193: Can I get your thoughts on this?

Plus Jacquemus x Repetto's grown-up ballet shoe, Prada Beauty lands on Nordstrom, and a change in the wind at the SSENSE sale.

Jan 30, 2024

Newsletter is late today because I accidentally took 1,400 mg of Magnesium Glycinate last night (I thought it was my Nutrafol!) and slept like a queen.

When I woke up, refreshed, this morning (afternoon, nearly), I started tinkering with a new franchise idea and realized this is the perfect use case for Substack’s polling feature. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you might have participated in several rounds of these on Stories in the past—they’re fun IMO!

The pitch: a personal shopping send.

In this proposed new franchise, readers can write in with requests for product edits around difficult-to-shop-for items (“what’s a good everyday leather belt under $150?”), styling queries (“how do I winter-ize this sleeveless dress?”), and beyond (“I have a $200 gift card to Saks, help me make the most of it!” Etc, etc, etc.).

Team Magasin then culls a selection of five-ish products per request, with five-ish requests “solved” per send. C’est simple!

Where this send would deviate from our other content is that it would be (for the first time ever) limited to paying subscribers. Up to this point, all of our content has been totally free, with our paid tier acting like a tip jar whose proceeds benefit mutual aid. In order to give these laser-focused shopping requests the attention they deserve, we’d ultimately want to allocate some of the revenue from those subscriptions to powering this recommendation engine. All other content will remain free to read and share, the only paywalled send would be the addition of this hyper-personalized series.

As this would be the first time Magasin has ever limited content, I wanted to reach out directly to the community and ask if this feels right to you. Paid-tier subscribers would get to make requests in the comment section of paid sends or amplify others’ requests. They’ll also, of course, have access to the sends featuring our hand-picked answers to the queries.

Ok, that’s enough fun with polls for today (but wasn’t that fun?). As I await the final tally of these votes—the future of Magasin is in your hands!!!—let’s get back to business.

