The perfect transition piece between seasons, jeans are often the foundation of designers’ Pre-Fall collections. In a year that may see some consumers resume obsessing over their social calendars come fall, jeans are also emerging as a key piece to facilitate their transition out of sweats and back into fashion.
A new athleisure capsule collection that combines denim, velour, jersey and nylon is part of Alberta Ferretti’s Pre-Fall ’21 lineup. Inspired by “new lifestyles” that require consumers to dress for multiple occasions at once, the capsule collection combines the flexibility and functionality of athletic apparel (i.e. comfort and stretch) with trend-right washes and details. Among the collection’s cropped sweatshirts and velour puffer coats stand several garments with dual-gender appeal, including a denim flight suit, shacket, cargo jeans and oversized jean jacket.
Giambattista Valli, meanwhile, expressed feelings of nostalgia for classic French style in a Pre-Fall collection punctuated by bouclé tweeds, bright gold hardware and nautical motifs. Denim, however, made a splash among the navy pea coats and knotted dresses. A tonal checkerboard print added a Mod-ish look to a cropped denim jacket and matching mini skirt. A collar-less jean shirt and flare jeans—defined by a sharp front crease and front patch pockets—offered a polished way to wear double-denim.
Denim staples like micro jean shorts with a raw hem, a jean jacket with a small logo below the chest pocket and a denim coat dress rounded out the collection.
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New York-based brand 6397 stuck with pandemic wardrobe favorites like Bermuda shorts and loose-fit jeans. Details like unfinished hems and blue jeans with dirty washes gave the pieces a time-worn look and feel. Black denim also featured prominently in the collection, pairing nicely with fuss-free knits and button-down shirts.
Hellessy’s Sylvie Millstein joined the growing number of designers experimenting with paint splatter as a design detail for jeans. The result was slim yet slouchy cuffed boyfriend jeans that have a classically cool downtown vibe befitting the Soho-based label. Millstein also dressed up denim with black satin insets, tuxedo stripes and crystals.
Following a fall season tinged with leather and cowboy motifs, R13 takes a detour toward punk with faded washes and expletive-laden loungewear, underwear and suspenders. Fits run the gamut from cropped flare and drop-crotch, to wide-leg styles with the brand’s crossover waistband. Plaid, leopard print and “The Clash” tees complete the story.
Just Cavalli received the memo on animal print, too. The Italian diffusion line interpreted the trend, however, through a glam lens, splashing metallic cheetah print across the legs of slim-fit jeans.
MSGM showed a softer side for Pre-Fall with a collection that keys into consumer demand for comfort and their growing appreciation for nature and throwback fashion. Denim highlights include a pair of blue jeans with balloon-shaped legs—styled with a very early ’00s ribbed knit sweater—and bleached-out jeans with a pop of purple, a color that is having an unexpected moment in 2021.
The Italian brand also blended traditional with untraditional. For instance, a romantic rose print was lasered onto a jean jacket with exaggerated long sleeves and matching jeans that boasted an ultra-high waist.
Denim makes up a large part of Nili Lotan’s retro outdoor story for pre-Fall. A vivid shade of indigo reminiscent of ’70s denim was woven throughout the collection, which paired flared jeans with bohemian vests and a zip-up jean jacket with roomy front patch pockets and floral blouses with patchwork button-front jean skirts.
Country life was the focus of Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, though with a more aristocratic undertone. The brand mixed high-waisted, vintage-wash jeans (sans a traditional fly) with ruffled white shirting, deconstructed argyle knits, check outerwear and moor-ready knee-high boots. Slouchy ’80s-inspired jeans were cinched with a preppy crochet belt.