150: Future-shopping the Paris runways
A comprehensive game plan for where to direct your coin come spring (and right now).
Welcome to Future Shopper, a special-edition send rounding up the best runway pieces to budget for next season (with see-now-buy-now insights throughout). Today, with PFW in the rear view mirror, we’re looking back at the things we’re most likely to be purchasing come Spring ‘24. See the New York Spring ‘24 Future Shopper here.
If John Galliano has been asleep at the wheel of Margiela while little sister brand MM6 turned out the more interesting pieces of the two for the past few seasons, he certainly woke the fuck up for SS24. Alongside a parade of new, inventive tabi styles to covet and collect—brogues, fisherman brogues, Mary Jane slip-on sneakers á la Vans—came other tempting pieces like a standalone collar, gathered suiting shorts, and a mesh bag (also seen recently at Proenza).
What to buy now: Tabis, of course. And classic white Vans you could feasibly DIY with some white paint. To achieve the mesh bag-in-bag look, there are a handful of pre-owned Lemaire silk totes that would gracefully transform any leather wallet or clutch accordingly.
I didn’t hear anyone talk about the Carven show, so I had no idea I’d love it this much until seeing it on Vogue Runway. A top three for me, even! With Louise Trotter as its newest CD via Joseph and Lacoste, my wishlist is full from this collection alone; specifically the taffeta trenches, sheer culottes, gray flattish square toe mules, cord necklaces, sheer undercarriage skirts over coats, melange wool matching shell and blazer—will this mark the return of the shell?—a sheer nylon button down like those at Tory B and Lauren M, great-colored XXL clutches, chunky crochet flats, silk puffy parkas. Plentyyyyyy and then some.
What to buy now: The satin parka is kind of giving this Khaite coat from a few seasons ago, and I’m reminded of this Nomia dress for some reason. Maria McManus is doing equally compelling wool melange suiting, with a twist. As for the cord necklaces, my mental trifecta is The Row’s comb, Lemaire’s castanet, and Niccolo Pasqualetti’s hair-netted alabaster stone (back this season, btw).
A lot to drink in at The Row, but my greatest shopping takeaways are the jelly sandals (there were water shoes everywhere this season) in fun red and turquoise, a dungaree-fastening bag, lots of nylon including a white tracksuit, and towel styling that may lead to some earnest terry scarving.
What to buy now: It is with a heavy heart that I say, Los Angeles Apparel has a great jelly flat in a bunch of up-to-par colors like celery green and red—they’re $18. Nylon looms large for spring, but Tibi’s on the ball for fall already.
I don’t know why I was nervous as to whether Miu Miu was doomed to tumble under its Lotta Volkova wave this season—clearly it’s surfing the swell of attention and praise, as evidenced by the deemed-instantly-necessary gear: board shorts to usurp the top spot from basketball and track bottoms, water sandals and boat shoes, and stripy coastal prep. Mixed-in tuxedo shirts also seen at Tibi and Stella McCartney will be a fun one. And Miu Miu x New Balance sneakers will be impossible to get your hands on.
What to buy now: The move to footwear fit for the docks is inevitable. I’m really into how these corded Tevas look (and for $40!), even if they’re not a one-to-one match. And as for boat shoes, Sperrys are obvious, but I like these G.H.Bass ones for the role better. Relatedly, remember these Keens?
The Issey Miyake show had already started without its attendees picking up on it—performers playing ambient music as guests arrived wore lightweight layered whites that were an extension of the collection that’d roll out once the runway began—a layered pant and loose tank were a fave. VIPs from the procession were all of the twisted, sheer gauze pieces, the color gradient jersey dress, what I’m calling a “washing machine swirl” dress, and those slim Vibram-sole sneakers.
That to buy now: I won’t be satisfied by dupes, but naturally a lot of the pieces on show were extensions of past and current season Issey; these triacetate white pants and orchid pleated top feel akin.
