139: What's new in used?
Plus Bode womenswear, Reformation's 50% off sale, and Barnes & Noble's hardcover clearance.
I got to preview The RealReal’s resale report early this week, which got me thinking about how much I love these kinds of shopping insights. (Not a sponsored send BTW.) You get the birds-eye, humanities view that shows you what shopping looks like as an ocean of cumulative purchasing decisions, and then you get every gritty grain of sand—show me the exact brands everyone is chasing! Show me what little bag we all want right now!
According to a thredUP survey from April of this year, the resale market is going to be worth $350 billion by 2027, putting it at about 18% of the overall fashion market. By 2030, it’ll be at almost a quarter. (An amusing/alarming aside from the report is that in less than a decade, Amazon Fashion will be pulling the same weight in market shares as department stores as a whole.) It finds that 82% of Gen Z consider themselves second-hand shoppers, and two of every five pieces in their closets are pre-owned.
Naturally, you can see why resale shopping patterns matter—all the competition. I’m mostly kidding. While thredUP lists its top brands as Torrid, Lululemon, Madewell, Zara, and Free People (more grabby were the product-level best sellers including Tory Burch flip-flops, Vera Bradley weekender bags, Spanx faux-leather pants, and Hokas), The RealReal tells a story of consumers putting all of their savings into Hermes bags and Patek Philippe watches ahead of a big economic crash. If the luxury is quiet, it’s because it’s breathing into a paper bag having a panic attack right now.
The top line is: They’re buying more, less. So, fewer purchases at higher price points, including on investment bags—Birkins maintain their famously high resale returns, followed by the Chanel 22 and the Goyard Mini Anjou—and watches, with demand for vintage Rolexes up 300% and Pateks up 200% (Brynn Wallner’s impact dare I say!).
Even when not “investing,” Gen Z is buying 300% more vintage bags than in 2020 (and spending 40% more on them), their main targets being Chanel’s Classic Flap, Fendi’s Baguette, and Céline’s Macadam.
Overall, Gucci was the platform’s top-selling brand for a second year in a row, followed by Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Hermes, Dior, Saint Laurent, Fendi, Celine, and finally Bottega. I was curious to see how these tracked against the Lyst Index’s latest report on (firsthand?) retail trends, and there is some to-be-expected overlap, with Gucci at number nine, Prada in second, and Bottega in fifth, among others.
Lyst’s top choice, Loewe, plus Miu Miu (fourth) and Valentino (in sixth), only appear in The RealReal’s honorary “zeitgeist” section, crediting Barbie for hiking the latter’s Pier Paolo pink collection up 264%. This section also nods to Loro Piana, which Lyst, too, highlights as a breakout brand, though TRR was the more correct for citing Kendall Roy as the primary influence.
While Loewe’s impact is yet to be felt in the search bar at The RealReal, it’s holding down the number-one product spot on the Lyst Index with its anagram tank (told ya), followed by Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 sneakers (told ya), and Versace Maxi Medusa Biggie sunglasses (ok this one I did not see happening, my bad).
A few last stats from The RealReal before we move on, the theme being Y2K because let’s not kid ourselves: Roberto Cavalli searches are up 160%, Plein Sud is up 938%, Anna Sui is up 1,328%, and Blumarine is up a casualllllll 4,054% !!
And finally, since I headlined this send “What’s new in used” I’m dropping a few new-in items to hit TRR recently because I went on a browsing tangent and what else is this newsletter for anyway:
The sweetest little baby YSL Mombasa for only $316 with the discount; a Bottega Intrecciato Hobo down to $676 for everyone always asking; an Anna October slip skirt that’s just $60 and will layer you through the end of summer till late fall; who knew they had Jordan Dalah on here?; another great striped polo sweater from Khaite, who’ll almost certainly be on one of these top resale lists soon; good value for a cream Pleats Please skirt set; and this Alexander McQueen dress that I secretly wish I’d gotten as my wedding dress instead of the [redacted] I have hanging on my closet door now.
