Much wringing of hands has been done about releasing pre-collection images at fashion brands across New York and in Europe and beyond. Post the pictures when the collection is shown to stores months in advance of its arrival? Or when the clothes actually ship? Which experience is better for clients?
The real question may be this: What does it matter when the brands in question are doing so much of their real interacting with customers via social media stars and their respective feeds? Take Alexander Wang, who very nearly broke Instagram, if not the Internet in general, when he dressed his Met Gala date, Bella “the body” Hadid, in a black lace catsuit. That skintight, shimmery feat of engineering isn’t actually part of Wang’s Pre-Fall 2017 lineup (which is posting on Vogue amid dozens of Resort 2018 collections, cue the hand-wringing), but it is very much of a sexy piece with its 23 mostly black looks. In fact, one of the body-con LBDs pictured here features a glittery mesh bodice and sleeves that looks nearly identical to Hadid’s—from the red carpet to reality.
This collection hews to second-skin, studded lines that are familiar to Wang watchers from his Fall runway show. Which is why the pair of silk charmeuse evening dresses that close the lookbook are so compelling. Sure, they’re accented with that heavy-duty silver metal chain, but their languid, vaguely ’30s-ish silhouettes defy expectations of him, not just ours, but those of the Bella-stans, too.
