181: December's credit card statement is here
Plus Reformation's 70% off sale, Bode pants for $185, and Lemaire whistles us a tune.
What does before-Christmas shopping look like? There’s been some powerful riptides running through my credit cards since I last shared my buys in this space, let’s recap.
My early-December birthday had me investing in a Prada suede jacket I can see myself passing down to kids I don’t even have yet. I celebrated the occasion (my birthday, not the jacket purchase) with a weekend in the Poconos, where I traveled with the help of this Ghurka bag, an independent American leather company making products that legitimately rival the quality of some of the most fetishized European operations. When I got back, I hosted a party at my apartment where I got to wear my dream dress by Commission and felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
It should also be noted that the shoes I chose to wear with the Prada jacket on its first outing and the Commission dress were the same burgundy Reformation heels—The Row dupes, but with structural integrity.
From there, I did a spot of Christmas shopping. I bought two things off Kaitlin Phillips’ gift guides: a Charvet shirt from The RealReal at a criminally low price (I know the seller’s eyes were doing backflips in their skull) and a gift for a baby—if you are said baby’s mom, avert your eyes!—a sloth finger puppet. Also for baby, I bought an Emily Dawn Long crochet hat in its tiniest size, and for the parents, a linen-covered photo album from the German company Bindewerk.
For the Jewish Christmas meals I have coming up over the next couple of days, I made a pit stop into Kalustyan's for various giftable boxes of halva, dates, and turrón.
December is when my shopping switch gets flipped from fashion to home projects. The month as a whole is a big nesting event. In the last couple weeks, I’ve geared my focus on the bathroom, purchasing this Crate & Barrel shower curtain whose thin black outline reminded me of Ana Kras’ collaboration with &Drape. With it, I got a couple Tekla bathmats (the black works great against the curtain and tile pattern) and these green linen hand towels that complement the olive walls.
In the living spaces, bigger things: a Louis Poulsen NJP floor lamp that I have set up atop the bedroom dresser—I like how the exaggerated height makes the room feel bigger by drawing your eye upward—and a Stamátios Fragos wooden dowel lamp the emits the warmest, most comforting light. Yesterday, I claimed a stunning wooden trunk from Good Behavior, my favorite reasonably priced antique dealer on Instagram.
There’s still a week left of 2024, and the commerce landscape suggests to me my shopping might not yet be done. The SSENSE sale marches onward at increasingly tempting discounts, Tory Burch keeps adding new styles, and my personal traffic to the Credo skincare pages suggest a beauty breakout is imminent.
What’s new
The Lemaire Bird Call release felt very targeted at me personally. A series of wonderfully decorated ash and maple wood whistles each emit a unique tune that mimics the song of a bird—a seagull, a tern, a goldfinch. Their outside patterns are painted to match the feathers of the bird it mimics. Each hangs on a leather cord to be worn around the neck, making them the inevitable next gen of precious objects as jewelry (see: The Row’s comb, Lemaire’s castanet, etc.).
The familiarity—future nostalgia, maybe—that Bally’s SS24 collection inspired has shifted the brand’s public reception, even ahead of new CD Simone Bellotti’s first delivery coming sometime in the new year. One can more readily appreciate the brand’s Stranger Things-esque retro color palette and endearing Alpine logo knits in its latest Mountain Capsule having had an eyeful of the preppy thrift store fantasy to come.
Two previous posts have aimed to dress you for the holidays, but if you’re still unsatisfied, Bona Drag’s new arrivals will have you fully fitted by New Year’s for very reasonable prices: a Signe dress for $110, a Gil Rodriguez for $105, a suuuper hot hooded Paloma Wool for $247. I also completely forgot about this until now but they gave me a code for 10% off if you’re planning on buying something—LAURAREILLY___
It’s very Little Nicky the way that Flamingo Estate has been toting its bees from place to place and unleashing them on various celebrity gardens (“Hey, Nicky. Cover Winkler in bees! You can do it!”). Its latest victim in a string that counts Will Farrell, LeBron James, and Ai Wei Wei is the interior designer Kelly Wearstler, whose Beverly Hills estate was the apian smorgasbord for a limited-run, private harvest honey.
The new crop of Marni at SSENSE calls forth the brand’s fixation with fuzzy textures, the mohair typically used in its cardigans making an appearance as checkered patches on straight-leg jeans and several shades of neon faux fur blooming from micro totes and matching loafers that, in their orange iteration, give yassified Lorax. Trippier still, mushrooms abound as crystal-studded earrings and on patchwork t-shirts cut in the ideal, slouchy shape—harbingers of the Graphic Tee Renaissance?
