Philipp Plein offered a remote walkthrough to introduce his brand’s latest collection, joining a video call directly from his car as he was leaving Spain after a fruitful business trip.
The Spanish touchdown enabled him to check on his handful of stores across the country, with the one in Madrid giving him particularly encouraging stats as sales of his womenswear line surpassed those for men’s. “This shows us the direction we’re going is right,” he enthused, pointing to his company’s effort in reinforcing the former over the last few seasons.
The pre-fall 2024 collection built on such a commitment with a credible proposition for women and reiterated the brand’s new approach of embracing more unified codes and similar themes across genders compared to the past.
The result was a day-to-night wardrobe that could translate that bold, dressy and bling-bling attitude embedded in his brand’s DNA into more wearable designs. Cue tiger-head motifs popping on everyday crewneck knits; little black suits trimmed with crystal heart-shaped details; puffers getting the shiny treatment, and denim pieces elevated with sizzling crystal cascades. Black cargo pants and a simple leather trench added to the more daily bent while still oozing that sense of fierceness the Plein woman is most associated with.
Yet Plein still had his loyal night owls covered with his signature gowns with plunging slits and risky cutouts. Only this time he added black options to counterbalance the effect or opted for a muted palette when splashing a python print on the dresses.
Looking back at the origins of his fashion journey, Plein also reprised a tattoo theme that marked one of his first collections in the early 2000s, and now offered in different renditions, spanning from simple prints to embroidered patterns. A tattoo-like minidress covered in crystals but still cut in an essential and long-sleeved silhouette best balanced Plein’s past with his present approach.