Pre-Fall 2013

Sarah Burton's Pre-Fall 2013 collection for Alexander McQueen draws on nuns' habits and the kind of garments usually reserved for the highest-ranking clergy in the Catholic Church. Most of the looks are rendered in black and white, but not everything about this offering is austere and puritanical. A few evening ensembles have plunging necklines, and the hem of one dress stops mid-thigh. A high-heeled take on the pilgrim shoe and an emphasis on capes add to the religious drama here, but none of that is as dramatic as the final look: a gray cape with an overlay of white flowers.

Photos courtesy of Alexander McQueen.

Hedi Slimane's confident pre-Fall 2013 lookbook for Saint Laurent is filled with largely black-and-white images of Sky Ferreira. What better casting choice for a designer so invested in rock and roll?

As he's done with his ad campaigns, Slimane shot Ferreira's largely black-and-white images himself. The offering echoes the glamorous portrayal of '70s classics from Slimane's Spring 2013 collection, but with a refined edge. A sheer polka-dot tunic with bishop's sleeves is paired with a masculine wool overcoat in one image. In another, rounded metal studs and wide armholes give a leather shift presence. Ferreira looks like a rock star in all of the ensembles, but she's most striking in a black leather motorcycle jacket and sky-high booties.

Photos by Hedi Slimane, courtesy of Saint Laurent.

Michelle Obama wore it, and now you can too. Available now at Moda Operandi, is Thom Browne's smartly tailored Pre-Fall 2013 collection, which includes pieces very similar to the custom-made fit-and-flare coat that Mrs. Obama sported at the inauguration in DC on Monday.

Among the goodies are a handful of double-breasted dresses cut in the same navy silk tie jacquard, as well as a pleated dress in midnight blue whose silhouette bears a striking resemblance to that now-famous piece of outerwear. For those who admire Thom Browne's figure-enhancing cuts but do not wish to be the first lady's mini me, there are also plenty of other gorgeous, menswear-inspired ensembles; our favorite is an extremely luxe-looking wool houndstooth ensemble made up of a crewneck shell, round-shouldered jacket, and knee-length pencil skirt.

Click through to see the entirety of the Thom Browne Pre-Fall 2013 pieces available for presale on Moda Operandi, and hurry — not only does the trunk show end Jan. 25, but judging by the amount of buzz Browne is currently receiving, these pieces are sure to be snapped up very soon.

Photos courtesy of Thom Browne.

After infusing a modern femininity into nuns' habits for Spring 2013, Riccardo Tisci created a decidedly more masculine offering for Pre-Fall. His daywear tended toward sharp, clean lines and colorblocking, and pieces that lean on menswear staples (the notch-lapel cape in gray wool is a perfect example of this). That's not to say there weren't frills: a geometric appliqué decorated the edges of dresses and a sporty camel bomber jacket, and lace accents appeared on pants, skirts, and sweaters.

The evening pieces carried a little more flounce, attributable to the ruching technique used mainly on skirts, and to the controlled addition of ruffles.

Photo courtesy of Givenchy.

Alber Elbaz created a veritable zoo of looks for his Pre-Fall 2013 offering, combining a variety of animal prints with lots of fur. Leopard was the predominant animal here, applied to everything from boots to bags, gloves, and more than one coat. One such piece of outerwear was decorated with black and white beads in a floral pattern, while others were simply — yet lavishly — adorned with a fur lapel. But the wilder pieces in this collection were just as wearable as their solid-colored cousins, which counted a sleeveless gray wool coatdress and a black dress with a leather skirt among their number.

Photo courtesy of Lanvin

Phoebe Philo toyed with traditional ideas of shape, proportion, and tailoring in her Pre-Fall 2013 collection. She started off with double-breasted suits that borrowed largely from conventional menswear tropes but finished them with decidedly feminine pearl buttons. Other details, like golden belt buckles the size of small books and saddle shoes turned into soaring platform wedges, were just as eye-catching. But the oversize jackets — made large by inflating shoulder seams and lapels — may have been this offering's most striking statement.

Photo courtesy of Céline

Is there any party like a Stella McCartney pre-collection party? As she's done before, the designer brought her Pre-Fall offering to New York City and presented it as part of a lavish cocktail party. This week's event at the Americas Society drew a number of McCartney's boldfaced fans: Anna Wintour, Garance Doré, and Glenn Close were spotted in the crowd, and so were Alec Baldwin, his wife Hilaria Thomas, and Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld.

But not even stars that bright could outshine the models or what they were wearing: Hanne Gaby Odiele, for example, was spotted sitting on a comfortable-looking chair. If she weren't dressed in head-to-toe McCartney, she would have looked like any other chic partygoer.

That might be because the clothes themselves were designed, in McCartney's words, to "address every need of the modern woman's wardrobe." Odiele's dress was a long-sleeved gown in black and white, but the collection featured plenty of functional coats (some double-breasted varietals feature lapels so wide they span their wearer's shoulders) and no shortage of well-tailored separates. The tone-on-tone floral prints in oxblood and dark blue add visual interest, and so do the stripes in black, white, orange, and red.

A few pictures from the party below, as well as the full collection, here in the gallery.

Source: Getty

Stella McCartney just revealed her pre-Fall '13 collection filled with covetable pieces we'd like to get our hands on now. A select few, like Anna Wintour, Kim Cattrall, and Mary-Louise Parker, were able to see the collection in the flesh last night at an intimate soiree in NYC — but we have all the newly released photos from Stella's lookbook for you to check out right here. Staying true to her penchant for effortless silhouettes, Stella highlighted sleek separates in the way of boxy oversize coats, printed bomber jackets, loose trousers, and billowy blouses. Bold stripes were splashed on trousers, dresses, and even on gowns, emoting a chic, sportif feel everywhere you looked. Meanwhile, intricate embroidered capes and blazers injected an opulent touch to Stella's streamlined offerings. Our favorite piece? A slouched navy jumpsuit featuring a drop waist and metallic links across the chest — sport-chic at its best. Check out the rest of Stella McCartney's pre-Fall '13 in the slideshow now, and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Source: Stella McCartney

The phrase "modern elegance" often calls to mind tired interior design tropes, but that's not the case with Thakoon Panichgul's Pre-Fall 2013 collection.

In this offering, the designer tried to reinterpret what elegance means right now and found that "for elegance to make sense in a modern, working context, it has to be speedier." That means casting aside opera gloves and costume jewels in favor of clothing women could run around in.

It explains the easy-to-wear A-line dresses, made out of everything from gray wool to pink leather. Some of the coats were generously tailored, too, and one featured a cotton-field print that's used in a variety of garments. There's also plenty of texture: Mongolian fur vests and navy-blue leather pieces gave the collection a luxurious edge.