Dries Van Noten SS24 collection takes cues from Alessandro Michele-era Gucci but borrows from multicultural style in an even more sophisticated manner—the knotted-front shirts, tasseled silk scarves printed with leaf-like cranes, hand-quilted coats in saturated blue silk twill, and knee-length khaki “kilts” all pay homage to worldly provenances without feeling costumey or gimmick-centric.
The Webster’s exclusive holiday capsule by Christopher Esber exemplifies the Grecian goddess-y type of slutty that brands like Esber’s and Di Petsa have solidified as a distinct sartorial genre in the past few years—aptly named after Venus, a sternum-baring crop top and matching skirt curl and stretch like shallow waves while a statuesque silver dress pairs a sheer, long-sleeve torso with drapey silk skirting for a coy, pseudo-modest play on naked dressing.
Created in 2021 by Hung La, protégé of Nicolas Ghesquière and Phoebe Philo, Lu’u Dan is in its element with its SS24 collection, “Nothing to Lose.” In line with fellow nascent brands Paolina Russo and ERL, Lu’u Dan combines a sense of technopagan solemnity with self-aware, stoner-ish sensibilities. Distressed, cropped sweaters are knit with burnt-out lotus flowers, jeans with quilted knee patches display cinematic cityscapes, and faux-metalhead graphic tees are dip-dyed and embellished with fang-baring vipers.
At.Kollektive’s Season 03 features a new capsule by Peter Do, which includes a few pairs of laceless cyberpunk sneakers; a bag that’s really two contrasting bags, a puffy clutch and a slim tote that can be merged into one sculptural purse or used separately; and another modular piece—leather pants that can be adjusted to three different lengths (and when worn at full length, suggest the shorts-over-pants microtrend that’s been simmering all year).
The accessories masters at By Far introduced a new ready-to-wear collection that is feeding us a slow drip of new clothes like a windbreaker that can be cinched and velcro-ed into several dramatic silhouettes, a bouclé cashwool sweater with a chocolate-brown funnel neck, and a delicately lilac floral bralette, with many more pieces marked as “coming soon.”
There’s also: Magniberg, the Swedish bedding brand going neck-and-neck with Tekla, releases a Rodeo Collection that rehabs plaid sheets from their “guy’s dorm room” image; Backdrop, The Row of paint companies, introduces new colors, including four unapologetically bold hues in collaboration with Porsche; The Frankie Shop collaborates with artist Thomas Lelú on merch to support Ukraine and…blowjobs; Noah x The Cure goes beyond the usual artist collab with clothing that Robert Smith might actually wear, all dark florals and stripey sweaters; designer Danielle Guizio brings her coquettish sensibilities to Champion’s athletic wear, epitomizing blokette; and Martine Rose teams up with LL,LLC for a jewelry collection of gold medallions sporting feminist sentiments.
What’s on sale
Some of the best deals in the Matches sale, now up to 80% off and including pieces from nearly every single brand we’ve ever written about in Magasin, include *deep breath*: a metallic-coated polo with wacky embroidery from Vaquera that you can’t find anywhere else right now for $99; similarly rare, shirred Super Yaya trousers with frothy blue cuffs for $350 down from over $1k; a Clyde wool-felt cap that can be molded into infinity different shapes for $48; a festive red tulle Molly Goddard top and *that* pink sequined Saks Potts dress, both under $200…basically anything you could dream up, plus stuff you’d never think to, is available at a steep discount, from Cecilie Bahnsen to Ganni. We could keep going, and we will, privately, but don’t want to spoil the fun of pawing through the motherlode for you.
Finding the “weird stuff” in The Row’s sale section, now at 50% off, feels like excavating geodes out of a cave full of gorgeous, but straightforward, rocks—among the sea of black dresses is the Cerise, flat in front but low-cut and voluminous in back; a cashmere turtleneck sports a startling full-torso cutout on one side, all the better for dramatic winter layering; and rare hand-crocheted pieces like a high-necked emerald tank top and a white skirt that looks like a handful of heirloom doilies gathered into something wearable steal the show, though some of the best deals (by The Row standards) are on basics, like a pair of wool-and-mohair trousers for under $700 and a nude-illusion turtleneck for under $350.
Reformation’s 70% off sale has hit tab-imploding lows. A velvet holiday party top for $44, an off-shoulder jersey dress for $74, a silver leather bag for $119. And while wearing Ref for holiday parties is girlhood canon, these prices are giving year round closet overhaul while you can: the trouser skirt I’ve written about at length here for $59, knee-high leather boots for $164, a cashmere sweater for $124.
Nordstrom’s Half Yearly Sale dips into its SPACE edit, bringing an Acne dress down to $150, a Gaultier trompe l’oeil dress down to $324, and Bode pants down to an unheard of $185. The Commission dress I wore on my birthday is down to $762 and the Julia Heuer top I tried on at Maimoun is now $348. The sale is, like, good good.
