055: Shop the doc, the doc you shop
A community shopping spreadsheet, plus Prada Paradoxe, Dries Beauty, and a nothing-over-$100 sale.
Over the weekend, in an effort to gauge folks’ shopping vibrations leading up to fall, I cast a line out to my IG followers in the form of some pretty simple Story questions: What are the top three things on your seasonal wishlist? The last three things you bought? The one thing you wore most this summer? Et al.
Obviously—and ‘00s Cosmo and ‘10s Buzzfeed can each attest to this—surveys are fun! The response rate was higher than I’d expected, a few hundred, maybe over a thousand(!), submissions all in all. Honestly, it’s incredibly hot, sloppy, uncut raw data that some brand or agency would probably pay a bit of money for, but why do that when I could have so much more fun unloading it here.
Like I said, it’s a messy amount of information, so I’m compiling it all into a Google spreadsheet that’s fairly comprehensive (although I did at some point stop logging exact duplicates while inputting answers) and largely shoppable.
The majority of queries are either linked to the exact item submitted by a contributor, or they point to a suggested buy (from me), based on a more generalized response.
Here’s the doc.
One of the pulpiest parts of reading through all of these was seeing those duplicate/triplicate/greater multiplicate answers. I don’t know what Magasin is if not a horizontal social shopping platform, and these synchronicities are our bottom-up trend forecast.
You’ll see for yourself in the spreadsheet, but some of the loudest alignments include ’90s/’00s Prada shoes in virtually every style (heeled flip-flops, loafers, pumps, hiking boots, etc.), plus bags, pants, and more; Saks Potts everything; the “perfect” (maybe black) trousers; flat knee-high boots—it’s impossible to overstate how much people are jonesing for knee-high boots right now; (sometimes pleated) long and midi skirts, especially with knee-high or cowboy boots; ballet flats, again and again; tabi boots, heels, flats; adidas Sambas; The Row pants and jeans; Pleats Please; skirts/dresses over pants; Totême fall basics (coats, scarves, sweaters); vintage Balenciaga City bags; and oversized button-downs! Many, many times over. Often linen.
I want to keep this doc alive and ever-growing, so if you’re up for submitting your own responses to the prompts, you can reply directly to this email or use this Google Form. I’ve also made the spreadsheet totally shareable, so send it to the group chat, put it on Instagram, or drop it in your work Slack’s most somber companywide channel.
Aside from that, it’s a she-hulk of a week for shopping, so don’t neglect all the coquettish sales and news-you-can-use below the fold.
What’s new
Among the biggest shopping news over the past week was the announcement of Prada Paradoxe, a new fragrance represented by Emma Watson, who serves as the face of the product as well as the director (her debut!) of the campaign video. Prada has other perfumes on the market, of course, but Paradoxe’s coincidence with a new @pradabeauty Instagram account points towards a next chapter for the brand that speculators are betting will include makeup and skincare. The scent, launched yesterday on Sephora, is being framed in terms of its technical résumé—like the inclusion of proprietary Serenolide, a “new and revolutionary musk molecule”—as well as its floral-amber musk with notes of bergamot, neroli, and Madagascar vanilla.
J.Hannah has swiftly cornered the chic nail polish market by refusing to position her line as a beauty brand. With high-end and demi-fine jewelry as a complementary category offering, it makes sense she’s culled learnings from the fine metal and gemstone worlds—craft, quality, mysticism—and unleashed them upon nail lacquer by way of a serious investigation into color theory. A new line of shades, called Glacés, launches with Gamay, a translucent, wine-stained polish that goes on sheer and is buildable with each coat.
Even though Dries was notably absent from the women’s personality fashion compass meme, my heart of hearts knows it’s both deeply horny and marginally low-maintenance: a platonic ideal when it comes to anything cosmetics-related. It’s fitting, then, that Dries Van Noten Beauty is easily the most magnetic foray from a luxury brand into the space in a loooong time—including Prada Paradoxe. The line, available exclusively at Saks, has me urgently inspecting items I’ve never had a use for ($73 lip brush) and gleaning that I will simply die if I don’t get ahold of the most collectible of the lot ($305 perfume, $135 comb).
