017: What's a fashion attachment style?
Plus last-chance Entireworld for 50% off, a sitewide SSENSE sale, and new MNZ bags to covet.
For those following my Maid of Honor dress saga, you’ll know the reject count is up to three. Whoever said the body keeps score should have also considered the bookkeeping abilities of a credit card statement. The good news is that the journey is (I pray) over, now that I’ve landed on a final option. Apparently all that really needed to happen was for my sister the bride to allow me to choose a different color—if you invite me to your wedding, I promise you, I will somehow make it about me.
The one to end them all came from Self Portrait, the brand known as the de facto guest-of-wedding dress provider for those who’ve graduated from Reformation. It is no doubt the correctest choice for the moment, which of course made it something I wanted to resist throughout this whole hunt.
My inability to make this styling challenge click has brought up a lot of inner questions regarding how one—I—relate to occasion dressing on a brand identity level. I don’t do well with boxed-up fashion (see: “fall people” or “big boob jewelry”), including that of the wedding industrial complex. Of course, maybe there’s just a huge yarrow dress-shaped hole in the market that some left-of-Anthropologie designer is destined to fill and it’s not really a me problem at all.
While I’m pondering my fashion attachment style, here are all the forgivingly freeform, obligationless, no-assignment-to-be-understood pieces that flowed into my life this week:
A puffy Aritzia trench in a hypnotic shade of gray, cotton Carbon38 sweats that I’ve scarcely taken off since they arrived, made-in-Thailand Gooseberry Intimates lingerie sets, a cable knit Current Air skirt that’s giving Rus, and a beautifully Frankensteined Rentrayage dress embodying the spirit of several boisterous ‘80s teen queens.
What’s new
“I hate Uniqlo,” is a weird thing my friend Tal said. “They’re ruining it for the rest of us.” We were talking about my Uniqlo U by Lemaire coat, the one I wrote about here recently, and as a menswear designer and soon-to-be store owner, he was obviously coming from a place of admiration. Uniqlo’s multi-year streak of collaborations of unmatchable value continues with a new tandem collection with Theory. The sharp, dark, and slick NYC brand synchronizes with Uniqlo’s minimalist, materials-oriented model for baggy trousers, floppy turtlenecks, and poplin shackets.
JW Anderson, who also has a Uniqlo practice, has launched an exclusive capsule at Matchesfashion: “The Landscape Collection.” Rich felts, airy knits, and supple suedes awash with pinks, oranges, and teals tell the story of a brisk coastal sunset.
Rather than collaborating with industry names (as do Uniqlo and Target), formerly members-only site Italic is tapping their manufacturers to produce matched-quality goods with an “unbranded” experience. They do everything from apparel and leather bags to bedding sets and kitchen utensils. Now that they’re open to the public (no more annual fee to shop), it’s highly worth checking out some of the best deals I clocked: a $40 comforter made in the same factory as Buffy, $45 might-as-well-be Uggs, and I don’t have a dog but this $35 pet carrier seems like a crazy good deal (compared to the $150 ones made in the same place).
Two fewer-better cults of the optimized world collide with Glossier’s latest launch, which takes a product straight from Trader Joe’s viral shelves. A Cookie Butter Balm Dotcom now exists and is poised to be the Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers of our time.
A bag-heavy edit of Maryam Nassir Zadeh just landed at MNZ store (now found at maryamnassirzadeh.com if your old links are breaking). While the Julian bag and the smaller of the belted satchels are already sold out, the larger Trial tote and some organza shoppers for under $100 are still available. Boots, belts, and knits also abound.
The recycled-from-swimsuits project Gemsun has been quietly spreading among tastemakers almost purely through word of mouth. Its latest evolution, Wanderung, takes its core crocheted hats and bags even further with a supplementation of vintage and designed graphic tees.
I’m always quick to recommend Vince when it comes to investment basics for fall. The brand’s simple pieces are consistent favorites and don’t get retired to The RealReal or Beacon’s Closet after a single season (something that can’t be said for many other brands). An exclusive collection, Crafted by Vince at Nordstrom is a coffee-creamy, tactile dream and a safe bet for loving what shows up in the mail with longevity.
