For me, there were two stand out collections from Pre Fall 2011… Emilio Pucci and Givenchy. Both offered two completely different concepts; Pucci being very 70s lead and Givenchy seemed like a well balanced mix of religion and military influences. Heres what style.com had to say about the two collections:

NEW YORK, January 10, 2011

By Nicole Phelps

For Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy, pre-fall used to be a group of basics, but not anymore. “People want another show,” he said early Monday morning, and that’s just what he gave passersby the day before, shooting his lookbook images on three of his current catwalk favorites—Lea T, Saskia de Brauw, and Izabel Goulart—on a snowy West Village street. The location was designed to highlight what Tisci described as the urbanity of a collection inspired, somewhat paradoxically, by English fishermen and hunters circa the 1970’s. A nude lace top, for instance, came with removable rugged nylon sleeves and was paired with a pleated skirt in a compactly woven camel cashmere, while a brown chiffon evening gown was accessorized with over-the-knee lace-up leather waders.

Given his influences, it wasn’t surprising that Tisci showed a lot of strong outwear, including a parka patchworked from nylon, fur, and faux leather (celebrities, apparently, sometimes prefer fake to real); a shrunken jacket made with cavalry twill and shearling; and his signature trompe l’oeil toppers that look like a blazer worn over a longer coat. The color palette, too, was a departure for the designer. “I didn’t touch black on purpose,” Tisci explained. “Brown is the new black.” There was also plenty of lilac and, picking up where Spring’s oversize leopard spot left off, a densely patterned computerized armadillo print.

NEW YORK, January 10, 2011

By Nicole Phelps

“WASP-y bohemians” and “Charlotte Rampling meets Stevie Nicks” were Peter Dundas’ talking points for his pre-fall collection. To the casual observer, that might sound like business (pleasure?) as usual, but close Pucci watchers will notice a slightly more grown-up vibe to the designer’s glam offerings. To start with, there was a little less leg than we’re used to seeing at his high-energy Milan shows. Dundas has embraced the below-the-knee hems we’ve been seeing for a season or two now, and he’s pairing his paisley-print silk jersey dresses with knee-high boots. Adding to the pulled-together feeling was a plenitude of tailoring. A pair of tie-dyed fitted suede blazers looked particularly fresh, as did a black and white tweed cape (part of a “three-piece suit” that included a vest and trousers). The mini show’s closing look—a sequined turtleneck with a peephole back and sequined flares in two slightly different shades of bordeaux—was a novel and winning approach to evening. But the celebrity types who’ve grown fond of Dundas’ body-baring frocks won’t leave disappointed. Tucked among the looks was a thigh-grazing beaded dress with a lace-up back that echoed the white dress with the daring slit Gwyneth Paltrow received so much press for last month. It’s a showstopper.