"People always say Pre-Fall is so difficult," said Scott Sternberg, citing the short shelf life. "But, for me, it's back to school." Hence the plaids and prep-school blazers, perfectly in line with the private-schoolgirl chic that's always been a Band calling card. There were motions toward expanding the options—creating a "suit" of cropped, square-cut jacket and trousers, rather than only the usual shrunken schoolboy jacket—but, for the most part, the pieces here elaborated on Band's fundamentals: a little pretty, a little preppy, a little poppy. There was more of an East Coast sensibility than usual for the West Coast brand, evident in the "Connecticut" florals and nods at upper-crust horse girls and their traditional garb. The latter influence was particularly apparent in the "not quite jodhpurs" in patchworked chino with a gathered-leg sweatpant style. And because it would hardly be Band without a visitation—at least inspirationally—from an alterna-heroine, there was Chloë Sevigny in The Last Days of Disco on the mood board, whose sequined tube top inspired a few cocktail-friendly pieces in foil-stamped tulle. Those had an element of novelty, but overall Sternberg was content to keep this collection smack dab in Band's sweet spot.