What’s new
Miss Emily Bode’s long-awaited womenswear debut has finally hit site and, as some who have messaged me personally about it already know, it speaks the language of this newsletter. Oversized and under-tailored pieces find mates in perfectly flirty minis in all directions. The effect is grand and theatrical despite or maybe because of its refusal to over-do, and I say this amid all of the tassels and intricate lace and beyond-floor-lengths. The state of inventory pains me, as a ton is totally sold out (and, typical to the brand, either one-of-a-kind or very limited in numbers). The most remarkable investment left is this apple-green crochet “coverup,” or just a very good shirt.
Proenza Schouler’s FW23 collection revels in the luxury of prolonging an awkward moment—a summer day too late in the year or a winter one too early, getting your head stuck halfway through pulling on a sweater, forgetting how you started a sentence well into its middle. Memorializing these temporal hiccups, the new arrivals feature cape-like tops that transition from opaque to sheer as abruptly as a cartoon character realizing they’ve run off a cliff into thin air, perma-disheveled wool sweaters, dresses in ice-dyed velvet that feel like eating a popsicle in front of a fireplace in February, and suede bags in a crescent shape so deeply bowed they feel like an apology, or a scythe.
From jewelry to nail polish to, now, lamps. Jess Hannah’s traipse through the design world via her eponymous brand J.Hannah knows only the bounds of her ingenuity. The aluminum Table Lamp 01 and ribbed glass Table Lamp 02 are fitting for the designer’s first foray into interior, their bold, opinionated presence taking the role of jewelry in the home.
Willy Chavarria’s oversized, Cholo-inspired fits find a great partner in Dickies, the working man’s clothier-cum-collaborator to hot emerging talent. High-waisted slacks and XXL short sleeve shirts form 2023’s zoot suit, and prices are all under $250.
Target tapped Instagram twin Reese Blutstein (you know her as doubleexposure) to co-create a 33 SKU collection with its collaborative arm, Future Collective. The result is a faux leather racer jacket for $50, a mini bowling back for $30, a simple button down in two great stripe combos, and more plugged-in, affordable answers to what the girlies are wearing now.
Every newsletterer’s favorite pants brand, High Sport, has deposited a new collection on Moda Operandi, one of the only places you can buy its pieces. The famous stretch-cotton trousers are back in new silhouette and color combos, and are joined by exquisitely cut tops, dresses, and even knits in the forgiving fabric.
Brooklyn’s own Ashya has brought its singular leather bags to Nordstrom, and it’s so refreshing to see some original silhouettes grace the site. The brand’s exceptionally made pouch bags and bolo crossbodies are a welcome change up from the ubiquitous Y2K shapes plaguing the system.
It’s rare for a dress-shopping experience to feel both special and straightforward, but Sir. The Label’s limited-edition occasion capsule does, with a tight edit of seven solid-hued gowns architected in the ad hoc logic of a Lewis Caroll poem. Each dress has one thesis statement to make, from a shoulder bow bigger than a human skull to a neckline that falls in one fat teardrop down the center of the sternum.
The jewelry in Agmes’ FW23 collection is small and sharp, sweet and unrelenting, with a necklace like a pile of paperclips absentmindedly molded into loops while procrastinating, a bracelet that could be made of the silver teeth of a carnivorous flower, and rings that embrace their fingers so tenderly it’s almost overwhelming.
Cannari Concept is a new brand on the roster from the powers behind Rotate and Remain Birger Christensen, delivering a collection sartorially equivalent to the late-aughts classic, “Boom Boom Pow.” Knit jackets warp and swell in pulses like bass notes, a cyber-prim “boiler dress” is very 3008, and the wrappy diagonals of the matching “bandana” top and pants could be poeticized as next-level visuals.
Cecile Bahnsen’s FW23 collection is like a handful of candies—the Shilo dress fizzes lemon-yellow across its crinkly panniers, the asymmetrical bubble hem of the Shea top plops about the hips like a licorice drop, the Ussi pullover’s sheer mohair begs to be squished and stretched along its adjustable ribbon skeleton, and the frizzy Ute bag’s sparking silver promises something special wrapped within.
