With New Life Breathed into Timeless Classics – Glamorous Animal Prints, Iconic Tartan and Shimmery Metallics – Pre-Fall 2022 Morphed into Profoundly Inspired, Robust Taster Capsule Collections.

Image Credit Designers Featured and Vogue

Pythons and much gilt – at Gucci

The Pre-Fall 2022 Collections have given us much food for thought. They’re the perfect eclectic mix of all things inspired and forward-looking, of classic and avant-garde and most of all, they present us with the perfect capsule collections to dream of for our holiday excursions. These pieces that will hit the stores in early summer let our imagination run wild, they invite us to muse over our own wardrobes and, more to the point, over what to ADD to those wardrobes!

Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Proenza Schouler, Christian Dior and Christian Siriano most certainly have definite designs on your holidays! We’ve been particularly struck by a few classic trends and hand-picked some of the best examples from these legendary brands. Tartan and animal prints were exceptionally striking this season, as was black & white as a combination, red as an accent colour, fluffy tulle and marabou as a softer option in candy-inspired colours as well as sculptural metallic showstopper pieces.

Without further ado, immerse yourself in these delectable offerings!

Gold chainmail reminiscent of 80s Versace – at Roberto Cavalli

Here’s to the Heath, the Hill and the Heather, the Bonnet, the Plaid, the Kilt and the Feather! Tartan and Animal Prints Fuse Effortlessly.

Always in vogue, always inspirational and never far from the drawing boards of the trendsetting designers, tartan and plaid have become somewhat of a wild card for this season’s Pre-Fall collections, which boasted their fair share of tartan, often paired with animal prints – a classic combination. Red-based tartan (this season’ Roberto Cavalli), and yellow-and-black tartan (this season’s Christian Dior) are testimony that tartan is not just Vivienne Westwood and Yohji Yamamoto domain! This season many designers also paid tribute to that eternal classic, animal prints, with a great many pieces decidedly of feline origin and inspiration. Meow to that!

For Pre-Fall 2022 Roberto Cavalli, Fausto Puglisi was clearly continuing the passion of his predecessor with a passion for all things animal-like. Roberto Cavalli, a brand synonymous with the art of ingenious animal prints in every guise, found inspiration in the Scottish Highlands this season and wowed with a striking collection of Royal Stewart tartan mixed with golden leopard, creamy python, khaki cobra and brassy zebra patterns and prints. Glitzy gold accessories, micro tiered miniskirts, doc martin-esque boots and pointy stiletto footwear were all part of a portfolio of pieces that were reminiscent of the Eighties in their glam luxe. The modest mid-calf dresses and skirts make this collection very wearable, particularly when transitioning from day to evening. Make no mistake, the characteristic sizzling quality is everywhere to be seen in this eclectic collection of pieces, the glamorous chainmail tops over the traditional tartan kilts are a brilliant case in point.

Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director at Christian Dior, made a huge tartan splash for Pre-Fall 2022, with knits, kilts, shorts, skirts, shirts, jackets and bags constructed from this definitive and quintessential staple that designers turn to more often than not. Punk-like tartan, cheeky school uniform-like ensembles and a good dose of leopard spots had a distinctively glamorous and sharp twist, with pieces oozing a contemporary and rebellious spirit throughout.

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler’s versions of animal prints were sharp, modern and suitably paired with crisp white shirts and matching bags. Coats, jackets, skirts, dresses and bags all got the animal print treatment and realms of super glamourous ostrich feathers continued the exotic animal theme. Silhouettes throughout were exceedingly feminine, with narrower tailoring and ensembles more body-hugging than seen in the brand’s pre-lockdown collections.

Alessandro Michele of Gucci’s almost cinematic take on Pre-Fall 2022 saw seductive snakeskin touches, most notably in their shoe wear – colourful ensembles often ended in a pair of snakeskin boots or loafers. Shaggy layers of fur and soft maribou feathers continued the animal theme. One of the most striking of Gucci’s offerings was an unforgettable winding gold embroidered sequin snake that slithered its way around a model’s body, legs and arms, to fabulous effect.

Staud’s Sarah Staudinger who was evidently inspired by exotic St.-Tropez in summer when conceiving of the Pre-Fall 2022 collection, opted for a complete sequin leopard to embellish the front of a black mini dress, and her sexy, strappy leopard shift dress with its huge slit is perfectly cool, temperature-wise, on a warm day but at the same time sizzlingly, scorchingly hot! These pieces will get you on the plane, straight to the beach and off to dinner by candlelight – the perfect capsule collection that literally covers all bases effortlessly.

