Philipp Plein originally plotted to present his pre-collection with a show in Paris last month, but eventually gave up on those plans as a heavy retail rollout filled all the pages in his already busy agenda.
After celebrating the launch of his sneaker collaboration with Snoop Dogg in Los Angeles, Plein flew to Rio de Janeiro to cut the ribbon of a store earlier this week, when units in Qatar and at Frankfurt’s airport will also open. In between, Plein touched down in Milan and previewed his extensive pre-fall collection, which was developed with a strong commercial mindset (all these new stores have to be filled, after all).
The long shelf life of this seasonal lineup informed its array of styles, shapes and textures, swinging from embellished sportswear to dazzling eveningwear and from billowing fabrics to voluminous, padded outerwear.
The common denominator was a paisley motif designed by an in-house graphics team and splashed on both genders’ apparel and accessories. According to its different renditions, the looks veered toward seductive, rock, bohemian or baroque.
Cue leather pants with paisley embroideries or biker jackets with studs applied to evoke the pattern; printed distressed denim pants with a raw feel; a ruffled printed dress or fringed wrapped frock both cinched at the waist with logoed belts, as well as a skintight jumpsuit and matching cropped jacket bejeweled with colored crystals to recreate the motif.
While menswear added to the paisley galore also in sportswear — think rich varsity jackets, denim separates, down jackets in all forms and even a couple of basketball jerseys for Team Plein fans — the women’s line tempered the graphic flamboyance with monochrome looks in forest green and shades of purple, which the German designer defined as “very elegant and dark at the same time.”
Plein smartly widened the product assortment by styling looks with a heavy focus on accessories, especially building on the brand’s bestselling “Phantom Kick$” sneakers, introducing sexy latex boots with a new design heel and exalting eyewear — the fruitful result of a licensing deal with De Rigo.
Reports /TrainViral/
