LONDON, Sep 19, 2006/ FW/ --- For the most part, Preen is on trend with their collection. Everything was there – puffy shoulders, exaggerated tulip skirts and body skimming silhouettes. Somehow Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton, the duo behind the line, managed to create pieces with a futuristic feel without invoking ideas of UFOs and extraterrestrials.

It could have been the lit runway floor heightening the futuristic effect. Or, the tightly wound pieces of elastic, almost appearing to be bandage gauze, around the torso and shoulders of shirts and dresses that gave the feel of A.D. 3000.

At any rate, Preen successfully managed to push the trends of today, with their nostalgic feel in tow, straight into the future. A cropped jacket with an exaggerated lapel created an interesting silhouette over a tulip skirted dress with the tightly bandaged elastic around the midsection.

Irina Lazareanu, musician and Karl Lagerfeld model of the moment, appeared simultaneously of the past and of the future in a slim sleeveless dress with a white shirt’s full sleeves layered beneath.

The wrapped bandage look worked best in the form of a yellow dress with a ruched tulip skirt. A few similar dresses in tan ran the risk of being tawdry, but the design team quickly left the idea before crossing that boundary.

Bits of black lace were utilized well in a few eveningwear designs. It is a shame that Bregazzi and Thornton didn’t push the use of lace more throughout the collection. It would have been nice to see how lace will be worn in the future.

Preen

Preen

Preen