The Weekly

With News Editor

em seely-katz

What’s new

To better synthesize the Jacquemus x Repetto collab—an Oxford, not a ballet flat!—I reached out to Dione Davis to share her former-dancer-current-fashion-girl take, which contained the definitive stamp of approval: “I love them! I think it’s time we looked at ballet core from the lens of the teacher rather than the student. Almost every toxic ballet teacher had a pair of these and wore them with medium-wash 501s or an oversized wrap skirt and a tall tee with an excessive amount of scarves.”
Dries Van Noten’s latest drop at SSENSE seems to signal the brand vying for a spot alongside younger (arguably more hyped) labels that started out menswear-exclusive and expanded to all genders, like Wales Bonner and Martine Rose, with its subdued take on the sporty, varsity-ish sweaters of the former and an asymmetrical t-shirt that spoofs “business casual” like the latter with a collar and cuffs in the striped poplin of a button-down.
Prada Beauty launched at Nordstrom this month, and whoever was in charge of influencer marketing did an excellent job seeding product—rave reviews (qualified by demure disclaimers) have already poured in for the spicy, floral Infusion d'Ylang Eau de Parfum capped in brilliant yellow leather, five shades of refillable “hyper matte” lipstick at $50 a pop, and a jar of face cream offering luminous skin in a well-branded package.
After Proenza Schouler’s SS24 show, as guests were filing out of the building, we received an airdropped image en masse of the brand’s newly redesigned monogram. It was a suave move! As was the logo. The abstract interlocking P and S design is now available as a motif on Proenza knits, loafers, and belts in the brand’s monogram collection.
When I was in Paris last September, I went to a resee for Molly Goddard’s SS24 collection (finally available on site), which had just shown in London. Resees (so often a misnomer as I rarely do both the “see” and the resee) can often be even more valuable than the runway presentation, granting you an upclose look at the details that make the collection special. Molly was so that—the blanket-edged cardigans and exquisite hand-stitched pleating on the voluminous skirts stole my heart! Up to that point, I had maintained that Molly was “cute” but not necessarily my style? The details changed everything.
The new, exclusive offerings in the Net-A-Porter x Toteme capsule are reminders that the brand, despite its minimalist luxury M.O., does reflect the current state of fashion in its own subtle ways—heathered gray henleys, buttery leather anoraks, and a dalliance with branding as design element in a jacket quilted with the letters of TOTEME are all very mature versions of what we’d find at Abercrombie in the now-revived aughts.
Loulou Studio launched its first batch of accessories, from a quintessential leather shoulder bag with a strap on the bottom that makes it easily clutch-able and a sheeny, wine-colored satin tote to a selection of spring/summer shoes like flip-flops in drapey, thick leather with a heel strap for extra walkability points.
The Maryam Nassir Zadeh vintage archive has been restocked with two pages of quickly-selling pieces like a white Moschino mini dress with a floating, beaded neckline; a black, ruffle-necked dress dotted with crimson petals by Saint Laurent; a striped, collarless tunic by old Celine, and more.
Aeyde’s PS24 collection has every flavor of ballet-style shoe we’ve seen crop up in the past few years, all honed to perfection: a pointe-toed pair in a spread of shades like classic peach or powder blue satin, leather pumps that feature Nicole Saldana-esque bow laces, square-toed flats in mocha and cerulean Nappa leather, and a babouche-adjacent style with the perfect almond-shaped toe.
Marni’s Lunar New Year ‘24 capsule is more Year of the Dragon-forward than other brands we’ve seen attempt a tribute this month, with knits like a shrunken v-neck vest in bright orange featuring a jacquard dragon graphic and dragons printed on jersey for pieces like a navy hoodie with neon green drawstrings in the brand’s signature frizzy mohair.
Cos joined up with Nativa, a company that sources wool responsibly and commits to improving soil health in its farmlands, to produce a three-piece suit knit in both black and gray—the wool blazer is especially compelling for its shape, with curved arms and a cinched waist making the piece look much more expensive than its sub-$200 price tag.
Continuing the recent streak of uniform dresser wins (we covered Silk Laundry and Studio Nicholson last week), Wardrobe NYC introduced its latest collection, 15 Noir, comprised of mostly-black basics with dramatic flair, from double-breasted capes to cropped bomber jackets, available à la carte or in fully-realized four or eight-piece capsule wardrobes.
Viktoria & Woods’ new collection, named “First Light,” is full of matching sets; a silk shirt and trousers in milky green, recycled polyester hewn into a tankini-style camisole and side-slit midi skirt, a black mock neck column dress with braided arm holes, and more softly romantic pieces in readily-wearable neutral shades.
The Tropic of C x Agua Bendita swimwear collaboration is as if Pucci did ayahuasca once and won’t stop talking about it—bikinis, one pieces, and trunks are patterned in tripped-out swirls and more to-the-point mushroom prints, which reprise in delicately beaded tank tops and a sweet selection of matching swim sets for babies and toddlers.
There’s also: Dear Frances releases a lineup of new shoes for SS24, doubling down on the mesh flat (red and sparkly additions are notable); Loro Piana introduces its new Ghiera bag for those lamenting the dearth of classically pared-back silhouettes lately; Agolde—the top-ranking denim brand—unveils SS24 with balloon legs aplenty; Maribaudi releases more Broken Heart Bags, for those who’ve previously bookmarked the sold-out style; travelers!—Faithfull the Brand’s latest, “Roma,” is a suitcase and a half’s worth of easy, flattering pieces to wear abroad and ease into once it starts warming up back home; Laura Lombardi’s latest collection mixes metals and focuses on loopy shapes that recall Celtic knots and reimagined crosses; Banana Republic introduces BR Classics, a collection that focuses on business casual basics from tweed blazers to striped silk sweaters; HommeGirls drops Capsule 4 with more of its workwear-underwear chimeras and merino wool knits; Bernadette’s new bridal collection is full of white gowns, tops, and accessories inspired by vintage silhouettes and embellished with huge bows and tiny floral embroidery; L.A. meets Paris in denim suits and leather fanny packs in the Clare V. x Mother capsule; Aries releases an exclusive Reebok sneaker with a faint aqua tint and champagne-colored detailing; and Byredo’s new liquid lipstick packs ten shades with high-contrast pigment designed to stand out on any skin tone.

