008: Alexis Badiyi on trenches in the fall, trousers in the spring
008: Alexis Badiyi on trenches in the fall, trousers in the spring
Plus a useful guide to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, cheap and sturdy bentwood stools, and remember JJJJound?
My life has become so entrenched in shopping that even the things I do that aren’t classified as “shopping” are still circularly supported by “shopping,” and not just as a we-live-under-capitalism thing. I spent half of last week in Montauk for a press trip sponsored by a shopping app called Route.
Ostensibly, we were celebrating the launch of a new feature wherein users can browse products to buy directly from the app (meaning buzzwords like “discovery” were thrown around during nebulously related people-pleasing events that punctuated the weekend). And even though I came back home with just a half-baked understanding of how exactly this feature works, I did earnestly just open the app up to remind myself of what I bought in the past week—the package tracking function at its core is much easier to grasp and dead useful.
It was two things: a four-pack of knockoff Alvar Aalto stools for under $100 on Target (more on these below from Alexis, who mutually influenced me into buying them), and the leather chain link bag from SC103 I’ve been pining for since seeing Jenna Saraco and Maryam Nassir Zadeh with theirs.
Last week’s horniest click was SSENSE’s sex toy launch, followed by SVNR barrettes at The Real Real (not especially horny) and these $100 Nike tabi sneakers (mid-tier horny).
My kink? When you share this newsletter with someone who might enjoy it, too.
What’s new
RE/DONE launched to make mythically well-worn vintage denim with precision fits updated to the discerning modern eye a reality. It feels appropriate that the brand has found its match in O.D.A. Paris, mid-century object collectors who’ve conjured a selection of home goods and tablewares askew from reality, seeming like they could have been plucked directly from Jorge Luis Borges’ “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.” The 35-piece curation, commanding as much as $2,800 for an orb-shaped stackable dining set, targets serious reverers of the era.
At a dinner party celebrating her collaboration with Brooklyn jeweler Catbird, Cassie Namoda went off script. In stark contrast to the calculations a brand makes to produce such an event—tapping food artist Laila Gohar and inviting choice New York characters like Kai Avent-Deleon and Tara Thomas—her urges to eat, drink, and reach towards deeper meaning despite the looming expectation of ROI from the business side hit somewhere real. It’s probably the most fitting illustration of the collection itself: an ode to Mozambique executed in 14k gold, second-generation diamonds, and other ethically sourced materials that cuts through the facelessness of brandhood.
COS’ latest collection, dubbed “Pause,” is a healthy challenge at peak exhaustion times, and it’s just the wardrobe to tempt us into sitting down for a sec. Big, balloon-y things, minimalist knits and silks, and menswear staples (all at those forgiving COS prices) bridge the gap between heavy going and heavy chilling.
Speaking of knitwear, two Colombian brands have joined forces on a collection that proves the medium doesn’t have to be so serious after all. Swim brand A Lot Studio x Palo Rosa Beachwear came together on an eight-piece line of cheerful cardigans, vests, and bucket hats that reflect the country’s landscapes.
JJJJound, the pivotal Tumblr inspo account that set the tone for men’s fashion for the following decade plus and laid brick for brands like Aime Leon Dore, is returning to the now much more influential scene as a creative collaborator, starting with Dr. Martens. the refined silhouette is offered in two brushed leather dyes and features an abbreviated gum sole, much slimmer than other Doc styles. Made in England, the shoes sell for $250. More JJJJound collabs to be announced in the coming weeks.
What’s on sale
Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is loudly and officially here. After an exhaustive assessment of the site, I’ve come to the conclusion that the absolute best categories to take advantage of during the weeklong event are shoes and useful home goods—plus a couple practical beauty buys like these Kiehl’s shampoo and conditioner refills. There are a couple sizes of these The Row flats left at 70% off, but the other great shoe deals are from more mainstream brands that own their respective spaces and deserve more than a bit of credit construction-wise: Dansko clogs for $90, minimal Franco Sarto boots for about $100 off, a trendier and chunkier white version from Jeffrey Campbell, and cute heeled sandals for city walkers from Sofft. For around the house, this $80-off Dyson humidifier and fan deal is responsible dry-weather prep (I live and die by mine in winter), the Stagg kettle me and everybody else loves is $50 off, and this Theragun bundle for $128 off is as good a window as any.
The Outnet’s Summer Sale went live this morning, and this is definitely a sale that’s at it most worthwhile the first few days. As of time of writing, the best deals I’ve seen are on fall-primed Nanushka, RE/DONE stovepipe jeans and basics, Mara Hoffman swimsuits, and a bunch of Paco Rabanne under $400 (plus a PR disc piece for under $600).
Everyone I’ve talked to these past couple weeks is experiencing the same “overdue” anxiety about the SSENSE sale as I am. It’s been going on for longer than any of us remember happening before, and I haven’t been able to get an answer as to when it actually ends (they’re not even giving those details to their PR, apparently). What I do know is that they continue to add new pieces and brands daily. This past week, new discounts include Jacquemus dresses and bra tops, Ottolinger for under $250, and deeper discounts (like, under $50) on Gil Rodriguez.
