208: How much does a straw man cost?
Plus Cristaseya Edition #22, COS' spring capsule, and SSENSE's 20% app sale.
There’s been a lot of talk about how expensive everything is getting, and that’s definitely true in some spaces. When Bottega listed that purple, leather fringe skirt from Mattieu’s first collection for $30,000, I knew there would be pricing creep beyond the afore-griped upward trend of the Chanel bag index. (Phoebe stamping “POA” on one item next to another listed at $19,000 sealed the deal.)
But a lot of the discourse is due to Fashion People having luxury blinders on, the advertisers of their publications so ever-present in their work and lives it’s easy to forget that most fashion is not that. If that Bottega skirt was a tenth the price, it would still not be how the public at large, even the clotheshorses among them, would spend their money. While balking at the cost of designer goods has its place and hopefully inspires a few brands to please be serious, I don’t think shoppers have any shortage of exceptionally made, mortally priced, thought-leading brands to choose from.
In this send alone, Bevza and Studio Nicholson’s first spring deliveries start out at the $100 mark, most Auralee pieces new to Mohawk General Store hover around $500, and Sezane’s faithfully organic natural materials come in under $200. In recent news sends tracking spring arrivals, we’ve covered Gimaguas’ beach- and reality-ready linens in the low hundreds; MKDT’s few dozen pieces you’d really live in for prices so reasonable they feel foreign; and…not to whatever…but new The Row is 20% off at SSENSE’s app sale right now.
Obviously what’s “accessible” varies from person to person (though we can all agree that’s not a qualifier to stick on a $30k skirt), but just to say, great clothes can still be found for prices that are SANE. As ever, buy things you like, that will last, and that you can afford in the moment, and the artificial upper limit for what fanciful runway fashion costs does not have to affect you other than as a footnote in a human interest story.
With News Editor
What’s new
A lot has been said about the Phoebe Philo experience in the four months since the brand launched (I even shared a few thoughts about it with Air Mail earlier this week). The latest edit came in on Thursday, flicking the domino on a familiar, if now muted, emotional Rube Goldberg machine. The prices still stand in my way of buying anything—at these numbers I’d rather be getting Bottega—but some silhouettes that have come back with each delivery (her core styles?) are becoming more plausible investments. These Club Loafers in cement are ELEGANT, and I’m curious to hear from anyone who bought them from a previous drop if they’re as walkable as they seem? LMK!
The Proenza Schouler FW24 collection is available for preorder, and though the offerings don’t stray off the beaten FW path in cut or color, the draw is in the runway styling: knit dresses thick with fringe are pulled down to the hips as skirts, tops covered in matching shawls; shiny, scrunchy-toed loafers are paired with socks hewn of the same leather; creamy, curly fur coats are worn with optic white knee-high boots, and so on.
For SS24, Rachel Comey worked with its SoHo neighbor, multimedia artist Joan Jonas, on a collection that pulls its designs directly from an eclectic selection of Jonas’ work—exhibition posters become fuzzily-embellished, leather-handled tote bags; video collages are frozen into square-neck mini dresses; mirror-based performance pieces are memorialized as jangly, festive earrings; and that’s only a fraction of the collection’s sharp-minded breadth.
Bevza’s was a favorite of last season’s shows to future shop, and with the arrival of pieces to the site, the future is now. The reasonably priced Ukranian brand pitched a suite of well-thought-out additions to a detail-oriented neutral wardrobe, from the cutout-logo ribbed tanks and tank dresses (more IYKYK than the Loewe tank, and only $103 and $133 respectively), the form-worshipping seamed-bust button-down ($563), and the viscose driving cap that makes a good substitute to my The Row Xhefri at only $164.
Studio Nicholson’s spring arrivals, with their relaxed silhouettes and reliably sumptuous fabrics, are a raft in the water to those white-knuckling winter’s creature comforts. The time for cozy, chunky knits may be wrapping up, but powder cotton button-downs, viscose-linen pants, and lighter-weight merino sweaters are brilliant building blocks of free and feel-good dressing that make sense in the changing weather.
Maria McManus’ SS24 offers a potential path forward through the wilderness of twee, which has been threatening to cycle back into the zeitgeist for months—polka dots dominate, as in a PJ set with a camp shirt and organic poplin trousers that, when separate, gamely accept daytime styling, while a mint green, halter neck vest checks off three twee signifiers at once but is subtle and well-constructed enough to toe the right side of the Deschanel line.
