205: Paris sees fashion in HD
Plus all-new High Sports pants, Dries off the runway, and Lauren Manoogian for half off.
Paris is a piece city, not a styling city (like New York). Its dressers put themselves so entirely into the hands of designers and curators in a way that makes fashion less like a paintbrush and more like the collection of certificates on the wall behind the doctor’s desk. Every outfit here is like: Dries coat, Saint Laurent boots, Alaia Teckel bag. Or: Lemaire coat, Khaite boots, The Row Margaux bag. Or: Comme coat, Rick boots, Balenciaga Rodeo bag, fin. It’s very definitive.
I like coming here and seeing things in HD and having it snap my standards back into place. While you could say the French way is more elitist and the American way more high-low, the flip side of that is apparent in the pervasive dupe culture I see back home that paints the facsimile as equal or even virtuous and democratic compared to the hard work and high standards of the original.
Paris is for teaching you to appreciate and invest in nice things, New York is for reminding you to make them your own.
That said, I did—as you can imagine—a spot of shopping since I arrived. My first purchase was a Lemaire market bag (not available online) made in collaboration with Filt 1860, something of a national institution that has also collaborated on a line of net bags with Longchamp.
My appointments during the week took me to Avenue Montaigne, where I stopped into Prada, ready to buy those chartreuse mules but not moved to in the end. These are fighting words, for sure, but Prada accessories can read too mass and “product-y” sometimes, and I failed to feel wowed by the craft or quality with the shoes in hand any more than I would have looking at a pair of heels from, say, Cult Gaia.
Instead, I bobbed down the street until I reached the Jacquemus boutique and, remembering a back-in-stock email alert I’d received for a few pieces from its latest Les Sculptures collection, cut in to try things on. I bought La Veste Ovalo because it fit me just perfectly, and that’s the aim when I have the chance to try on all the fun things in person.
I went to Le Bon Marche department store twice and made exciting if prudent purchases: as many bralettes they had in my size at Ysé, a French lingerie brand that makes comfortable and elegant bras that fit a small band and large cup (yes, even in triangle styles, my white whale). And on a day when I was totally underdressed and freezing, I reluctantly spent $300+ on a gray Baserange Rim sweater that’s, as these things go, bound to be one of my most-worn articles from here on out.
Despite being in the shopping capital of the West, I committed to a couple of pieces online: Connor McKnight’s SS24 is here and, having worn a sample of the Wading Jacket last time I was in town, I bought it without any deliberation. Colleen Allen reached out with the opportunity to pre-order from her FW24 collection—the first I saw at NYFW and still one of the best of the season anywhere—so of course I signed up for the fleece evening jacket in orange and a long jersey skirt in magenta. Color is so back.
Paris has a way of making you part with your money more easily (god bless the tax refund), so I have an inkling I’ll be adding to this list as my trip continues. Will report back, of course, in the next send rounding up all of my PFW looks, hitting inboxes very soon.
With News Editor
What’s new
Less than a week off the heels of its Paris runway, Dries Van Noten’s FW24 collection is available for preorder at Moda Operandi, interpreting autumn in the vein of Edward Scissorhands: Torsos are topiary in astroturfed sweaters knit in metallic wool blends; wedge mules with a high, curvy heel are available in Burberry-like check prints; and saturated, suburban-but-screwy pastels dominate, from shaggy knit pink midi skirts to buttercup yellow stand-collar coats.
Also at Moda, the new High Sport knitwear emphasizes gingham as an option outside the bounds of picnic season, with kick-flared pants, pencil midi skirts, and apron-style tank tops, all knit in autumnal shades of khaki, navy, and lilac alongside solid-colored hooded sweaters and notched-lapel jackets to pair with the pattern.
Collina Strada’s SS24 collection, “Soft is Hard,” is the brand’s most aptly named to date, with juxtapositions not only textural but between vulnerability, as in a hand-painted top that looks like the victim of a wet t-shirt contest until you notice it’s been bunched strategically into a star, and armor, exemplified by a deadstock corset top with Balenciaga shoulders and disorienting florals. “Soft” and “hard” unite in accessories like a spiked rhinestone choker and segmented Caterpillar bag.