The Folklore, a boutique showcasing designers of the African diaspora (and famous suit-filer against Taylor Swift), is hosting its bi-annual sale, offering up to 35% off. Expertly block-printed dresses, puckered two-piece summer sets, and menswear you won’t find elsewhere is priced very agreeably while it lasts.
Despite it being just August, brands seem to really love telling us that summer is ending. At least they’re letting us know by hosting sales (my love language). Labucq is one such brand, and it’s even gone so far as to top its selection of ‘90s heels and comfy sandals off with fall-appropriate boots and chunky loafers for up to 50% off.
Much of the same can be said for Vagabond Shoemakers, whose End of Summer Sale (there it is again) features tap shoes, thick-soled sandals, strappy wedges, and sleek loafers. If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for from the brand on sale, cross reference with its Nordstrom page, as it’s a favorite of the retailer and a handful of items are marked down there, too.
Alexis Badiyi’s social shopping network
Getting and buying with a little help from friends.
Alexis Badiyi has a caviar guy. And an oyster guy. And a mushroom guy, too. A professional stylist (and mask-maker extraordinaire) who’s worked with all the lovable independent brands you’re hyped on these days, her good taste isn’t limited to clothes.
L: So we're talking about the last five things that you bought, and I actually weirdly already know two of them. A: Oh my god, wait. L: Which is the pants. A: Yes. L: And the stools.
A: These pants, these pants are really good. We got these at a late night event at the Ending Soon opening, which Houman does. And he had brought all that stuff from France. He knows me and he knows my obsession of buying the same thing over and over again, which was trenches in the fall, trousers in the spring. So I felt like the second I walked in, he was like, ‘Here are the three trousers that you should buy.’ And then out of nowhere you were like, ‘You want to know about linen trousers, here's a linen trouser,’ and you pull these out and they felt like a dream and they're so good. I was definitely a few glasses of wine in when I bought them, but when I put them on this afternoon, I was like, oh, this is done. L: That would have been a great sober purchase. A: Exactly. L: Do they have a label? A: I don’t think so. Knowing Houman, they’re probably like Escada or old Celine or something.
A: The other thing I'm really into, my friend Carrie has Make Beauty, and they have the new lip serums. They just remind me of something I would have had growing up, like the packaging of it. L: They just did a rebrand of their whole thing. A: Yeah, She acquired Make, and she's totally redoing it. She came out with the skincare and now she's launching the color. Cause they were one of the first brands to do that really good color. L: I feel like I have looked for my entire adult life for the perfect yellow-orange lipstick. And they were one of the few who ever actually made it. A: The colors! It's going to be pigmented color, but clean, which is kind of hard to find. It goes on like a serum with a little bit of a gloss, but not sticky at all and really moisturizing. L: I feel like moisture's already betraying us, like my skin, everything is so dry now. A: Oh, I know these are going to be amazing during winter.
A: Oh, oh my gosh This thing I'm so obsessed with and I'm kind of surprised I haven't done it earlier is the oyster CSA. L: Oh, yes. How did it go? I mean, you've been doing it for a little while. Right? A: This was our second pickup that we got this week. So it's oyster CSA through the World's Your Oyster. I only found out about them ‘cause Great Eros did a collab with them where they had their oysters at an event. So immediately I was like, ‘Christina, Emilio, please give me the deal on the oyster hook.’ And so I reached out to them and they were like, ‘We only do CSA.’ And I was like, ‘Well, is there any way you can do an exception where I can make an order for my birthday?’ And I did, the oysters were fantastic. So then when it came time, when they opened up their CSA, my sister was like, ‘So we're definitely doing the CSA, right?’ This is the clincher that got me: You can do an add-on mystery box. So it's like uni, mussels, steamers, razor clams. You don't know what you're going to get, but it's a little bit special. L: A dream.
A: I got some really good vintage Missoni recently. I was talking with Melanie of Ghia ‘cause I did that article with Missoni and she was like, ‘You know, who has really good Missoni is The RealReal.’ And I got, it's like a knitted polo. I should've worn that tonight actually, but it's so fun. It feels like something my mom would have had in high school. L: I feel like it's alllmost knitted polo season. A Right? L: I think you did right because it's still kind of warm. A: Yes, let the record state I am in a tiny bra and the pants from Houman.
A: Oh, yeah and then the stools. They arrived. I loved them. That was also an impulse buy. I think we were like a bottle on the half wine deep at the beach. L: And we’re like, ‘Let’s buy Target stools.’ A: Let’s buy stools. They match my dining room table, slide right underneath it. We have really dark hardwood floors, but this is perfect. They kind of disappear.
Footnotes: A place for food and wine.
Alice Jun kind of blew my mind this weekend. I was sitting at a six-top at People’s Wine in Essex Market (as I am wont to do) for a tasting of her quarantine-born Korean rice wine, Hana Makgeolli, presented alongside a special menu from ETI NYC.
It might look like a milkshake and taste like a sour beer and be cognitively understood as the product of 900 lbs of rice, but to have Alice explain it—as an orchestra of wild yeasts and enzyme-producing molds—felt like putting on glasses that put everything into an exploded view. Like realizing for the first time that there’s space between atoms or that our bodies are made up of more microorganisms than our own biological material. Like life is a magic trick and if we’re lucky someone will pull a bottle of this from behind our ear so we can take a long, deep, grainy melon sip alongside a yogurt-topped oyster.