Tennis-core meets tech minimalism with the Rothy’s x Evian collab made for the courts. The accessory collection, which includes a racket bag, visor, and slip-on sneaker among other items, feels like it comes straight from Little Nicky’s heaven, so pearly white and foam-soft and free of sin. The line’s wealth adjacency and fussy cleanliness hint at a (probably not intentional) kink that makes these pieces tempting targets for cheeky late-summer parties.
Mansur Gavriel has reimagined its runaway hit Bucket Bag in three new styles: Movimiento, Twist, and Confetti. A chunky resin chain, contrast leather cinch, and gold-ended top-handle are new choose-your-own-adventure features on the minis, available in MG’s signature spot-on colors. The brand’s also just released its Mini Cloud Clutch in even more colors, including Cerulean, Fern, and Chocolate.
Coach, by comparison, gets unbearably cutesy with a short stack of anthropomorphized mini satchels it’s dubbed the “Coachies”: Dreamie, Sweetie, Sparkie, Winkie, and Groovie. Going by the press release, each of these SKUs is supposed to convey a persona for young shoppers to align with (“the perky leader of the pack,” “the slightly sarcastic beauty,” “the laidback, off-beat one”), but the gag is really that they all just look like Minions.
Masami Hosono and Laura Chautin’s sweetly quirky wedding was proof enough that the world is ready for a Sandy Liang bridal collection, Chautin’s dress a sneak peek from the designer several weeks before the line landed on her site. The relaxed babydoll styles are tender, even a little timid, but self-knowing all the while.
Yeezy Gap by Balenciaga continues to trickle into stores, finally available to buy on the spot after several clamoring pre-order windows over the last year. Second-skin tees and tanks are the best gets IMO, and I’m obligated to report that the muscle tee I purchased during one such pre-order event and have been wearing for the last few weeks is truly very good. Comfortable, ultra-sleek ’n’ chic, and less hypebeast-y in action than the whole hullaballoo surrounding launch would suggest.
Shaker furniture was always bound to be the next wave since Mid-Century’s co-option by homeware’s fast fashion equivalents completed and Memphis style became equally reduced to its cheapest parts, but a new venture between Raf Simons and Danish textile company Kvadrat has now fully named it the Thing (even if only by name). The Shaker System, as the endeavor is called, ranges from small home goods to apparel to accessories, meant to be displayed along a singular wall-hung horizontal bar that arguably still has a bit to garner from actual Shaker style.
There’s also: Miaou’s FW22 first drop has hit site, with lots of colorblocked paisley and ‘90s-worshiping patterns draped sensuously across butts and bosoms; NYC-based online concept shop Maiden Name introduces jewelry; exclusive Dos Swim lands at SSENSE; Moda Operandi bags a Tae Park trunkshow feat. bodice-forming tops and boyfriend-drawer-inspired bottoms; obviously Moda’s on its hot-girl shit because it’s also just launched Mirror Palais on trunkshow, where the notoriously e’er sold-out romantic dresses and femme separates are blessedly on pre-order for the next two weeks; Simon Miller just launched the Mini Sasi Bag and already most colors are down to their final few; Gucci’s Love Parade Collection lands at SSENSE; Eytys launches a limited, upcycled capsule alongside Paris couturier Sevali, remixing deadstock fabrics and whole garments from the brand’s archive, plus Eytys welcomes a new sneaker, Santos; the third drop from Acne’s FW22 collection lands with a self-portrait campaign shot by South African artist Christopher Smith; Rowing Blazers does “après-ski of the golf world” with its 19th Hole collection; Betsey Johnson drops a birthday collection in honor of its founder’s 80th; Uniqlo x Inès de la Fressange is back for FW22; Skims launches a shaping swim collection, and so goes to bed the phrase “Spanx for the beach”… although maybe this is one of those ecommerce cliches that haunts only my brain; the bow-legged jeans movement takes a W with Evelane’s new Utility Barrell Leg Pants; LA-based boutique LCD celebrates its 10th anniversary with exclusives from Collina Strada, Sandy Liang, and SVNR; Mudd Pearl launches a silver collection; Our Place releases its best-selling pot and pan in (slightly) mini versions—useful and adorable!!; and everybody loves Emma Chamberlain, which makes the new Ganni x Levi’s collection, whose campaign she stars in, also implicitly lovable—it’s a good thing the whole deal is supremely wearable.