A flair miniskirt works wonderfully well with red tartan – at Roberto Cavalli

Black and yellow tartan knitwear over a tartan shirt – at Christian Dior

A modest floor-length kilt has a school-girl feel to it – at Christian Dior

A cheeky mini kilt in black and white tartan – at Christian Dior

Tartan culottes, two-tone kitten heels and a fuzzy jumper – at Christian Dior

A tartan poncho and sturdy ‘school’ shoes – at Christian Dior

Tartan amplify the theme – at Christian Dior

An effortless symphony of python, leopard and tartan – Roberto Cavalli

Tartan rules supreme! – at Roberto Cavalli

A modern take on the classic kilt and cardigan: tartan, plaid, faux fur and doc martin-esque footwear – at Roberto Cavalli

Highlander! – at Roberto Cavalli

Panthera Pardus gets the tartan touch – at Roberto Cavalli

Glamour overdose – at Roberto Cavalli

When punk and luxe glam combine to create an unrivalled fashion moment – at Roberto Cavalli

Leopard in short and long – at Roberto Cavalli

Sexy molten gold zebra – at Roberto Cavalli

Wild At Heart – at Roberto Cavalli

Sizzling snake head to toe – at Roberto Cavalli

Green python – at Roberto Cavalli

Zebra-inspired black & white – at Proenza Schouler

Sculptural sleeves and a leopard skirt that cinches the waist – at Proenza Schouler

A strappy leopard dress over ground-grazing stovepipes – at Proenza Schouler

Sculptural overly long sleeves peek out from a striking leopard coat – at Proenza Schouler

Glamorous 70s-inspired boots and a fabulously theatrical ensemble – at Gucci

Python boots finish off a lacy lingerie-inspired sheath dress and boa – at Gucci

Snakes sizzling up and down – at Gucci

A rose petal coat and monocle hat get the python boot finish – at Gucci

Shaggy shorts and bolero, lacy stockings and python brogues – at Gucci

An entire leopard is the centerpiece of this sexy mini – at Staud

A cheeky mini leopard slip with slit – at Staud

A black-based leopard print on this bustiere dress –at Christian Dior

Ebony and Ivory: Black & White is a Graphic Classic.

Black and white will forever be a fashion classic: effortless, timeless and ageless, always chic, always on trend. Coco Chanel, and more recently the avant-garde Japanese designers, have firmly established this two-tone classic as one of the firm favourites and go-to trends for just about every season.

Christian Siriano’s tribute to this trend for Pre-Fall 2022 is awe-inspiring in its boldness: diamante-encrusted trims round off a shapely bustiere on a two-toned heart-shaped dress, cat eyes on a body-conscious dress are beyond striking and a tropical black-and-white print on a trouser and teensy top shout glamour with a capital ‘G’! In places this collection is goth-inspired, in others the perfect midpoint between classic and avant-garde. As a colour combination black-and-white should never be underestimated in terms of impact and striking boldness and Christian Siriano nailed that with this predominantly black, white and red collection.

Diamante-encrusted edges on this heart-shaped, sculpted dress – at Christian Siriano

Contrast in the teeny top and oversized slacks as well as in the black & white colour combination – at Christian Siriano

Look me in the eyes! – at Christian Siriano

Black & white, forever classics – at Christian Dior

Sportswear gets the black & white treatment – at Christian Dior

School uniform-inspired punk – at Christian Dior

Cool and classic black & white – at Christian Dior

Sculptural ebony and Ivory – at Christian Siriano

Ivory with accents of succulent black patent leather – at Gucci

Powder Puff Colour: Here’s Where Fluffy Marabou Meets Sparkly Sequins.

Gucci went to town for Pre-Fall 2022 to juxtapose their somewhat utilitarian tweed ensembles with extravagance that comes in the shape of glamorous, floor-sweeping, marabou-embellished gowns. The colours range from peach candy floss to pistachio, with a few pillar box red accents in between.

Peach and shimmery, with dramatic marabou details – at Gucci

It’s a fluffly tiered skirt – at Gucci

A red fluffy coat, a green collar, turquoise sunshades and a gold clutch – what’s not to like? – at Gucci

Transparent sage layers and black stars – at Gucci

Warning, Warning! Red-Hot, Sizzling Sirens in the Vicinity!

The colour red wasn’t just to be seen in its traditional tartan guises, many designers – most notably so Christian Siriano, Roberto Cavalli and Gucci – utilized red as either the backbone colour of their collections or as a very important accent colour. Christian Siriano wowed with an impossibly full, floor-sweeping blood red tulle gown that exuded unadulterated glamour. As ever, red, the quintessential shade of both action and romance, worked its magic to energise the collections no end.

A powder-puff, impossibly full, floor-sweeping tulle creation – at Christian Siriano

Sculptural and heart-shaped – at Christian Siriano

Ooh la la! Dramatic black and red at Christian Siriano

A flimsy layer of red – at Christian Dior

Molten Metallics Call for Sculptural Shapely Pleats.

Striking, sculptural and glamorous, designers like Gucci, Christian Dior, Christian Siriano and Del Core all had that one unforgettable gown or ensemble in their collections, and it was made of shiny metallics. Pleated, sequined or subtly shiny, each version ensured that the diva in us took proper notice! These are not pieces for wallflowers – they demand confidence from their wearers … in turn they will most certainly make heads turn!

Pleats please, and make them molten hot! – at Gucci

Sequin and hints of animal print in this metallic number – at Christian Dior

Dramatic sleeves and molten bronze – at Christian Siriano

Gold and silver sequins in this floor-sweeping gown with its luxe marabou trims – at Gucci

A silver pleated dress is pure art –at Del Core