Drawing inspiration from Victorian-era scrapbooks and abstract expressionists, Preen's Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi crafted a set of clean, cool silhouettes washed in bold color, florals, and collage-like prints for Fall '12.
by Hannah Weil
Drawing inspiration from Victorian-era scrapbooks and abstract expressionists, Preen's Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi crafted a set of clean, cool silhouettes washed in bold color, florals, and collage-like prints for Fall '12. It's a cool-girl juxtaposition that plays out in this collection — minimalist separates dressed up in textured, overlapping prints and sequins create an almost literal scrapbook effect on dresses and tops. Still, it all works flawlessly — while some collections feel disjointed, there's no sense of losing the theme here or feeling disconnected. There isn't a look that doesn't speak to the overarching palette, structure, or playful printing, giving the whole collection a cohesiveness and effortlessness. Even in botanicals, sequins, flirty lace, and peplum, each piece carries with it an underlying ease — shapes are simple, sporty, even, with drawstrings on pencil skirts and color-contrasted collars and sleeves to counter the intricacies of every embellished cuff or printed silhouette.
- Trends: Florals, graphic print, peplum, lace, sequins; textured, overlapping prints.
- Colors: Camel, navy, white, red, black, and soft pink and moss-green florals.
- Key Piece: The white fur coat with orange cuffs; the navy lace peplum knit.
- Accessories: Neutral and floral-printed platform lace-ups.
- Who Would Wear It: The modern sophisticate with an eye for clean lines and cool-girl flair; Kate Bosworth, Jaime King, and Rachel Bilson.
