Strapless Bras a Focal Point at Preen

Donna Karan has repeatedly bemoaned that deliveries don’t arrive in stores on season. In August, when it’s so hot your eyeballs sweat, stores offer giant winter coats. In February, when it’s so cold you can’t feel feelings, retailers put cut-offs in the windows. It doesn’t make sense. But rather than fight the system, Preen designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi, who gave us Japanese bondage last season, have decided to go with it. Their fall 2010 show in Milk Studios today opened with lavender floral prints. “When we deliver our autumn/winter, it’s summer still. So in England, really, the summer has really only just started,” Bregazzi explained backstage after the show. “So it’s that trans-seasonal feel. And also, you might go on holiday.”

Photo:Imaxtree

Nearly every look in the show was anchored by a strapless bra, which was visibly worked into the design of the dresses and shirts. It was as though the models put strapless bras with neon backs on, added water, and the clothes grew out around them. So for Preen, spring’s lingerie trend will stick around for fall.

The label is also know for its signature odd cutouts, which might look like a patch of bare skin above an armpit, as in one look, or cutouts over the entire bottom of the dress. These left a couple of girls essentially walking the runway in clothes that were only half there. “Obviously these are show pieces,” Thornton said. “When you buy this dress, it comes with a slip.” Progress!