The quiet inauguration of Super Yaya’s FW23 collection on Maimoun consists of just four pieces, each heart-rendingly earnest, like a child dolled up in their first fancy outfit for a day at the circus, accidentally separated from their parents but comforted with a game of dress-up by a dignified old clown on the brink of retirement. Bows pile into a dress that defies imagination and make shy appearances on a guileless square-necked top.
With Jéan’s first gender-neutral collection, “With Weins,” reveals “gender neutrality” as an arbitrary concept, as its pieces shaded in grays like a graphite scratch pad and cut in cotton and khaki don’t differ in any essential way from the brand’s previous offerings—a refreshingly understated, though wry, approach to side-eying the idea of a clothing binary existing in the first place.
As demonstrated by the new footwear collaboration between Yume Yume and AVAVAV, sometimes brands just wanna have fun. The unholy union produced four colorways of flip-flops with Yume Yume’s classic, puffy tubes as straps, and soles carved into four “fingers” each, mimicking AVAVAV’s infamous “slimy feet” boots.
There’s also: Twitter is rightfully losing it over Le Creuset’s fruit enamelware collection—just look at this raspberry!!; Completedworks delivers a high summer jewelry capsule to Matches, positively sticky with clusters of freshwater pearls and 14kt gold; Ganni and New Balance drop a trifecta of black-n-yellow running shoes that compete tet-a-tet with Onitsuka Tiger’s; Marni’s tableware collection for Serax is of biblical proportions—120 pieces of porcelain coated in sweet floral sketches; finally breaking into the maternity sphere, Savage x Fenty launches a capsule of bralettes with nursing-friendly front panels and extra-comfy support in MILF silhouettes; Lee's collaboration with Daydreamer is all cowboys and 90s, the two aesthetics somehow united in nostalgia and utilitarian sensibilities; Moda Operandi opens its second Trunkshow with The Fifteen Percent Pledge, focusing on jewelry and home goods from Black-owned brands like Keraclay and V. Bellan; the Skims Ultimate Bra arrives on the scene to rewire your neurons into not associating push-up bras solely with eighth grade dress code violations; this year’s Ines de la Fressange FW collection for Uniqlo offers plenty of plaid and Fair Isle in its signature, louche fabrics and cuts; and Salomon’s newest collection is more athletic, less hypey than its past few drops, save for these ombré RX Mocs, sure to proliferate like a dandelion’s fluff in the wind.
What’s on sale
Reformation’s 50%-off-everything summer sale has me in a panic, opening tabs and adding to cart like the closest thing to a doorbusters Black Friday sweep on CNN any of us will actually experience in our lifetimes—short of a Chloe Sevigny closet sale, of course. So far, I’ve culled a throw-on-whenever mini, some flaxy pleated pants, a very Donna Karan silk column dress, a flouncy little, dare I say, going-out top, and these kicky flared jeans.
Failure to subvert either the aesthetic or cultural properties of “prep” (exclusivity, rigidity, wealth, seriousness) that provide kinetic energy or tension to the look, an outfit will lose steam at best, or at worst, come across as a Bush-dynasty cosplay. Luckily, new-gen Tory Burch has enough of a sense of levity to breathe life into its prep, as can be seen in its private sale spread: Until midnight tonight, we get up to 60% off a wicker “fisherman bag” complete with leather stitching and piscine talismans in silver, a structured teal purse in suede and leather woven together, daring Bottega to make its next intrecciato move, a v-neck sweater with three collars, $200 mules with door knocker-level brass hardware, and more preppy pieces that mind the gap between dressing a little uppity (fun) and acting like a busted Draco Malfoy cosplayer (not fun).
The hours I lost clicking through the pages of the very good Matches sale are gold in your pocket, or so I’m justifying this detour. It’s up to 70% off, but it’s the extra 20% off that does it for me (I am so compelled by this tactic that makes me feel like I’m hacking a discount). With EXTRA20, you can find Yuhan Wang dresses for $138, Saks Potts leather jackets for $148, Molly Goddard layer cake dresses for $322, Khaite striped cashmere sweaters for $308 (!), dark-wash Re/Done jeans for $63 (!!), and an angelic Completedwords resin ear cuff for just $24…
AF Agger, the Danish brand behind Copenhagen’s “It” trench, is hosting a sale that sadly does not include the covetable coat. It’s still a pretty good sale though, with interchangeable cotton separates in soft stripes and cool solids. This poplin sailor top is welcome to my closet anytime.