Dries Van Noten was a funny, funny show. Amid the Harry Potter stoner prep and Miu Miu SS10-esque bird print were quirky pieces with character and sexuality. Insane shoes (feels like actually high heels will be back soon), resin top handle bags, high-slit trenches, heavy beaded vests, smart shorts suits…things that are a lot without being too much.
What to buy now: Pillage The RealReal for old Dries that feels more contemporary than ever in light of this collection (this blazer, this striped shirt, this vest, this shoe).
I had ren faire on my moodboard for the season, and apparently so did Yohji Yamamoto (as he often does tbh) who’s promised us tightly spaced buttons like those I lauded from Jil Sander ‘91 last send. Also coming for spring are brogues and bowling shoes, great shapely blazers, and modest dresses that would have greatly pleased loyal wearer Carolyne Besette Kennedy.
What to buy now: A bit of a departure palette-wise but, plucked straight from my moodboard, Birrot’s got a great tightly buttoning blazer, Lemaire has this cardigan, and I have the white version of this Toast, big reccomend.
I’m workshopping a theory that Bottega Veneta is just Loewe without a sense of humor. More on that to come. J.W.Anderson is thankfully still having a grand old time with Loewe, where next season’s commercial hits come in the form of hairy suede Birken-nots, leather bags that loop through secret passageways of matching coats, and perpetually bunched sweaters (I will make you mine).
What to buy now: Birkenstock’s Big Buckle Gizeh was the blueprint for Loewe’s latest heel and its felted Bostons also feel relevant, but both are guaranteed to cost less at $150 and $120 respectively.
What Balenciaga was calling a “return to form,” I call low hanging merch opps: a key-ring hair tie and keychain-laden bags, “suitcase” purses, Key Foods bags likely made from leather, Nascar-ish logo hoodies (yawn). Only a few caring pieces slipped through, but most important to me was the shoe bag, apparently a real bag.
What to buy now: Seek out the antithesis of this. Get a great handmade sweater that will feel good against your skin. Go walk barefoot on grass. Take a THC gummy and have any conversation that’s not about Demna, or irony, or being canceled.
Y/Project issued new invisible strap pieces, fishing wire holding up tops and dresses, plus CD Glenn Martens has introduced an edit of simply stunning scarf-collared coats and blazers. Sacai is also looking especially elegant with ballooning crepe de chine blouses and knits with side snaps, ribbon-edged tanks, and leather pouch bags.
What to buy now: Pre-order Y/Project’s original invisible strap ribbed tank in black and white (it looks especially banging on men). Sacai’s balloon shapes ring a bell of Loewe’s leather blouson jacket that I had a chance to buy for under a grand last year, a failure to act that still haunts me.
At Ann Demeulemeester, a quick and effective course correction after a single season of Ludovic—I’m eager to play with Stefano Gallici’s leather apron tops and dresses, multi-strap belts, and long chore trenches when they land on racks. From Acne, a second washing machine swirl dress (I am intent on making this a thing), in white and gray with unmatched swishiness in movement. Victoria Beckham also belongs here this season, with tons of t-shirt and jersey knit experimentation. I’m loving a pair of t-shirt pants and those floppy boots.
What to buy now: What we’re essentially talking about with the above is really good leather, and really good jersey. Rick Owens didn’t make sense to include in this guide—there were a lot of amazing shows omitted because they didn’t offer obvious commercial relevance to the tastes of this newsletter, down to the garment or accessory level—but I think past or current season pieces will satisfy both of those categories. This t-shirt dress and leather column skirt succinctly sum it up.
Peter Do felt like a shakeup after his dull landing at Helmut earlier this season, but his namesake brought precise and emotional pieces like a red and white chiffon dress and jewelry by AllBlues. The most anticipation comes from the pieces that’ll be released in an upcoming Banana Republic collab—the City Coat and Tuxedo Drill Trousers have landed on my LIST. Korean brand Low Classic brought inspiredly layered tailoring that it paired with wrestling boots.
What to buy now: The BR x PD lineup will go live in less than a week—save your dollars for October 10! A good sporty boot option are the Puma Mostro Altas I saw at Paolina Russo during CPHFW, and these shorter Asics are extremely good and under $85.
