pre-fall

The term pre-fall refers to what used to be unglamorous, mostly commercial collections meant to tide shoppers over in between the big spring and fall seasons.

Fashion's Other Season Takes the Spotlight Ray A. Smith 2011

On sale: mostly pre-fall merchandise including fur shrugs and $670 watch caps.

Screenings and Shopping in the Hamptons Marshall Heyman 2011

That's partly because despite its silly-seeming name, pre-fall is serious business.

Fashion's Other Season Takes the Spotlight Ray A. Smith 2011

"These shows have become the perfect marketing vehicle for pre-fall," says luxury goods consultant Robert Burke .

Fashion's Other Season Takes the Spotlight Ray A. Smith 2011

"So it's putting more pressure on designers to create bigger pre-fall collections."

Fashion's Other Season Takes the Spotlight Ray A. Smith 2011

In fact, nearly all of the pieces in Chanel's pre-fall show qualify as demi-couture, since the collection—called Metier D'Arts—employs the traditional, highly specialized ateliers that the house bought in 2002 Massaro for shoes, Michel for hats, Lesage for embroidery, Lemarie for feathers, Goossen for jewelry, Guillet for fabric flowers and Desrues for ornamentation.

Is Ready-to-Wear the New Couture? Meenal Mistry 2011

For those who missed out, simple, well-cut white jeans can be found at Gap (sale or not), or buy pre-fall whites from Banana Republic ("Martin" linen natural stripe trousers, £59.50) and 3.1 Philip Lim (A-line cotton blend pants, £320.)

How to Wear White Right Now Tina Gaudoin 2011

Since pre-fall has a longer selling season, those collections are "probably representing now almost 60% to 70%" of a designer's overall fall collection sales, says Mr. Burke.

Fashion's Other Season Takes the Spotlight Ray A. Smith 2011

He referred to them recently as he began designing a pre-fall collection.

Now Online: 120 Years of Vogue Fashion Christina Binkley 2011

A spokeswoman for Oscar de la Renta, who showed 58 looks in his pre-fall runway show, said pre-fall is, in general, a big collection for the house "and very important sales-wise."

Fashion's Other Season Takes the Spotlight Ray A. Smith 2011