219: Hair advice, gone tomorrow

Plus The Row at W*lmart, COS' sitewide sale, and Jamie Haller launches clothes.

Apr 17, 2024

I’ve come into some good advice lately, which makes me think I should know more aphorisms about advice. Don’t look an advice horse below 14th Street. Take your advice how you take your women—never before you’ve had your coffee.

The advice in question has been largely beauty-related, though some has been in category “other” and not even really considered “advice,” but just “observation”—I’m mainly talking about the chainmail pot scrubber I saw when I was in Eny Lee Parker’s kitchen, much more elegant than a tangled brushed steel mess. So very her to have it.

I had my hair cut by Sabrina Szinay, who’s behind the excellent hair care line Sándor (my advice to you is to try it). I whined about my thin hair, and she turned me on to the supplement Viviscal, which she said she’d seen cause unparalleled growth and increased thickness on a friend. I did my Reddit research (all raving) and have since purchased and been taking it for two weeks. It costs about half as much as Nutrafol, and I’m very hopeful.

She also suggested I pick up a blow dry protectant and protein spray from the GmbH-owned German brand Less Is More the next time I was in Paris, where it has several stockists, but I got impatient and ordered them online for insensible shipping prices. The difference in using the blow dry spray is stark—my hair is soft and shiny instead of stiff and bulky—my thoughts on the protein are still TBD.

Relatedly, I was at a dinner hosted by Vesper Ireland, where a group of women who tend to know about these kinds of things started to talk about the hair tool brand T3—particularly its Airebrush. Technically, this convo came after I’d just picked up one of the devices myself, but the cosign was strong. For me, too, I couldn’t believe I’d been super setting a hair dryer and flat iron almost every day instead of just using this crazy brush for a couple of minutes. It’s way more intuitive and cooperative that I’d imagined.

Monica Dawidowicz gave me the facial of a lifetime at Raquel New York (remember extractions? Her’s are thorough and untraceable), not just for the skin magic but also because she read my astrological chart for the first time in my life. Apparently, I have five placements in an area that deals with communication and writing—validating!! She clued me on to Environ’s Retinol Serum in strength 2, made with colostrum (!) in case you thought your anti-aging couldn’t possibly be doing any more. I’m on day three of subbing it for my A313, and so far so good.

I heeded the online advice of

Emilia Petrarca

via her fashion repair resource doc by patronizing Bob’s Shoe and Leather Service in Park Slope—he dyed a Bottega Intrecciato bag of mine for roughly $500 less than I was quoted by Leather Spa. Finished fast, and it looks pretty damn good!

And finally (though wisdom has no start or finish),

Khuyen Do

—whose newsletter

The Cakewalk

finally launched this week—has aroused my desire for these Tal Maslavi “cake shoes” (go ahead and click). The food-fashion connection deserved this spotlight, I’m happy to have Khuyen on the beat.

