Raf Simons traded in the couture salons of the 1950's for a midcentury boarding school. Where Spring was about sophistication and control, his new pre-fall lineup came with a youthful kick. See the letterman sweaters and sweatshirts embroidered with colorful Js and Ss (instant hits, those) and shrunken satin jackets emblazoned with words such as Faith, Promise, and Eternal, like something one of Grease's Pink Ladies might've worn if she came from the right side of the tracks.
The camp element certainly felt new from Simons, but strip away those details and what was left were elegantly made preppy classics: a camel overcoat, an ivory stadium jacket, and menswear patterns on day dresses with rounded shoulders and full tulip skirts. In other words, this collection was not quite the reversal it at first appeared to be.