COS has been very smart in its positioning over the last couple of years—producing proper, on-calendar fashion shows and tapping the right teams for editorials—landing itself the role of affordable rounder-out of investment wardrobes. COS’ capsules now run the risk of having its quality-make, low-cost basics with an edge sell out one-by-one in the style of, well, maybe even Phoebe; where high prices slow the red lettering on Philo’s pages, higher inventory numbers do the same for COS, but once a sought-after item gone, it’s gone. The latest capsule introduces a silver pendant necklace, worn-leather midi skirt, Prada-like floral appliqué skirt, and cherry red gathered-leather Mary Janes I predict will face that fate.
The main draw of the latest Staud x Birkenstock collaboration is the exclusive iteration of the prolific Boston clog, this one in shades of suede like cornflower blue and braided at the strap. Alongside a few other sandal styles, like pale peach, big-buckled thongs, are pieces designed to complement the featured shoes, from cropped sweaters to kick flare pants, with a shoulder bag that borrows the Birkenstock suede for a perfect accessory match.
In Act II of Sézane’s Italian collection, “L’Avventura di Sézane,” plenty of viral pieces have already sold out, but don’t let those obfuscate its less flashy gems, like a pair of cropped gingham trousers that could be from the High Sport collection we covered last week but for their fraction of a price tag, a tan suede jacket with crocheted cuffs and collar, and a ruffled knit top that calls to mind Rosette’s perennially sold out salsa dress.
With abstract, deconstructed fisherman sandals and leather flats held to the foot with the shibari-like trussing of tiny braided cords, LoQ’s spring collection introduces a slew of footwear styles in line with the brand’s rustic perfectionist M.O. alongside seed pearl necklaces, tableware by Estudio Vernís, and more.
Big week for bags: Bottega came out with new styles of its Andiamo purse, sprucing up its standard Intrecciato weave with knotty hardware, jewel-toned leather, and checkerboard patterns in sizes small-large, while Balenciaga’s Monaco bag got a sling-strap alternative to the chain-strap original, available in white or black leather or for preorder in a metallic pink.
The temporality of the Cristaseya shop and the fact that it’s almost impossible to buy on sale (unless you found a spare few hours to visit the archive in Paris last week) mean the brand’s pieces end up in the hands of only the most assured shoppers. Its latest chapter, Edition #22, caters to its band of insiders with a stunning leather top-handle weekender bag made in collaboration with Japanese brand Aeta, a steel gray boat-neck knit, an Italian silk Tang suit jacket, and more heady collectibles.
A few exclusive pieces by Nicklas Skovgaard are now available at Cafe Forgot, with Skovgaard’s signature bubble hems abounding in drapey gray jersey tops and 80s-style acid-wash mini dresses, plus white knee-length skirts draped like wedding cakes and more such voluminous, movement-centric pieces.
Nothing in Abercrombie & Fitch’s new wedding shop runs over $160, from pieces in white perfectly suited for elopements or rehearsals, like a mini scarf dress or pleated v-neck jumpsuit, to dozens of bridesmaid or wedding guest options—a pleated strapless midi dress seems universally flattering—and honeymoon-ready items or saucy bridal gifts like nighties and swimsuits are just as stacked.
Gemsun’s new SS24 collection plays with simplicity and intricacy, presenting us with relaxed, short-sleeved jumpsuits in black deadstock fabric alongside grape-colored trousers dripping with strands of purple sequins, resolving the two properties in pieces like a sporty slip skirt given energy by shimmering gold polka dots or a simple, leaf-shaped pin, handmade by women in the US, with vegan “leather” cords that allow for its conversion into a choker.
There’s also: RE/DONE launches their collaboration with Pamela Anderson, abiding by the icon’s famous activism in its eco-conscious material choices and part poking fun at, part celebrating Anderson’s It girl reputation in its designs; Peter Do’s latest installment for At.Kollektive brings us lightweight, highly-engineered platform boots in ankle, knee, and thigh-high lengths; DL1961 launches its SS24 clad in faded denim, flax linen, and sturdy cotton t-shirts; Bally introduces the Glendale Mary Janes, made in Switzerland with gold buckles and long, almond-shaped toes; and on the other end of the shoe spectrum, Camper’s new style, Roku, is aggressively chunky and excitingly modular—each part of the shoe’s structure is removable and customizable, from its spongy outsole to its laces; a sparse edit of Auralee spring pieces lands at Mohawk General Store in LA and online, including a forest green “Weather” set in crunchy linen-cotton; melanin-friendly skincare brand Eadem expands its offering with the gently exfoliating Cashmere Peel; in more beauty news, backstage beauty maven Fara Homidi launches the complexion-taming Face Compact; and Erdem x Barbour release a codesigned waxed cotton coat in the former’s signature floral.