With News Editor

em seely-katz

What’s new

The Row has the ability to frustrate those who don’t get it; “my kid could draw that” types. A new class of deceptively normal clothes have landed on Net-A-Porter in the brand’s SS24 offerings: poplin drawstring pants, a proudly shapeless sack dress, a silk shirt that costs a lot of money. But it’s what comes alongside those better-in-every-way basics—a lamb-suede cocoon jacket like a massive double-ended sleeve, censored toe-box sandals, and this tailored skirt with its own train, in particular—that make the whole project so sly.
I almost forgot Attersee was such a prolific vacation brand for how deftly it navigates fall. With the second delivery of SS24 now live on site, there’s a slew of new styles and old ones reissued in color (remember that?). At the UES studio, I tried on and will be buying the twist-back tank, and I was tickled and tempted by the evening wrap in scarlet. Most unmissable, though, is the tassel skirt.
Jamie Haller starts all of her emails with “1st dibs” because she’s generous and a realist: What you don’t buy now is going to sell out to someone else soon. Her latest is no different in that respect, but entirely new otherwise—fisherman pants, fatigues, tees, button-downs, and sweatshirts join the celebrated shoe collection as her a first foray into ready to wear. The Slingback is another new footwear addition.
We love a basics brand, but Studio Nicholson’s SS24 collection does tailored-but-easy in such a way that you can really see the difference between, say, Uniqlo and a boutique of its caliber—almost a psychedelic layer of revelation. A dune-colored sleeveless top clings and gathers like a bespoke garment; culottes finally make sense in their sweeping, self-belting iteration; as do jean shorts in denim so crisp they almost read formal (but would welcome a flip-flop).
In an exclusive capsule for Bergdorf Goodman, Brunello Cucinelli makes what’s classy casual, tying a wrap blazer in cotton poplin like a bathrobe, and what’s casual classy, rendering a hooded cover-up style jacket in hefty, intricate crochet. A pair of twisty, metallic wedge sandals straddles the divide with grace.
Alum of too many labels to name (e.g. Helmut Lang and Ter et Bantine) and creative director of his own brand, Kostas Murkudis collaborates with bag brand TSATSAS on “Session 01,” a study of the torrid relationship between leather and lace. A perfectly bisected dress can be worn lace or leather-forward, a palimpsest of lace is embossed on the shoulders of a similarly reversible top, and a spray of lace shrouds a leather tote like a visible aura.
Looking like they’d melt on your tongue but designed as hardy as an heirloom, J. Hannah’s new Gem Drops—candy-colored precious stones boasting bezel-set diamonds—come in earring form, dangling from a 14k gold hoop, or as pendants that invite stacking or clustering on your favorite chain or one you can order alongside each Gem Drop. Lapis Lazuli and Carnelian jump out as show-stealers, but Lemon Quartz plus Aventurine makes a good case for doubling up on pendants.
Manolo Blahnik’s SS24 collection seems like a wager: a pair of heeled, caged sandals bets on a near future in which the gladiator returns to the mainstream; low-profile “ballerina mules” embroidered with daisies bet on the fact that “florals for spring” will never succumb to contrarian naysayers; and cream-colored Mary Jane stilettos go for broke believing in the strength of our ankles (and our shoe fetishism).
Hunting Season’s SS24 drop is available for preorder and is where you can find the plot that has been lost in the past year’s Birkin discourse—we all know that before her fateful run-in with Mr. Hermès, she exclusively carried a basket, and these woven, leather-rimmed offerings make the case for a return to tradition. If you’d rather a different type of obstinately quaint carryall, strappy suede trunks and plenty of canvas top-handle bags will arrive this fall.
For us, Zendaya’s sinister three-way in the upcoming Challengers is but a vehicle for good tennis clothes, an as-of-yet unsullied gold mine of stripy, fit-and-flare fun exemplified in Splits59’s new tennis capsule, where nothing costs more than $168 and cropped racerback polo tanks, feather-light athletic skorts, easy lounge pants are mix-and-match friendly—Outdoor Voices refugees, this is your new port-of-call.
It tracks that All-In’s SS24, now at SSENSE, is the work of a photographer (Benjamin Barron created All-In the magazine, the first iteration of the brand)—any position of these collage-like pieces creates a tableaux. The image of pink slipping out from under layers of sequins and lace is officially a skirt; caught in a perpetual state of undress, a slouchy, thigh-baring dress takes insouciance to a new level; and cankles are beside the point when lodged in the wide neck of lace-up kitten heels.
It’s always endearing when a store presents a considered curation of on-theme pieces, and Moda Operandi’s “Club Moda Surf” supplies the summer hype we’ll crave until it’s definitively warm out. Between Diotima’s weblike crop tops and technicolor sets by the under-discussed Akoia Swim, crochet is covered; Christopher Esber provides an exclusive, surf-print iteration of its sculptural crushed t-shirt; Siedrés contributes a bananas turtleneck swimsuit; and much, much more.
Brooke Callahan makes everything look easy. Its spring drop sees the label’s signature cotton poplin cut into straightforward miniskirts, just-reaching-the-knee tie shorts, and strapless iterations of the simple tops and dresses that have outfitted us in summers past, but the secret sauce is Callahan’s obsessively specific dedication to color, which she triangulates from Pinterest photos of vintage basics, cars she spots on the street in LA, and a host of other disparate influences.
There’s also: By Malene Birger launches an exclusive summer capsule with Moda Operandi full of black-and-white skirt sets plus raffia accessories; the second collaboration between Saks Potts and Oscalito is Baserang-ian in its several colorways of extra fine Merino wool loungewear; Nikki Chasin introduces the Theater Shoe with The Wax Apple—a $95-to-just-over-$100 slipper in gingham, marigold, and other cloth delights; Maimoun introduces new, exclusive colorways of the SC103 Links Tote ranging from mylar balloon-ish to minerally and subtle; Reebok x Annie Bing offers collegiate sweatshirts, high-top sneakers, and athleisure staples borrowing elements from both labels’ aesthetics; and Still Here restocks the Cool Jeans, here now before they inevitably sell out once more and the cycle continues.

