Elevating sporty clothes like the sweatshirt has become an industry-wide practice in the last couple of years. Derek Lam was one of the designers who got there first, so you can be sure there was a luxed-up sweatshirt in his pre-fall lineup. This time around, it came in bonded lace, paired with an A-line skirt made from swooping panels of other kinds of lace. He admitted he's a bit obsessed with the fabric this season. The rest of the collection was stocked with other pieces that he considers his go-to hits: a classic peacoat, the dressed-down floor-length dress, denim. Going further back—"to his roots," he said—was a softly constructed peasant blouse with a Chantilly-lace bib. It best captured the effortless and efficient yet romantic vibe that defines the Lam brand.