What’s on sale
In tandem with SSENSE’s ongoing “Silent Sale,” accessible through this link, the retailer has introduced a 20% discount on new-season pieces to app shoppers with SS2024. If you already have the app installed, this link will take you right there.) Personally, I’d use it on these sub-$800 (before the discount) The Row mesh booties, a not-so-basic Marie Adam-Leenaerdt white tee, a coy Le Monde Beryl cracked leather kitten heel, and an absolutely insane red Alaia dress I’m digging deep for an excuse to wear.
The news of Matches funeral ahead makes the retailer’s sale section hit that much harder. An extra 20% off at Matches Outlet with EXTRA20 (probably just the beginning of liquidation-tier discounts) will get you Sophie Buhai, Marséll, Lemaire, Flore Flore, Loewe, (I’m coming very close to getting this Extreme Cashmere v-neck) and so much of the retailer’s in-house brand Raey for stupid cheap.
I’ve decided to overhaul my underwear drawer this season and gradually get it to a point where all the ill-fitting press-gift bras and underwear I never would have bought myself are replaced with a cohesive collection of personally tested and approved styles and sizes that include solutions for every piece of clothing I own. Easier said than done, but part of this effort has involved shopping the Kye Intimates sample sale, where I picked up three pairs of mesh bikini briefs, knowing they’re among the first I reach for after laundry’s done.
A rare Club Vintage sale takes 30% off a curation of consignment clothing from shops like I Am That and One Scoop that specialize in sourcing deep cuts for affordable prices, made even more affordable in the sale: neoprene pants by Christopher Kane under $70, a ‘91 Alaïa blazer under $400, a ruched Helmut Lang LBD for $185, and much more.
In the Simonett winter sale, Beaufille bodysuits are under $200, down from $300; squiggly Kasia Kucharska bike shorts you won’t find anywhere else run $175; there’s a pile of pieces from not-long-for-this-world Gabriel For Sach, like a pink vest for $169; and pages more of discounted pieces from Coperni to Siedres.
In the Batsheva end of season sale, enjoy huge discounts on dresses that look nabbed from Nicklas Skovgaard like this shiny, smocked maxi ($105!); bow-adorned jacquard sweaters in merino-cashmere blends for under $300; striped gowns that pay tribute to Vivienne Westwood for the very non-Vivienne price of $140, and more dressed-up finds.
Take 20% off all footwear at Shyness with HERESHOEIS, the immaculate collection including iconic pieces like Fidan Novruzova’s fold-over boots, Rombaut Boccaccio’s faux fur clogs, and several styles of Paula Canovas del Vas’ Diablos, alongside four more pages of picks from brands like Toga Pulla and Ottolinger.
There’s also: The best deal in the Desorde sale on sale is this Khaite woven hobo bag, which comes down to $893 at checkout (a full $1,000 off) after the additional discount; spend $300 in Moda Operandi’s beauty section and receive a bag of samples valued at $500 (think Barbara Sturm Glow Drops and Sisley-Paris cream masks) with SPRINGGIFT; Kiehl's Friends & Family Sale is on until March 23, taking 25% off creams, serums, and more sitewide; the semi-annual Beauty Event at Ulta takes 50% off a selection of steals that changes every day, with brands like Stila and Philosophy at the forefront; and Merrell’s Semi-Annual Sale is live, taking up to 50% off dozens of hiking boots, sneakers, and water shoes, pricing them as low as $45.
I may earn some money if you make a purchase through one of the links above.
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Very interesting! I respectfully disagree that this issue is a straw man: I think that much of the criticism stems from a decline in quality coupled with a rise in price.
This doesn’t mean that there aren’t affordable brands making excellent clothing, but that many brands within the main luxury group portfolios have cut production corners in their “accessible” and even far more inaccessible products in the pursuit of unsustainable and unending profit growth.
As the prices at luxury brands rise, I hope to see newer mid-tiered brands gain popularity amongst the average consumer. I also wonder what, if anything, it will take for those who buy luxury goods to pause and reject the higher price tags on everything. One $30,000 skirt can cover so much - a student's tuition, a downpayment for a small condo, a small wedding, IVF treatment, retirement funds, the vacation of your dreams, home renovation, a couple of chanel handbags, heirloom jewelry that can be passed down to your children, a beautiful engagement ring. I can't believe there are people out there that would choose to spend that much on ONE skirt that won't even get that much wear...