PARIS — The frenzy around pre-fall presentations in New York is calming.
A number of prominent European brands are opting to hold showroom presentations in Paris in lieu of Manhattan this season, including Givenchy, Balenciaga and Lanvin, WWD has learned.
While Riccardo Tisci, creative director of Givenchy, is scheduled to shoot his pre-fall look book in New York in January, sales and press appointments will revert to the French capital. According to a statement from the house: “Since we have consolidated our sales campaign for the pre-collections in our Paris headquarters, it made sense to present the upcoming pre-fall presentation to the press in Paris as well.”
Givenchy has yet to indicate its intentions for resort.
Balenciaga, which did mini shows in Manhattan last December, is to present in Paris during couture week, scheduled for Jan. 25 to 30, capitalizing on the numbers of European, American and Asian press that will be in town, said chief executive officer Isabelle Guichot.
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She noted that sales would be conducted in showrooms in New York, Milan and Paris.
Lanvin said Alber Elbaz would present its winter 2015 pre-collection in his Paris studio at the end of January. Sales sessions are to begin in New York, Jan. 5 to Jan. 8, and then in Paris from Jan. 27 to Jan. 31.
Louis Vuitton, which in recent years staged mini shows for pre-fall in New York, is likely to host a press day in New York in January and a press day in Paris during couture, according to a spokesman.
Céline was among the first big European names to withdraw from the New York showcase, and it is slated to host a press day on Jan. 27 at its new headquarters on Rue Vivienne.
“Pre-collections are going through a natural transition after becoming oversaturated and overhyped the past two seasons,” said Ed Filipowski, president of public relations and events agency KCD Worldwide.
While the New York showcase was meant to give designers “quality time” with editors, “the schedule had escalated to a point where the key days were just a revolving door of appointments,” Filipowski lamented. “If it’s like speed dating, the payback is not so much.”
He noted, “It is also the nature of this industry for what’s popular one minute to be not popular the next.”
Not all Europeans are shifting their presentation patterns.
Chloé is one of the French brands continuing to show its pre-fall collection to the press in New York during the U.S. sales campaign, with the presentations taking place last Thursday. A spokeswoman noted, however, that some press appointments for Chloé would take place in Paris during couture week.
While the pre-fall sessions in New York are thinning out, it is understood that European brands perceive resort presentations in Manhattan as fruitful for editorial returns on their investment.
Filipowski said it’s much easier for European designers to travel to New York in June.
“There are more editorial opportunities in long-lead print for resort collections, and we all know fashion folk are always in a better mood in good weather,” he said, hinting at indications “that we will see an increased presence in New York with the next resort.”
The pre-fall collections have hit full swing in recent weeks, with Chanel and Dior staging fashion shows abroad: in Salzburg on Dec. 2 for the former; in Tokyo on Dec. 11 for the latter.