned-up element of pre-fall is represented by the cropped cardigan jacket, but its fresh proportion gives this classic a new look, and, one hopes, similarly enlightened perspectives.
Crystal Visions
Crystal embellishments add an element of lavishness to the pre-fall collections, which on the main, are fairly tame. Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing has created a musical dress made of the kind of clear crystal drops that festoon chandeliers, while Erdem Moralioglu and others favored crystals cut diamanté effects.
Somewhere in the Middle
The impact of Christian Dior’s New Look, which defined post-war fashion, has never completely waned. In fact it’s alive and kicking in the pre-fall collections where the waist is drawn in. If it’s not emphasized with a belt, the hourglass shape is created through sculptural pattern-making.
Zootopia
Reminding us that not all animal prints depict the spotted fur of large cats like leopards and cheetahs are this season’s delightful novelties, including pugs at Valentino and chicks at Diesel. Animal-shaped bags and bag charms take the trend from 2- to 3-D.
