For Pre Fall 23, Erdem is examining a period in the second half of the 19th century when the dawning impact of industrialisation was on the horizon. This was an era of significant tension and change. Received wisdoms were open for questioning. Craft was forging new relationships with industry. Society and social values were reconfigured. The strictness of former times was under scrutiny as the wealth of possibility and opportunity became tangible beyond the establishment.

Tailoring and textiles are combined in novel ways. High-neck, puff-sleeves dresses in Broderie Anglaise bring the language of undergarments into the open. A tulle skirt conceals an embroidered silk dress adding a layer of propriety. Pleated Victorian bibs beaded in black jet are glamorous and haughty simultaneously. Corsetry and boning are played with in various forms, in places tightened, in others undone, alluding to the shifting social status of women in this era.