Kallmeyer Pre-Fall 2023
It’s a well-documented debate among the fashion set as to what exactly is pre-fall. Since it sits at retail from June onward, the conversation divides between summer-themed pieces — dresses, shorts, breathable fabrication or a taste of true fall, and heavier leaning pieces — outerwear, knits and more. Daniella Kallmeyer doesn’t join the debate club, instead adding newness with the elegant and polished pieces that feel seasonless and genderless, adding to her customer’s wardrobe beyond the months of summer or fall.
She lives on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, near both her store and showroom, and has an eye on the customer she designs for “our store has really become the heart of the brand,” she said, adding that her “wardrobe suiting” has become a standout for the label. But, her suiting is firmly an alternative to what the standards are in the market. Kallmeyer’s take is looser, easier and still very much with a timeless polish. “We have an amazing queer community who comes to us for weddings and events,” she proudly reported.
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Miniskirts had a bit of a wink, with a built-in halter detail alongside shrunken blazers and new pant ideas — another brand trademark. She mentioned the “Dead Poets Society” as a loose inspiration, a way to update a uniform. With vests and slightly oversize suits, they had a Marlene Dietrich-type of quiet glamour with tie details on a few blouses.
She is working with new mills that veer technical, producing a washable technical wool that is lightweight, standing out in a jacket or blazer combo or a car coat that works in a mix of climates, maybe paired with one of her slinky slipdresses that cascade over the body. New denim offerings, one based on her wide-leg pants, tactile and soft to the touch, and another high waisted with a boot cut, mimic the kind of jean consumers thrift to find.
Thinking about an urban customer, she added a backpack in a buttery leather to her offering, which converts to an oversize bucket bag. “It fits a laptop or a bottle of wine,” she said with a laugh. What’s more day to night than that?
“We design things that have longevity, not only in the material but how long it lives in your closet, that is our take on sustainability,” she said. It’s a cool, easy type of dressing that her clients come to her for “to feel sexy themselves and not through a particular type of gaze.”
Launch Gallery: Kallmeyer Pre-Fall 2023
