“My whole thing this year has been about securing my customer,” Frederick Anderson said at a preview of this pre-fall collection. “It’s about finding out where they are, what they’re doing, and moving towards them.” Anderson’s customer aren’t staying in the city over the summer months, they’re vacationing. “Pre-fall, is now my second resort,” he declared. His logic is convincing: It’s not just that his woman is traveling, but that, as he’s noticed, she isn’t “pre-shopping” anymore. “The client now buys stuff when they need it, maybe a month out or two, but they’re not buying pre-fall for fall, but for the summer.”
And so Anderson designed for summer holidays, most often cutting away from the body to let it breathe. His signature knitwear took the starring role here in the shape of poolside cover-ups and separates. For evening, Anderson draped loosely and with comfort in mind, most compellingly in a lavender sequin and embroidered caftan-like gown. When it comes to texture, Anderson was clever to layer laces over sequin fabrications for just a hint of sparkle. “Everyone is talking about quiet luxury, but my client isn’t doing that, they’re still full on, they just don’t do it in public anymore”—call it “hidden luxury” instead.
As Anderson continues to strive to meet his woman where she’s at, he should also consider how he communicates about his clothes. There is a buoyancy to this collection and its silky drapes and lacy separates that doesn’t quite translate in this lookbook. That said, the designer is in the right headspace as he enters the new year. “We have to make sure to have her in mind and where she’s going during the season we’re designing for and not push ourselves so far that we’re losing sight of the client,” said Anderson. “Designers…sometimes we’re six months ahead of them, and they’re well, I’m not there yet!”