Drawing upon the understated romance of the color black, Cecilie Bahnsen’s FW24, now available for preorder, imbues silhouettes ranging from coquettish to sporty with a darker version of its signature frills and florals. The Opal dress is cut like a nightgown but made wearable outdoors by the contemporary look of strategically-cascading ruffles, the Orion coat is an anorak blooming at the shoulders with black daisies, as are the over-the-knee neoprene boots that keep the collection grounded.
In Reformation’s Vacation collection, “vacation” = “linen,” with the fabric hewn into relaxed blazers, striped mid-rise trousers, and the kind of cinched-bust sundress people make horny jokes about on Twitter, among more lightweight summer wear and accessories like thong sandals with a benevolent back strap for those of us whose feet can’t do flip-flops.
Khaite’s SS24 collection at Net-A-Porter has plenty of as-seen-on-runway offerings, all very “summer in the city,” from satin-crepe tap shorts to oversized silk blouses with parachute-like sleeves and hourglass-cinched wool-and-leather dresses that somehow feel summery despite their fabric composition. Shoulder bags in raffia and snake-effect belts are selling the fastest as of now.
Gimaguas is so ready for warmth, with a SS24 collection that covers all facets of summer living, from the sporty to the smutty—Kool-aid red mesh t-shirts, shrunken white jumpers, and faded open-shoulder hoodies (is this innovation?) have the right ratio of summer camp vibes : sophistication, while backless, hooded “salsa tops” and skinny belts interrupted by huge metal circles are undeniably hot—and most pieces, including all of the above, ring up well under $150.
Unlike the wedding we were all force-fed, Sophia Richie Grainge’s collection for Solid & Striped, now at Moda, speaks for itself with drapey crew-neck maxi dresses and long-sleeved one piece swimsuits, both contoured with a contrast stripe at the waist, plus Nantucket-y knits like the v-neck Reva sweater in chunky carnelian cashmere.
Mark Kenly Domino Tan’s SS24 collection focuses on suiting done Scandinavian, as in hyper-trendy but somehow conceivable as timeless, as in capri-cut trousers with matching grainy linen blazers and cropped, double-breasted jackets with button-up midi skirts, plus a pair of heels much softer-looking (in a welcome way) than most of the edgier options crowding the market right now.
The darling of Nicklas Skovgaard’s SS24 presentation, performance artist Britt Liberg, recently opened Skirts by Britt Liberg, an online shop that currently sells exactly 20 one-of-a-kind, artfully produced skirts, from a gracefully scrunched-up midi in sea green nylon taffeta to a maxi skirt striped in white and yellow and knotted along the hem like a circle of curtains tied back to reveal glimpses of leg.
Hai’s SS24 collection cements the label as a contemporary of brands like Sandy Liang Super Yaya at a much more attainable price point, with rosettes crowding the hems of ivory dresses, sharp ruffles edging up the collar and sleeves of baby pink mesh shirts, and plenty of it-bag contenders under $200 in red satin crescent shapes and gathered gingham mini totes.
Combining its Belgian origins with stark Japanese sensibilities, La Collection’s third capsule, “Espousal”, features just barely see-through wool-silk wrap shirts, crisp matching bermuda shorts, water-repellent trench coats that come with matching cotton scarves, and dozens more minimalist, unisex pieces that readily compete with The Row’s offerings.
Rejina Pyo’s spring footwear collection challenges us not to break our ankles in towering, layered leather platform clogs and bouncy, thick-soled flip-flops, offering relative safety in the form of hardy “Donut loafers” with golden loops adorning the vamps and silver kitten heels that tie into big black bows at the back.
There’s also: From one-shoulder bubble sheath dresses to wraparound “cocoon” anoraks, Another Tomorrow’s latest collection focuses on inventive but utilitarian shapes in neutral colors; Our Legacy Work Shop’s “Satisfy Running” capsule offers windbreakers, gloves, and more running gear in tones of taupe and neon green; Autumn Sonata expands to offering table linens in wrapping paper-like vintage florals, with tablecloths and napkins all ripe for mixing and matching; Silk Laundry expands into accessories with its new collection, “Protection”, featuring both clothes and jewelry with a very Dries-like color story (chartreuse, teal, lilac) for a fraction of Dries prices; and Kallmeyer quietly drops the beginnings of SS24, with thick belts, tote bags, and bias-cut dresses leading the charge.
