A New Year's trip to Africa was the starting point for Albert Kriemler’s bright Pre-Fall collection. Flocks of karminspints dart across a fine wool shirtdress, their brilliant colors true to real life, the designer attested, and a pride of lions emerge from the midnight blue darkness of a swing coat. Kriemler has long created photo prints chez Akris, but most have had an architectural bent. These animal images might strike some as a tad obvious, but this was not a lineup of safari clothes per se. There was nothing as literal as a YSL-inspired Saharienne, for instance. Kriemler appeared to have designed the collection with travel in mind, though. Many of the looks were accessorized with leather high-tops. Leather pants in flared and legging styles were made with a fair bit of stretch for ease of movement, and coats in both cashmere and tech materials were designed to be waterproof.
The Akris shopper is accustomed to luxuries of all kinds. This season Kriemler kept them on the understated side, save for a couple of clingy matte sequin numbers, one cocktail length, the other to-the-floor, their lively colors lifted from those gorgeous birds.