Chapter Three of Cecilie Bahnsen x HEREU has landed for the AW21 season, furthering the conversation between Spanish and Swedish sensibilities—a baby blue twist perched atop a weighty leather loafer, pink uppered lug soles—air and earth in perfect harmony.
There’s also: Houman Farahmand’s vintage venture, Ending Soon, is having a pop-up in NYC from October 22-24, so you can finally shop all of his excellent fall recommendations in person; a new Zara Home short film features Chloë Sevigny even though they know we know she doesn’t live like that; suitcase brand Away collabs with Sandy Liang, Tia Adolea, and Ji Won Choi; Hermes introduces a highly luxe nail polish collection, Les Mains; Pangaia (who I won’t shut up about) is making denim now; MM6 Maison Margiela collaborates with Eastpak, available at LN-CC; Ugg x Telfar’s second release drops; and an eyewear collection by Marine Serre called “Visionizer,” produced by Vuarnet and shown on two consecutive runways, is out.
What’s on sale
The sad news of Entireworld’s unexpected closure ripped through Instagram this weekend, often accompanied by commentary about how we just don’t need sweats like we did this time last year. But I think the brand was always about more than functional lounge clothes, or at least certainly presented them with more character and voice than the mycelium network of LA-based apparel brands that paused their copy-paste “streetwear” ventures to churn out cropped-hoodie sets. Entireworld is clearing house under the moniker Underworld, and you can get whatever they have left over in their warehouses for 50% off—their boxy tees are the best I’ve ever tried so I recommend stocking up with a hoarder’s approach.
Net-a-Porter is running an extensive 25% off Friends & Family sale that includes over 10,000 just-added items with code 25OFF. It covers a range of shopping needs, starting with fall wardrobe additions—a fresh pair of minimal Wandler boots, this old money Joseph sweater with more special details than an MNZ grey V-neck of the same price (CC: the reader who emailed me with this request), many reality-wear The Frankie Shop and Anna Quan pieces, and warm fashion coats from Stand Studio, Nanushka, and Ganni. More adventurous pieces from Vanguard designers Connor Ives and Christopher John Rogers are 25% off, which isn’t generally the case these days given their industry darling status. It’s also hitting the right note with home good gifts for well-deserving recipients (Mom would love a Completed Works vase this year, btw, and your girlfriend was asking about Helle Mardale glassware).
LN-CC’s sale section has been refreshed, and even though it’s not as extensive as, say, Net-a-Porter’s, it’s full of cool things not stocked widely elsewhere: the Marine Serre ball bag (in blue! for 70% off!), Acne fall things because that’s when they really sing, Balenciaga knits that are have no right to be under $500 but there they are, and $192 Isa Boulder wrap-around heels that I’m playing chicken with in my cart.
Ditto cool, edgy, younger-skewing but not infantile, zeitgeisty without veering overly trendy, we have SSENSE. It’s not the SSENSE sale, but you can get 15% off your next order with code FW2021. Consider some of the Rave Review, The Frankie Shop, new Isa Boulder, or exclusive Collina Strada that just landed on site.
There’s also: Good American celebrates its five-year anniversary with 20% off sitewide using code 5YEARS; athleisure brand Atelier Manola is dropping FW21 by 20% for a limited time; Frame’s sale goes up to 40% off with a bunch of new things just added; and Savage x Fenty is running a promo for XTRA VIP customers extending 65% off everything, with the caveat that you need to cancel your membership tier within a few days if you don’t want to get charged $45.
What else
At Nordstrom, a spotlight on kids’ knits that includes a colorful new collection from YanYan (who make really good adult knits, too). A similar kids’ curation can be found at SSENSE—it’s no mistake this is all happening right around the time even those who don’t have kids themselves are beginning to think about shopping for kids’ things. Who’s the lucky niece or nephew in your life who’ll be wearing Off-White?
On their respective paths towards transparency, Chloé and Good American have each achieved B Corp certification, meaning the non-profit B Lab has recognized their social and environmental impacts as up to standard. As part of this acknowledgment, both companies will be paying a percentage of profits towards the organization to further its mission. Gabriela Hearst of Chloé is being further and more specifically celebrated for her efforts, receiving the Sustainability Award from Fashion Group International.
More retailer gift guides have arrived—check out Nordstrom’s, Saks’, and Farfetch’s.