Beaufille’s fabric-twisting magic, which looks great on the mannequin and even better on the body, is as much as half off in the brand’s sale, happening now. You’ll find its Baes bodysuits, rompers, and catsuits among the lesser-known but just as impressive tailoring and even jewelry.
Dear Frances’ 75% off sample sale feels perfectly suited to those still shopping for summer—designy flip-flops, minimal slides—and those looking to fall, especially in the boot territory. It’s basically knock-off The Row, if we’re being honest, but at a caliber that’s not far off from the original.
It’s always extra-satisfying when a sale lets you explore new arrivals instead of having to interpret the dregs of half a year’s remains like symbols left by tea leaves (they always mean “Your Size is Sold Out”). Take 20% off the FW23 collections at Luisaviaroma with LVR20, and enjoy discounts on full-priced pieces like a pair of padlocked ballerina flats by JW Anderson and a wavy denim maxi skirt via Marc Jacobs.
A.W.A.K.E. Mode is having its biggest sale of the year, laying its cards on the up-to-70%-off table in triumph, because not only has it honed every style of the moment into its platonic ideal (double-waisted skirt, tightly woven pumps, puffed-up purse), but also reinvigorated, with details like toe shape, classics like the asymmetrical Dries heel, and created its own idiosyncratic geometry, with skirts made of rectangles that flutter into fractal-like ripples with each movement.
The Great Eros’ end of season sale is a tight edit, only four pairs of underwear and one bralette up to 40% off, but each is composed of a weblike lace with a pattern that, Yellow Wallpaper style, defies all interpretation and rejects apophenia. At $28 to $40 a pair, each one-size thong stretches to the wearer’s shape without losing its delicate, deliberate structure (good for wearing under tight clothes sans visible seams, too).
The Gabriel for Sach summer sale is the spot for outfitting your late summer/early fall Paris, Texas moment. Go true-to-film with the furry pink sweater, capture the essence of a beat-up red baseball cap with this nubby polo vest, or, more abstractly, reflect the dusty blue of a Wim Wenders sky in a steely mesh button-down.
Le Point is offering Magasin readers an exclusive 15% off discount on its entire store using MAGASIN15, with new arrivals like MM6 ballet pumps, light blue and askew, a buttery, fluffy midi skirt by Sandy Liang, and a Ganni dress in blue, 3D jacquard with sleeves that extend toward the sky like a butterfly’s wings.
Showing off its most saturated hues to date, with standouts like cerulean, tangerine, and plum, the CUUP up to 70% off sale is awash with underwire swim tops, bottoms, one-pieces, and cover-ups, with a few florals thrown into the mix, each piece ranging from $30 to $140.
ENDLESS-SUMMER gets you an extra 25% off already-on-sale Labucq sandals featuring chunky rubber soles, metal studs, and the delightfully named “Slog” (sandal-clog).
In an exercise of restraint and sparing you yet another dose of unsolicited mythology, we’ll simply note that Ancient Greek Sandals’ summer sale takes up to 30% offstrappy, subtle shoes named for everything from Argos to Phaedra.
There’s also: Not fashion, but pretty major that Barnes & Noble is running a 50% off hardcover books sale; Hanrej’s category-defining wrap sunglasses are, for once, included in the brand’s 40% off summer sale, among vibey caps and beanies; take 20% extra off a dizzying array of floor-length gowns, fur coats, mohair and more at Scanlan Theodore, no code needed; LoQ’s summer sale offers 25% off of braided, strappy footwear and bright, leather bags; and Solid & Striped’s biggest sale ever has brightly colored suits, cover-ups, loungewear, and more, virtually all sub-$200.
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With contributions from News Editor Em Seely-Katz
oh my god why have I not learned by now that I need to set aside 2+ hours to go through these... NSFW!!
what a joy. thank you for the research and witty writing you put into this newsletter. i've learned so much. this is media that is changing how i consume the internet, and how i consume in general...😉 (clicking the "upgrade to paid" now because it's the right thing to do.)