Mid-July may be everyone’s favourite time of year, but it’s a strange old time in the fashion world. You’d think we’d be right in the middle of exploring summer collections, but in fact they’ve already been discounted and they’re more or less sold out.
Perhaps you’ve only just started limbering up for a pre-holiday spree, planning to pick up the tasselled sundresses and slider sandals you’ve been admiring in the press for weeks. Then you discover that your chosen kaftan is in stock only at a single branch in Wolverhampton, and then only in a size 4. It’s a cruel disappointment. In the real world we’ve only just dug the ice-lolly mould out of the back of a cupboard and painted our toenails, but fashion has rather exhausted itself already, like an overexcited child in the first half-hour of a birthday party.
Fear not, because there is very good news on this front. Although the summer collections are all but done and dusted, exciting new clothes have rushed in to take their place — and among them are pieces that will be as good for October as they are for now.
The keyword here is “pre-fall”. If you’re not familiar with the term, it may initially seem like a nonsense on two fronts: first, because in this country we call it autumn, thank you very much, and second, because the season before autumn is summer.
There is no secret additional season in the middle, or so we thought until the fashion industry invented one. But pre-fall is a retail term, and while it used to be mentioned only behind the scenes, increasingly it’s being (bafflingly) dropped into marketing emails to shoppers. If these mentions leave you none the wiser, take comfort from the fact that those of us in the industry find it confusing too.
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Pre-fall describes a batch of clothing that bridges summer and autumn, and is in shops now — it arrives between April and late July. Even if you didn’t know its name, you’ve almost certainly enjoyed shopping from this selection in the past. It can make for an easier, more satisfying experience than other seasons, because it tends to be what the industry terms “more commercial’’.
This means that for pre-fall, brands eschew some of the trickier “statement’’ pieces in favour of the more widely wearable; these clothes can also, at the designer end of the market, be less expensive than the main collections. (The rationale behind this is still mysterious to me; if I get to the bottom of it, I’ll let you know.)
The pieces you’ll find in the shops now run the range from the still-summery (sandals and dresses) to the autumn-ready (fine knits, boots and light coats). If you’re a real hawk-eyed trend shopper, you can also get a head start on the fashions of next season, which are already emerging.
It might pay to make any big autumn purchases now, before the best bits sell out. Matchesfashion.com reports that a double-breasted houndstooth coat, £895 by Joseph, for example, sold well as soon as it hit the site, even though coats aren’t getting much wear at the moment.
So yes, think outerwear. It might seem counterintuitive if you’re in a part of the country that is slathered in suntan lotion, but let’s be realistic, this won’t last. Sooner than you think, you’ll need something lightweight to see in the autumn, and there are plenty of options already. I love Whistles’ navy kimono jacket (£145, whistles.com) but Uterque’s wildly flashy metallic-leather jacket (£245, uterque.com) is also appealing. With a fantasy budget I’d buy Etro’s full-length, silk-blend coat (£1,920, brownsfashion.com), which is reversible (floral jacquard on one side, black and pink on the other).
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Now is a good time to look for pieces that can handle hot and cool weather: the dress that can later be worn over a T-shirt or paired with warm tights; the jacket that will be great for evenings now, and mornings in October.
“Make the big purchases now, before the best bits sell out
Really, pre-fall shopping is about calculating the pieces that can be layered: shirting is perfect for this, and there are plenty of examples in the present collections, such as Baukjen’s ruffle-sleeved Lettie shirt (£99, baukjen.com). The British brand Me+Em offers a selection of “layering shirts’’, all for under £100, many of which have pretty collar details (frills, broderie, Peter Pan styles) to peek out over a jumper.
Long-sleeved floral dresses, one of this year’s biggest trends, aren’t going anywhere as we head into the autumn. Numerous pre-fall collections, from the Russian designer Vilshenko at the high end to Zara on the high street, include versions that would look fab with bare legs, but equally good with knee-high boots or even over trousers — a look that, unless we’re very unlucky with the weather, should be warm enough to be in circulation for months.
While none of us may fully understand why summer can’t just be summer and autumn can’t just be autumn, what these arrivals boil down to is an opportunity to do some of the savviest shopping of the year.
If you’re all shopped out for now, there’s no panic-buying required, because pre-fall collections also tend to be more amply stocked and hang around in stores for longer. “We don’t tend to see markdown until Christmas time, when pre-fall enters sale alongside the main collections,” explains Ida Petersson, the buying director at Browns.
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Of course, this is bad news if you’re hoping for discounts — but it’s a relief to enter a fashion season that gives us all time to catch our breath.
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