Lauren Manoogian’s showroom was wall-to-wall with spring styles that’d realistically all improve one’s wardrobe in some way or another. If I had to pick, though, my ultimate edit includes a tailored cotton vest; single-ream skirts and dresses that drive south and then U-turn back up to reattach at the waist or shoulder, creating a satisfying loop; nylon suit separates; and leather elasticated flats. Mame Kurogouchi went the way of embossed white denim, while there’s a certain iridescent hazy purple twisted dress holding onto me. Issey alumnus CFCL’s silver knits resonate similarly, as do its layerable strapless dresses.
What to buy now: I wore a bunch of Lauren Manoogian last week, so, that? Mame Kurogouchi has an incredible Uniqlo intimates line with cool pieces you should also wear publicly—e.g. heattech tabi socks, a mesh long sleeve. At the CFCL show, I loved the spongey pants the attendants were wearing and have tracked them down in white and blue.
Paris’ counter culture spun out some highly wearable pieces—Kiko Kostadinov gave us brogue sneakers and crumpled nylon vests and parkas. Ottolinger put out multi-zip and multi-button Oxford shirts raw-edge pinstripe shorts, lovely massive knits. Similarly, All-In released a couple Oxford bodysuits with knit overlays. And Vaquera’s retail successes look to be a new iteration of its jersey knit nipple-twist top, Rosalía-worn beret, and a couple key oversized rosettes. Newcomer Marie Adam-Leenaerdt (a.k.a. Marlastar) made a swimming pool-print dress I simply must possess, likewise with the pinched outerwear, double bags, and swimsuit dress.
What to buy now: That Marlastar pool dress reminded me of an Old Navy tank top I had when I was a kid, which sent me down a rabbit hole of other swimming pool prints through the ages—Jimmy Choo patent flats, a Kate Spade clutch, Nike Air Maxs, a Margiela SS15 graphic tee.
We’re entering what I’m referring to internally as the “Scandi corner”—after a successful Copenhagen Fashion Week, a ton of Danish and Swedish brands made their way over to Paris to either put on shows or host showrooms. My original coverage of CPHFW can be found here, and everything below is new info.
Cecilie Bahnsen iterated on its cultish language of volume and ethereality, moving further into red. One skirt from the runway—the Universe skirt—is as complex and intricate as its name belies, and I’m gravitating to some mesh pants akin to those from Carven. I have something to say about Remain by Birger Christensen. I think, due to the proximity with sister brand Rotate, which by the way is the fastest growing brand in its category, Remain gets the reputation of being “fast fashion-y” or low quality. Seeing the clothes up close, I’'m surprised how far from the truth that is. The fabrics are gorgeous and the tailoring is absolutely THERE. In town, I picked up a pair of goatskin suede pants that look almost identical to a pair from the Marni runway.
Also in the realm of great day-to-day clothes, By Malene Birger had a room full of items I wish I’d spent more time around. There was a tonal strapless knit dress (maybe it was a long skirt?) that I don’t have anything similar to and could see myself wearing a LOT. Likewise a fitted leather jacket with a hook and eye closure. I spoke a lot about Mark Kenly Domino Tan in my CPHFW coverage, but there’s more to say, still: the slippers (!), the double-layered head wraps, the knit sweatpants with belt loops (so good). Sister brands Rue De Tokyo and Lovechild 1979 were also very impressive to visit with, where I took away a stong desire for a knitted navy t-shirt and a heavy twill jacket.
Swedish cashmere brand Linnea Lund (which I also wore during the week) was a strong new discovery. Just have to recommend again. Sophie Bille Brahe, the jewelry designer who has the girls in a chokehold, released an extended collection of her version of signet rings. And the tea from Ganni is that, based on internal orders, this boot is almost guaranteed to be the next viral item from the brand (I love it and can see it happening).
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Images self-shot, via Vogue Runway, brand lookbooks, and brand Instagram accounts.
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Doing the lords work.
Haha low hanging merch...iconic