093: To shop is to err, to err is to be human
093: To shop is to err, to err is to be human
Plus "The Devil Wears Prada" Chanel blazer on sale, Reformation's latest linen collection, and Tory Burch SS23 starts trickling in.
It was a shopping week—as per usual. I bought a Nicklas Skovgaard bolero from Holly Golightly (a close match to the cap I recommended in the last Broadsheet), loose-and-low Agolde jeans (also featured in that send), a pair of more fitted low-rise jeans from System, Toteme sunglasses that give me heavy Donatella vibes, and a Khaite wool bustier top—the shirt version of Coco Baudelle’s drop-dead NYFW Uma dress.
It was also, and I don’t talk about this nearly enough, a returns week. A Paris Georgia button-down that didn’t hang the way I had imagined, an Homme Plisse long-sleeve that wasn’t oversized enough, and a late ‘90s Gucci top that I cursed my boobs for bursting out of.
Nothing more or less to say here than sometimes online shopping has its inefficiencies. If I have to buy to try, then so be it! But also, thank god for free returns on SSENSE (and that The RealReal actually lets me send back vintage that doesn’t work), so that I can continue to learn through experiencing. To shop is to err, and for that I am human.
What’s new
Could anything possibly be more of a harbinger of spring than linen making its recommencement? Reformation has released its first linen collection of the year, some several hundred styles cut from the breathable fabric with the precise shapes and trimmings to make them feel 2023 above all else. A ‘90s Donna Karan-esque strapless linen column dress, lace-trim camisole, monochrome two-piece set, and precisely proportioned button-down in the flax reassert just why Reformation is the uniform through the warm months.
Haranguing Tory Burch to release its Spring ‘23 collection last send seems to have done some good, as the first pieces from the brand’s critically praised lineup have begun trickling online. The earliest to come count the Ella Bio Tote—an extension of the “Miller” logo thread tracing back through many chapters of the Tory Burch story—and the Pierced Flat Slingback, definitively parked in the “new Tory” camp. (If the link is showing the shoes as sold out, revisit in an hour or so, the style should be back online shortly.)
The democratization of Linda Farrow, by way of a nine-piece collaboration with COS, refused to forfeit any of the markers of quality and thoughtful design that earned the sunglass brand its industry accolades in the first place. While the mainline shades typically run just under $500, the high-street iterations in boxy acetate and with loopy metal rims settle around the $200 mark.
For point collectors or terminal droppers-in, Glossier’s abated-breath launch at Sephora is a biggie. Could just be me, but seeing the brand’s tightly edited skincare and makeup in the context of Sephora’s vast beauty repertory reminds me what a good value a few of my favorites like Lash Stick, Boy Brow, and After Baume are. If the intended effect was a re-up, it worked.
In other optical news, the Maison Margiela x Gentle Monster capsule launched today, folding GM’s sporty, wraparound silhouettes into a larger and more sensitive story—one flourished the the signature Margiela four-stitch finish on the temples of the sunglasses and prescription frames.
Though the notion of putting clothing up for resale might elicit brutal flashbacks of hours spent at Buffalo Exchange or The RealReal, watching helplessly as your previously loved pieces were summarily dismissed as unworthy of a new lease on life, Lisa Says Gah!’s new initiative, “Say Gah Again,” relaxes the ordeal. After a simple listing process, sellers will receive pre-paid shipping labels to ferry their benched LSG pieces to their new owners, then receive a cash or LSG store credit payout.
Moda Operandi’s well-advised Tab Vintage trunkshow is back for another round, this time with a focus on bridal—smart! Betrothed seeking only the most singular pieces from the annals of fashion history can shop the archives for Issey Miyake sets, Céline suits, and Galliano gowns.
Melissa’s wizardry with materials is deployed playfully in a new capsule with Undercover, all chunky PVC and cheeky juxtapositions of romance with a catch—a purse’s plastic bow is cut to resemble razor blades while thorny spikes peek out from under a fairytale rose on a pair of tan slides.
There’s also: Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, the emerging designer whose freshman show I recently waxed on here (and whose Napkin Dress was my birthday fit last year), opens up her fall collection for pre-order; in its Ramadan capsule, Stine Goya cuts lush fabrics into modest, elegant shapes for a month’s worth of comfort and understated glamor; with three distinct lines, “studio,” “intense,” and “seamless,” Repetto ventures into the athleisure sphere, from dancerly wrap tops to high-tech bras; and creative director-slash-stylist to the stars Julia von Boehm designs a capsule for Nomasei full of shimmering, rhinestone-studded crew socks and loafers with special touches like a sculptural accent of a golden hand pressed onto the vamp.
