FashionEtc.com April 27th, 2024

It may still be hard to wrap your head around the fact that Olivier Theyskens, the Belgian designer known for his gorgeous but far-from-commercial offerings at Nina Ricci and Rochas, is now at the head of Theory—a brand formerly best-known for its basic workwear.

But looking at Theory’s Pre-Fall collection, those two sides come together incredibly seamlessly. Instead of your basic white button-down (though there are those, too), blouses came in silk in some abstract prints, some geometric prints. The basic black blazer is sharp and white, with narrow sleeves and lapels that are meant to lie inward instead of folding out. And those most basic of work-worthy shift dresses are now in gorgeous buttery leather.

Can Doo-Ri Chung do wrong? No, she can't. Her Doo.Ri Pre-Fall 2012 collection was a line that any girl I know would love to wear. Quite the feat, but that's probably why the designer is on such an uptick. (Her Macy's collaboration debuts February 15.)

While orange has officially been deemed the hottest hue (we've definitely seen a tangerine takeover for a few seasons now), green will no doubt be its successor. The Doo.Ri collection was filled with pops of emerald in an otherwise muted palette. And a few fun prints, including what I call Fruity Pebbles, offered welcome splashes of color.

For pre-fall, the designer is moving away from the draping she became famous for, and is instead proving her ability to play with textures: A black pleated dress with a laser-cut neckline and hem and a black skirt were two standouts for me. The cuts reminded me of the city at night—romantic in a way, don't you think?

There's a reason why Jason Wu is so successful at what he does. He cuts clothes for women, not just boyish figures. (Though he cuts for those as well.) His pre-fall collection—inspired by the Maharajah of India—is full of beautiful colors and hand-embroidery. It is, in a word, stunning. But do we expect anything less of Jason Wu?

Pre-fall is always more straight forward and less editorial than fall or spring runway collections. But it also tends to be more wearable. In Wu's case, this means a slew of pencil skirts—and you know how I feel about those. Every woman needs a pencil in as many colors and fabrications as possible. They're flattering, they're sexy, and you can wear them to work and to post-work drinks. Wu has skirts in buttery leather, jersey, green with blue piping, a mix of patterns—you get the idea. I was obviously in heaven.

Gone are the days when jeans were blue. After the Crayola shades of the summer and this season’s array of burgundy and mustard denim, I may never look back—which is why Current/Elliott’s spring offerings are just so fabulous.

Celebs galore have recently swooned over the brand’s leopard-print skinnies, but for spring, I'm predicting polka dots will be the must-have. In classic blue with bleached-out spots (crafty types, we smell a DIY!), this pair may be just the thing to perk up my denim wardrobe.