It’s probably impossible to regret a Studio Nicholson purchase, especially in the layering season, and especially while the prices are nearly half off. The brand’s buy-it-for-life outerwear makes for particularly savvy buys, as do its knee-high boots, bow-legged pants, and surprisingly Phoebe Philo-esque loafer heels.
Italist’s sale—which, as I’ve highlighted previously, is on top of already-significant price cuts to retail—has dipped down to 70% off. Here’s the leather hoodie from Miu Miu’s FW23 runway for 33% off what it’s listed for on the brand website, this Prada handbag is $1,000 less than it is on SSENSE, classic Margiela tabi boots are hundreds off…
Tory Burch, as evidenced by the contents of its winter sale, is still in its bag, especially when it comes to…bags. Up to 50% has been shaved off the price of petite bucket bags with multiple compartments, mini shearling totes borrowing street cred from Telfar, and wallet crossbodies with gold logo hardware for under $200. Other than bags, there’s a slew of discounted shoes and the errant poplin tunic or sub-$100 sport belt to be scouted.
As much as I hate to hand it to her, Gigi Hadid has really done something with her cashmere brand Guest in Residence. It feels and fits really elegantly, and I appreciate that she hasn’t taken things too seriously—the color palette is a refreshing respite amid our current bout of stealth wealth class anxiety. The brand’s end of season sale is on, bringing knits down to 50% off.
A secret Maryam Nassir Zadeh sale takes 30% off your order with SUBSCRIBER30, bringing off-the-shoulder long-sleeve tees down to just over $100, cherry-red buckled skirts to under $700, and rust-colored suede boots with the perfect three-inch heel to less than $650.
The Acne winter sale is host to a moment of peak outerwear—a crackly, baby-pink leather coat adorned with spikes and studs like a punk Jackie O’s dream fit is half off, a slime-green, Michelin Man-style puffer that cinches at the waist is down 40%, and a comparatively chilled-out charcoal wrap coat is down to under $1k from an original $1,650. Loads of dip-dyed knits, offbeat athleisure, and wintry accessories round out the rest of the sale.
With LECHOUCHOU40, take 40% off Jacquemus’ well-hidden private sale filled with gigantic puffer coats with gargantuan, toggle-secured pockets; layered and cropped bubble-shaped jackets; white blazers dotted with spiky, polka-dot sequins, purple jersey dresses cut out at the hip, and more.
Most of the up-to-60%-off Cos sale is under $100, including a pistachio-green leather crossbody bag, a pleated midi skirt made of all recycled material, a full-cotton striped long sleeve for $25, and a pair of flared pinstripe trousers in 100% wool (with a matching blazer).
Preview the Banana Republic winter sale with up to 50% off pieces like a coy cowl-back top, wide-leg plaid trousers in wool gabardine, straight-leg jeans in a vintage wash for $75, and more, with most pieces well under the $200 mark.
I tested it, and Kallmeyer’s current 15% off sitewide sale with THANKYOU15 does include the heaviest hitters, like this suede fringe jacket that haunts me, unlike with the Black Friday promo. This might be the lowest price we’ll ever see it.
The understated intimates brand Kye is running its first-ever end of season sale, a rare chance to get its extremely comfortable mesh bralettes and briefs for 35% off. If I were to swap out my whole underwear drawer with a single brand, I’d pick Kye.
There’s also: No. 6 Store is having a 70% off sale, and while shoes are the obvious entry point, outerwear might be what you ultimately come away with; Peter Do runs one of the best archive sales, further improved by the extra 30% off code—PD30ARCsale—currently on offer; Glossier is running what it’s calling a “Backroom Sale,” which puts a small number of things on clearance-tier markdown…it’s body wash is only $8 right now; CO features further markdowns, with crepe dresses, bouclé coats, and satin flats up to 60% off; Emilia Wickstead’s winter sale takes up to 60% off retro houndstooth suit sets, satin dresses with plunging necklines, black-tie jumpsuits, and more; the winter sale at Rejina Pyo is full of bow-front blouses and coats with voluminous arms and huge collars, all up to 70% off; Camper takes up to 40% off its stock of both standard and bizarro footwear for the holidays; Diesel, Coperni, Sacai, and more crème de la crème brands are available at up to 50% off in the H. Lorenzo winter sale; the usual bags and wallets are accompanied by the recently released faux-fur coats in Mansur Gavriel’s winter sale; and take 20% off Mara Hoffman’s stock of fancy-casual and casual-fancy pieces with HOLIDAY23.
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With contributions from News Editor Em Seely-Katz
I tried on that Kallmeyer fringe jacket this week and it’s got such an elegant, ladylike fit, which is hard to find in a fringe jacket.