What’s on sale
I came across the current Desordre sale kind of by accident, and while there are a lot of site features that usually turn me off (like having to hover to see the brand and price, no infinite scroll), the current buy and extent of the discounts have kept me on the page for far longer than I typically tolerate. The merchandising centers on tasteful hot-girl brands like Paris Georgia, Khaite, Aya Muse, Christopher Esber, Dion Lee, Supriya Lele, and Magda Butrym, which tend to go for around $400–$1,200 elsewhere. Here, prices are frequently in the low $100–$200s. This is a great place to clean up if you’re looking for things to wear “out.”
It doesn’t always make sense to me when The RealReal hosts sales, as its prices are largely conjured on the spot with some algorithmic and intuitive magic, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less compelled by the prices. It’s current Real Big Sale reaches up to 75% off, and folds in some unlikely subjects whose costs one wouldn’t expect to see in red. A mirror-shine patent Gucci bamboo bag from our Deep Winter Issue, a Bottega Veneta inrecciato hobo like the one I’ve been screaming about for weeks, and the “Are you wearing the…” Chanel blazer from The Devil Wears Prada don’t even scratch the surface of what this sale is capable of.
Garmentory’s Spring Soon sale is more coherent and well-curated than many other seasonal sales, despite its offerings (at a 30% discount) numbering in the thousands. Groovy colorways of Eckhaus Latta’s lapped tees, powdery pink Pleats Please cardigans, and glowy Paloma Wool pieces under $100 are all springy in their optimism, and an entire section of vintage wares is stuffed with gems like this one-of-a-kind, abalone-encrusted baguette bag for less than $60. This might be a sale that warrants a thorough comb-through, as several under-the-radar brands with impressive stocks might be sifted out if your filters are too orthodox.
Nu Swim’s immaculately cut, giddily colored swimsuits are available at huge discounts in its Online Sample Sale, where tangerine bikini bottoms for $35 and the Pistachio one-piece suit, with its sweeping scoop neck, is $70. Less colorful but no less worthy of our spring wardrobe budgets are the organic cotton clothes on offer, most notably the Magasin staff-tested (and worn gratuitously every week since) Shell Tank, just cropped and fitted enough to feel sexy while never shirking coverage and comfort.
I’ve maligned brands in the past by the simple misstep of skipping over their sales. An extremely deep-reaching Studio Sale happening over at Altuzarra through the end of today has awakened me to this label for its adventures in femme-presenting pieces with gender-eluding finishes. Pretty picnic ginghams are met with “butch” jersey and satin separates. It’s surprising and quite sexy.
A modest handful of Peter Do pieces have been marked down even more as the brand scrapes the bottom of the FW22 barrel. What is available is not simply the abject dregs a sale cannot even glamorize, but a sophisticated, double-take-inducing spin on the humble turtleneck, five-and-a-half-inch heeled boots made for STORMING into or out of any given situation, and a truly inexplicable leather trench scarf, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you’ve seen a successful styling of this piece, please report back.
The ghosts of Anna Sui seasons past are floating around for 50% off. Alpaca sweaters, the platonic ideal of a pinstripe jacket, and 2010s-esque platform creepers (it would not be a surprise to see these cycle back into the trend lineup soon) don’t take themselves too seriously but don’t try too hard for insouciance; one could slip into these pieces with the ease and pleasure of a birthday kid in their favorite party outfit.
Get 50% off a selection of Camperlab’s footwear until midnight with LABFEB23. Pieces such as cerulean, lug-soled loafer-boot chimeras and sculpturally laced leather slip-ons showcase Camperlab’s experimental, ad hoc, but always sturdy sensibility.
Take 15% off Mila Sullivan’s elaborate, hand-sewn, wearable collages with NYFW15. We gravitated towards the sheer, lacy Juliet Dress the color of a chalky blue pill and the complex, craggy Prima Ballerina Blouse with a translucent silk “scarf” draped over the decolletage.
Réalisation is holding a ceremonious farewell sale for last seasons’ leftovers, with a selection of tops and dresses in sultry cuts and cutesy patterns for $150 or less, including the tiger-print stunner we had our eyes on last year.
For its annual “Shepherd’s Sale” to raise money to sponsor youth from Getafe Refugee Center in Madrid, as part of an ongoing partnership with CEAR (Spain Commission for Refugees), Babaà will donate 50% of the proceeds from a selection of discounted knits that range from boxy tees to classic, nabbed-from-Grandpa’s-closet jumpers and more.
Tibi’s end of season sale is a sight for our sore, sun-deprived eyes. Its chromatic intensity, in everything from magma-red garment-washed jeans to boots the shade of a perfect green crayon, unadulterated by the waxy muck that builds up over time, is where the selection creates its standout moments.
There’s also: If you can wade through the bureaucracy of Corridor’s elaborate buy-more-save-more sale structure (all sale is 15% off, and more details are in the banner at the website’s head), high-quality menswear from esoteric, inventive brands is yours for the cheap-er; and Clyde’s homey, laid-back knit caps, bonnets, and balaclavas are 50% off, bringing all the prices down to sub-$155.
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With contributions from Em Seely Katz