Elite Traveler July-August 2016

INFLUENCE FASHION COLUMN

elite traveler JULY/AUG 2016 56

Designers lit up the pre-fall collections with pops of pastel hues, softly shocking us into a closet update full of candy colors Ashley W. Simpson on pastels

lilacs with an extra bite of vibrancy. Pre-fall for this house is about pastels on overdrive with a pumped up blue elongated peacoat with rounded, floppy collar and a lavender cocoon coat of the brightest hue. The looks are sweet, Parisian and a little bit preppy – in short, very Carven. The pastel trend comes to life in the most surprising form at Versace. The furs in particular – there’s a houndstooth and a multicolored, baby blue and violet patched concoction – feel life-enhancing, witty and near rebellious in their confectionary cheer. These are less the in-your-face sexy pieces we’re accustomed to seeing at Versace and more purely fun, playful in the way of Fendi offerings. There’s a lot to love here. So what can we take away from all these looks? Pale pastel pieces are a major trend for pre-fall and the looks are quite strong in coating. The styles are varied, ranging from the outré , intentionally curious items at Marni, to easy, elegant silk tops at Lanvin “There are a million ways to wear pastels for pre-fall 2016. There’s something to be said for bringing a measure of the sweet-hearted into your style as the weather cools” as well as the unapologetically vivacious outerwear delivered by Versace. Pastels can be used to soften a dark-shaded professional look, inject a little fun on a cloudy day or, should you choose, subvert all manner of expectation.

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Pastels – once confined to the breezy months of spring and summer – are reaching into fall in a big way. Just look at the pre-fall collections for 2016, where sherbert-shaded offerings popped up everywhere – from Lanvin to Altuzarra to Carven – and in true standout fashion, at Versace, where Donatella gave us multicolored violet, bubblegum pink, cherry red and black striped fox fur coating, among other not-for-the-shy looks. From her atelier in Italy, Consuelo Castiglioni delivered eggshell pastels in the coating at Marni – oversized, geometrical options for the woman who, even when she’s sporting the most classically girlish hues, dresses romantic, silk tiered baby-blue evening gown – a look that was unapologetically pretty – was the standout piece. There are a million ways to wear pastels for pre-fall 2016, and what better way to soften, lighten and simultaneously inject a measure of the unexpected into your transitional closet than with a hint – or if you dare, with her intellect as the loudest statement. At Giorgio Armani, a

a lot – of candy-colored joy? There’s something to be said for bringing a measure of the sweet-hearted into your style as the weather cools. Perhaps the lushest of pre-fall’s pastel options popped up at Lanvin. Chemena Kamali and Lucio Finale – new to the helm of the house after the much-beloved Alber Elbaz’s sudden departure – delivered slouchy, artfully relaxed trousers and tiered tops in subdued sea greens, a plush fur coat, almost like your grandmother’s best if it had been crafted in witty violet with a cream collar trim. There was anorak-inspired silk coated in burgundy and cream with a pop of light purple. These pieces are romantic without being overwrought – perfect for the woman looking to introduce a touch of ruffled, pale frivolity into her wardrobe. For pastels with a little more bite, the place to go for pre-fall 2016 is Carven. The house, known for its embrace of the candy-colored, gave the softer shades a punchy update this season. Here Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud presented light blues and

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Ashley W. Simpson is a fashion writer living in New York City. She has written for Vogue , ELLE and V Magazine