What’s on sale
The Outnet’s latest sale is stacked with up to 80% off 140 pages of clothes from hundreds of brands; even knowing that, the deals are still weirdly good, with intricate, drapey Loewe tops for $353, open-back crepe maxi dresses from Tove for $227, one size left of a By Malene Birger wrap skirt for—wait for it—$86, a dusty rose Stine Goya felt coat for $162 down from $810, and a sturdy gray cable-knit sweater by &Daughter for $141 down from $468, just to start.
The platonic ideal of a pre-spring sale is Lauren Manoogian’s, with up to 50% off the pieces that will seamlessly transition you from cold to warm: Start with a nubby hand-knit crewneck sweater and brushed alpaca trousers (with a hidden drawstring, so basically sweatpants) and graduate to a double-knit, modular apron dress with a pair of wooden-sole block heels with elegantly high vamps.
Spend more than $250 and use EXTRA20 for an extra 20% off a selection of the Matches sale section—tons of snow boots and parkas from brands like Moon Boot and The North Face are up to 80% off, but there are almost 3,000 other pieces for all different seasons included in the sale, from a $150 Wardrobe.NYC t-shirt dress to $60 orange cargos by Saks Potts.
Gabriel for Sach is closing (the crowd boos), but its final archive sale is here (the crowd cheers), offering up a quickly-selling-out selection of clothes and bags, like an XL baguette shoulder bag with a curvy construction and a bunch of knit bandeau tops for $53 down from over $100, plus sample dresses, tops, and trousers for up to 70% off.
Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s end of season sale takes up to 40% off the frequent Magasin uniform, the Apollo vest ($177 down from $295) in a few different colors, the famously teensy Bisou skirt is under $100, Belmont boots in ruddy suede are $357 down from $595, and more deals on our beloved favorites abound.
The Wardrobe.NYC archive sale gives us up to 75% off a swath of its pared-down everyday wear: a very Balenciaga-like cinched-waist blazer-coat, a loungey kimono, denim shorts for $63 down from $250, and more, with tons of sizes still available.
If you haven’t yet explored Kasia Kucharska, its seasonal sale is a great opportunity to delve into the scribbly florals—a trompe l’oeil turtleneck, swirly panties, and a fringe-dripping bikini top are all discounted right now.
Yume Yume’s end of season sale takes 30% off a pair of slouchy fisherman boots with a Renaissance tapestry-like jacquard print, poofy, Sunnei-like sneakers, the infamous AVAVAV collab five-finger flip-flops, and more offbeat footwear.
Use EXTRAEXTRA25 to get extra 25% off Mr. Larkin’s winter sale, with a small but impressive selection of pieces like a Chelsea Mak blouse with a huge bow that looks very Super Yaya, an actual Super Yaya woven halter that’d be very festive worn while holding an Easter basket, and a sky blue Rachel Comey pleated midi skirt for under $250.
Babaà is donating 50% of the proceeds of its “Shepherd’s sale” to shepherd school and art camps for kids in Madrid, and many of the knits on sale are kid-sized, too, though there are short-sleeve jumpers and tri-color linen dresses for adults at a sizeable discount.
Foldable olive patent travel flats by Tory Burch are 40% off and pointy Jeffrey Campbell pumps with gold hardware are down 35% in the Nordstrom shoe sale, which delivers on basics best: Cole Haan loafers under $100, Salomon sneakers for $150, and everything from Havianas to On Running shoes is up to 60% off.
A selection of Cuup bras are $45, with $15 underwear to match in shades like grape, sky blue, and olive, and fabrics ranging from mesh to modal.
There’s also: Fashionphile is stocked with marked-down, expertly authenticated Gucci—belts, boots, sunglasses, and more; Clyde takes 50% off all its gloves, with several different styles and colors ranging from cerulean to rose leather available; Nong Rak offers a rare up to 30% off sale on its fluffy, sculptural mohair hats, scarves, and outfits; Theory’s cashmere selection is 40% off and includes everything from peacoats to joggers; take an extra 10% off the Mackintosh winter sale of colorful waterproof coats with MACAW23X10; and Country Road Australia’s winter sale discounts a selection of both men’s and womenswear up to 50%, with tons of spring/summer options to pore through and a slew of coordinating children’s clothes for fashion-forward families.
I may earn some money if you make a purchase through one of the links above.
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You should pay a visit to Yasmine Eslami, the French lingerie mvp (the Serena set is 👌🏻)
Paris = pièces, NY = styling. Never thought of it that way before and now I’ll be thinking about it all day…