What’s on sale
If you’re shopping for fall already, Net-A-Porter’s sale is an essential stop on your tour. Clothes and shoes from now to the ass end of the year are up to 80% off, and in fact it’s actually incredible how apt for the current season the most discounted pieces are. A few suggestions: a perfect Rosie Assoulin dress with a build-in knit vest, the ultimate fall The Row boots for $278 if you’re a size 42 (sorry I copped the last 37), and a Commission jacket you’d have attached to your body the whole season.
Saks Potts, crowned most coveted in the doc by popular vote, also happens to be on sale. Its summer sale is 50% off, bringing excellent trans-seasonal goods and sought-after categories (colorful trenches! leather outerwear!) into highly digestible price ranges.
With Jean’s online warehouse sale brags “nothing over $100,” which earns it immediate clicks from my IP. This Miaou- and I.AM.GIA-adjacent brand has a large but not troublingly sized collection of ‘70s-by-way-of-’90s prints in flirty cuts. And while there are plenty of items as low as $20, sizing is still generously available. I can’t imagine it’ll stay that way long.
Even if you’ve never heard or Ashley Rowe, you’d probably find something on her site you’d be driven to buy. More so now, because she’s currently running an archive sale that reaches up to 90% off. We’re talking a lot about the season change, and not to beat a dead horse, but tons of the stuff included feels extremely apt for navigating the weather shift with personality: sophisticated neons, expressive accessories—I cherish my Ashley Rowe hat—and comforting creams and whites. It’s all incomprehensibly cheap at this moment, too.
No.6 Store ushered in a wave of new arrivals, and with them, a massive merchandise shift towards the sale section. Highlights include tabi Mary Janes from the brand’s Drogheria Crivellini collab, Santangelo jewelry, and Dubie thong wedges.
Dear Frances has caught some heat recently for its somewhat derivative shoe styles, but I maintain that even though some of its designs are more obviously “inspired” (say, The Row’s mesh slippers, but not), the collection at large is of its own accord, and the quality is undeniably there—quality that you can now find at up to 40% off.
There’s also: Reformation is finally on sale, and tons of pieces are 50% off; Merlette adds a bunch more items and deeper discounts to its sale section; most items in Miaou’s summer sale are under $100; Hem’s hosting a sitewide 20-40% off sale on its high-design home goods and furniture; not our usual bread and butter, but Barnes & Noble is having a pretty wild 50% off sale at its Book Haul event; Maison Essentiele’s seasonal sale is up to 60% off; it’s that time again! Arak's’ annual swim sale is on; Everybody.World—which is not Entire.World nor is it Ending Soon.World—is discounting its basics at up to 70% off; Wold Circus (a top jewelry brand in my rotation) is extending an extra 20% off sale with CYASUMMER20; Emily Ratajkowski’s swim brand Inamorata is 30% off sitewide with PARADISE; there’s a ton of below-$150 minimalist shoes on sale at Flattered’s summer sale; Belle the Label’s entire site is 20% off with NEWCUSTOMER, and it looks like they’re taking notes on the textures of the downtown crowd, with sheer, drawstring midi skirts and corded, beaded belts; take 25% off Costa Brazil’s body collection with SUMMERBODY; Peony Swim’s end-of-season sale brings beachwear and apparel down by 30%; to all those looking for colorful trenches and chunky knits, take an extra 20% off Nour Hammour’s sale with EXTRA20; the Browns sale—now up to 60% off—is ending soon, so make haste; Gimaguas’ SS22 collection is now 30% off; Matchesfashion’s high-summer sale is teetering on the edge at 70% and is threatening to end at any minute; and, by the way, did you know the SSENSE sale is still on?
I may earn some money if you make a purchase through one of the links above. If you liked this post from Magasin, why not share it?
Do you by any chance have a screenshot of the women's fashion compass you shared in this article? Went to show it to a friend and looks like it's completely gone :(
The doc is incredible.