Pre-fall shopping

We’re about to get into a funny time in the fashion calendar. The experts call it “pre-fall,” and it’s pretty bang on. Warm days and chilly nights. Too sunny for wool and too unpredictable for light silk. We’ve always thought this was the most impossible time of the year to shop for. But then, five years ago or so, we discovered Margitte Schweden, the creative mastermind behind Cologne’s Margittes line.

This year, it’s like she knew about pre-fall in the spring, because of what she’s come up with for this season. We love everything about this German collection, starting with how on-trend she always seems to be.

This year’s three big pre-fall trends are glitter, athleisure and jersey fabric. Surprise, surprise, Ms. Schweden’s right there with all three - in fact, one of our favourite pieces from her 2017 line integrates them all. Check out this glitter-heavy hoodie we have in stock right now. A hoodie’s about as athlete-chic as you can get, but with the shimmering outside and silk-lines inside, it’s less Saturday afternoon in and way more Friday night out.

Another piece we’re really into is this jogging suit. No, you’re not hitting the town in this number, but look at the conscious choice to move the running stripes a bit forward on the leg. We call that a slimming effect, and it’s pretty rare for a jogging suit. Most designers err on the side of comfort across the board in this category - but not Ms. Schweden.

And then there’s her cheeky side, which is probably what she’s known for the most. We talk above about jersey fabrics. Fairly boring, right? Not so when they’re coming out of the Margittes studio. Check out the lipstick and the pug. Not necessarily something you’d expect from the fashion capital of Germany, but then again, neither is Ms. Schweden.

Now, if you’re coming here to augment your kinda boring closet with something, you really should save a spot in your wallet for Margittes. But fair warning: Ms. Schweden’s mind is among the most popular in the store. So if you don't want to find yourself wasting away without Margittes-ville, swing by for pre-fall and let us show you the funkiest German in all her magnificent glory.