What’s on sale

The SSENSE sale has taken on a new urgency, adding ever-more styles and ever-lower prices, like a change in the wind, signaling its impending end. But before it’s all over (until next season), there’s still much to ponder/purchase: brown leather loafers with a perfunctory heel and puka shell-decorated vamps from Wales Bonner are under $500, down from over $1,000; a slightly-scrunched Puppets and Puppets blazer is 70% off; a hat for all seasons with a knotted brim and satin lining by the underrated label Strongthe is $103; and a trove of Paolina Russo’s technopagan togs, from swimsuits to ponchos, is marked under $300.
Paloma Wool’s archive sale just opened with a color-coded catalog of limited or one-of-one pieces with prices slashed dozens of dollars: a rust-colored sweater with a built in convertible poncho/headscarf, dance pants with a cutout detail at the hip tethered by a chain with rectangular links, and shearling-embellished platform boots down to $205 from $337 are a few in-season options, but the sale includes everything from puffer coats to swimsuits.
Janessa Leone’s sample sale is essential shopping for the second coming of the hat. Styles start under $100 and span all seasons. This straw beret is a savvy entry point for a novice wearer who wouldn’t want their headwear to seem like an affectation.
Tibi’s biannual sale is full of pieces that get a little weird with classic concepts, as the brand is wont to: an extrafine wool sweater dress, down to under $400 from an original $800, has those extra self-tying sleeves we saw everywhere this past season; a half-off cream blazer comes with its lapel detached, crossing over to button on the other breast; and a monkish jersey hoodie is cut tank top-style for layering or transitional weather.
The Leset winter sale features boxy crocheted cardigans that feel like they run on the same tangential wavelength as the bonkers knits in Loewe’s SS24 collection and their matching pants are down to $175 from $550, alongside a bunch of loungewear in pointelle, satin, and cashmere for up to 70% off.
The very first page of Carmen’s 70% off sale hits you with the one-two-three punch of a tweedy SC103 halter vest, a blue striped Chelsea Mak top tied into sculptural “bunny ears” at the chest but still somehow envisionable as office wear, and a brushed wool cape by Baserange—and that’s only the first of five similarly-stacked pages.
You’ll, unfortunately, have to hunt for the items in Cafe Forgot’s Valentine’s sale—its sales are so infrequent, there isn’t a devoted section—but you’ll be rewarded with 20% off under-the-radar heavy-hitters like a lace leotard by Maroske Peech, Karlaidlaw’s swirly spliced track pants, and a perfect peridot necklace from Martine Ali.
Nu Swim is celebrating its ninth year with a 30% off sitewide sale, no code needed—at checkout, everything from the devastatingly flattering Cyn v-neck one piece swimsuit to a merino crewneck sweater in cobalt (stacking up to be the color that usurps last year’s crimson) receives the discount.
There are shoes in the Hereu winter sale, sure (like these shearling-lined slingback clogs), but the main event is its bags—football-shaped crossbody purses mine an underexplored facet of accessories that blend sporty and sophisticated, while circle-handle canvas totes set the stage for beach bag season with aplomb.
The Sefr FW23 sale leans toward menswear, but anyone who’s ever listened to Foxygen can understand the pull of its 70s-style streetwear, from plaid mohair cardigans with mother of pearl buttons to a mustardy brushed wool peacoat and a herringbone blazer in the most grandmother’s-basement colorway (complimentary) to ever grace this publication, all up to 50% off.
For those who miss “the Old Sandy Liang,” Hai’s winter sale fills the void with up to half off ruffled gingham skirts, furry shrunken vests, velvety black babydoll dresses, and onyx-and-ivory necklaces boasting freshwater pearl charms.
LN-CC’s private sale is now up to 70% off, with a bunch of thoughtful picks like a double-breasted Toteme “summer coat” for just over $500 down from $1,140, a baby pink vinyl Courreges mini skirt for $223, and even some Grace Kelly-at-a-funeral gowns from Saint Laurent at 60% off.
Take 25% off the Mara Hoffman sale section with JAN25—it feels transitory in a welcome way, with pieces like a crewneck sweater in chartreuse and rich purple representing the winter’s end and a hodgepodge of floral swimsuits and sundresses rolling out the red carpet for warmer weather.
There’s also: FYI, there are Bottega shoes going for less than $350 in the Nordstrom Designer Private Sale; Matches takes 20% off its incoming pieces, including icons like Lemaire’s croissant bag in coated canvas and Salomon’s XT-6 sneakers, with FORYOU20; the best of Fashionphile is 30% off, with cuts to brands ranging from Louis Vuitton to Loewe; get an extra 30% off at checkout in Chris Esber’s seasonal sale on crushed, layered t-shirts and dramatic, Grecian deconstructed gowns; Macondo offers discounts up to 60% on a selection of unexpected pieces from brands like Ottolinger, Simone Rocha, and the Jean Paul Gaultier collab with KNWLS; Shop Peche’s extra 30% off sale brings Sandy Liang lookalike pleated skirts and double-strap Mary Janes down to well under $100; get up to 50% off outerwear from denim trenches to shearling bombers in Nour Hammour’s winter sale; Audette’s end of season sale takes up to 30% off neon-colored plays on classics: saddle bags, crescent purses, tiny totes, and more; Sea’s sale is on sale with an extra 20% off spring-leaning floral and lace gowns using FINALE24; new styles have been added to the Holzweiler Winter Sale, with padded jackets and trousers plus crewneck sweaters up to 50% off; and Acne’s sale continues, taking up to 60% off pithy winter wear and brightly-colored year-round knits.