What’s on sale

You might have heard (maybe from Lauren’s Line Sheet) about the surreal Matches-to-Walmart pipeline, wherein Gucci, Saint Laurent, Ferragamo, and The Row are all selling on the big box store alongside other houshold-name front-pagers Manischewitz Matzo Ball and Soup Mix and EverStart Maxx Lead Acid Automotive Batteries. How this bankruptcy mash-up benefits us shoppers is that the sale prices you mistrust from a site that might never fulfill your order nor ever have to answer for it, are matched on Walmart—under the seller name LUOSOPHY—an atomic cockroach of a retailer that you can hold responsible for your transaction. The Row’s Maud sandals are $702 (compared to $1,090 at MyTheresa), Gucci’s Blondie bag is $1,611 (compared to $1,790 on SSENSE), and Saint Laurent’s Cassandre is $1,232 (compared to $1,790 on Net).
Arguably one of the most watched new brands for the SS24 season, Bally, has for some reason put a good chunk of its increasingly recognizable new-season bags and shoes on sale for half off with (I don’t understand this code, but) 724104. My eyes immediately fall on the small Tilt bag in white croc leather and the Ballyrina ballet flat for, again, half off.
Brand rank darling COS is offering 25% off sitewide—its oft-emulated, never-usurped quilted bag goes for as low as $52, sumer sureties like a plissé midi slip dress for under $100. There are also signs that COS is “locked in” this season: a crocheted straw version of the bucket hat we’ve seen sneaking back into the collective consciousness goes for $52, and very Jamie Haller-adjacent leather slides are under $200 if you’re reluctant to pony up for the OG.
Helpfully divvied up into sections like “Under $25” and “Deepest Discounts,” Everlane’s spring sale takes up to 60% off more than 600 styles, including easy summer buys like a $50 v-neck satin midi dress that is mercifully machine-washable; slouchy, mid-rise jeans in the perfect grainy blue denim offer different inseam lengths and go for an awe-inspiring $33; and sturdy, brightly-colored bikini tops and bottoms that ring up to a combined $32.
If Thom Browne’s universe came calling around the time of the brand’s launch at Saks, but the prices mmmmm didn’t, the brand is now also found on The Outnet at more uniform-realizing rates: these objectively great pants are down 60%, little bow flats are under $400, and here’s a fantastic summer bag for about the same. I’m pretty moved! These are great numbers for Browne.
Portland boutique Frances May is celebrating its 16th anniversary with a 30% off almost everything sale—Sandy Liang bags for the girls, S.K.Manor Hill pants for the boys, Rachel Comey short shorts for me. The shop’s buy is up to present millisecond in terms of what feels fun and thoughtful to wear.
The Kallmeyer sale, though ostensibly to clear out winter stock, has a surprising number of seasonally appropriate pieces for hundreds of dollars off—a perfectly columnar trouser skirt in hot weather-friendly tropical wool is $125 off, a navy cashmere polo that might read cozy in winter gives nautical in summer’s context and is $395 down from $495, and a subtly bodice-shaped khaki vest and matching trousers are 25% off as a pair.
SS24 is already whipping past us, with a selection going for up to 50% off at Italist—one of Paco Rabanne’s most everyday-wearable pieces to date, a t-shirt with metal fringes at the cuffs, is 25% off; $40 is shaved off a Wardrobe.NYC denim miniskirt; and a Simone Rocha tank trailing bows where garters would be on a Dion Lee joint is at a rare sub-$200 price point.
Today’s the last chance to use SUNNY at checkout and get 20% off Kye Intimates’ swimwear, meaning a whole bikini, a one piece with a plunging back, or a sheer slip coverup can be scored for under $200 each.
Fans of Interior should take note of the Emi Mess archive sale, where EXTRA15 gets you a 15% discount on top of already-low prices on t-shirts with v-necks so low they seem to make a point, blazers in cotton tweed and fringed by hand that drape like sunbeams across whatever surface they grace, and more.
Feit’s warehouse sale takes more than 30% off the price of footwear that feels like Camper’s cousin who has its shit together—alleged “hiking boots” (would not try to scale any mountains in them) are $495 down from $750, utility clogs lined in rust-colored suede are almost half off, and a solid babouche slipper goes for $150.
Helmstedt is offering 50% off its FW23 stock, included quilted dresses patterned in galactic swirls that might fill that Christopher Kane Resort ‘11 void in your heart or wardrobe, planetary peplum tops for $164, and doodle-y slip dresses that seem to throw down a gauntlet toward Collina Strada for only $172.
There’s also: Cannari Concept’s mid-season sale takes 50% off asymmetrical wrap trousers, pleated miniskirts, and other worthy zoomer-bait; Stutterheim offers 30% off water-repellent coats, totes, and, take note—bucket hats; Studs takes 20% off its whole stock of stackable, durable earrings—25% if you spend over $100; and Banana Republic shaves up to 40% off sale prices, including on myriad sundresses (we are not here to litigate the definition of “sundress,” so go see for yourself).

I may earn some money if you make a purchase through one of the links above.

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