252: Lemaire's best designs come from a hardware store in Marseille
Plus Net's Loewe edit, Emme Parsons' summer sale, and what I got from A.Emery's new collection.
I have 147, 203 photos on my camera roll, thousands from me just pointing my phone at something fashion-related and telling myself I’ll look into it later. It’s a diamond mine of raw intel in the sense that I have to excavate past endless strata of mirror selfies, inspired screenshots, low-exposure details shots designed for IG Stories to ever find them again.
It didn’t occur to me until this past weekend spent in Marseille—including a visit to Maison Empereur, which resulted in dozens of such photos—to collect these moments in an album I’ve titled “Shopping in the wild.”
Maison Empereur calls itself a hardware store, a cheeky undersell of its multiple floors that span cleaning products, home wares, kids toys, even clothes. It’s gathered a crushingly forceful collection of artisan-caliber brands with generational expertise in their chosen product assortments, most of them French companies still producing locally and sustainably out of tradition rather than for brownie points or weirdly veiled industry bitterness. The energetic rift between these approaches always impacts the final product, and those that Maison Empereur carries ultimately carry a secretive, old-world vibe rather than one that finger wags the buyer.
In front of a wall of Le Creuset cookware were pots and pans from the German brand Beka Cookware, French Mauviel, Americans de Buyer and Emile Henry, tagines from Fez—the kinds of labels with notably absent DTC strategies. Just past them, a wall of Maison Empereur-branded linen aprons, a charmingly single-purpose horizontal tote bag for carrying pies, and reams of tea towels available for purchase by the meter (!).
A plump tree baring the Filt logo plus 1860, its founding year, was outfitted with the French brand’s famous net bags in every color—FYI, Lemaire just released a second collaboration with the brand (I bought its first earlier this year), a bonkers and amazing take on the iconic Croissant Bag. (Filt’s collab with Longchamp likewise remains one of the coolest link ups.) I’d also venture a safe guess that Christophe and Sarah themselves have taken an inspiration trip or two here based on the synergies between this M.E. wallet and Lemaire’s Molded Tacco Bag.
Elsewhere on the fashion floor is Le Laboureur, a Magasin-favorite brand behind these recommended unisex shorts from our latest AMA. Maison Emereur stocks an assortment of patterned shirts made by Les Indiennes de Nîmes Mistral, a near-century-old tailor in Camarague known for outfitting the region’s cowboys, essentially. It sells wool Aran knits made in Irelands oldest knitting factory for less than €85 and “faithful reproductions” of Impressionist-era painters’ coats via its in-house line for under €70. This French-cotton canvas bag from the brand Tampico is more compelling to me than The Row’s similar Idaho (and of course La Garçonne is onto the brand, too).
The best stuff was found in glass cases styled with mannequin heads wearing flowered swimmer caps and illuminated like department store shadow boxes. I’ll always remember the manicure kit my grandfather gifted me decades ago (lost, of course) that was German-made—“the best” he’d said—and of course M.E. carries Mühle’s cowhide travel version as well as F. Hammann’s, plus ones from Italian brand Alpen.
Toothbrushes from Koh-I-Noor were familiar (a Brooklyn boutique favorite), but less familiar were deodorants and beard tonics from Cork, Ireland’s Dr. K Soap Company, moustache wax from Germany’s Brother’s Love, and an aftershave alum bloc from France’s Osma. Santa Maria Novella’s fragrances—and its scented terracotta pomegranates—weren’t new to me, but unknown were the hairbrushes from a mysterious Living Heritage company (think Mason Pearson, but sub-€40), Oliambru vegetable-oil beauty balm, a foot balm made by Benedictine monks, donkey milk and aloe vera body lotion by Maitre Savonitto, and a milky iris perfume from Maison Coudray.
There was also, of course, piles upon piles of Marseille soap, a local olive oil-based specialty mostly seen in block form but also found as ovals attached to strings, wall-mounted rotaries, rolled sheets, and liquids.
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What’s new
The new season of Loewe has landed at Net-A-Porter, and it’s hard not to feel like Jonathan Anderson is being cheeky in pushing the “Anagram” logo more and more each season—here, it’s abruptly sliced on cut-off denim shorts, emblazoned on the (genuinely innovative) peripheral lenses of shield-like aviators that throw down a gauntlet to Phoebe Philo’s season-defining sunglasses, and sampled on suede-trimmed sneakers characterized by the label’s famously exacting color-combining—under Anderson, Loewe’s logo has begun to ascend to Gucci or Louis Vuitton levels of recognizability.
A.Emery’s grip over my shoe and apparel wardrobes just tightened following the release of the Aussie brand’s latest collection. I added two sandals—the Irving heels and Morgan thongs join my existing Kinto flip-flops and Shel sandals—and am weighing adding the Myra Bias Pant in Graphite (I have them in Oyster) and Lena Wrap to the mix…the latter scratches the itch left by my passing on The Row’s Priske Coat on sale a week ago.
My only complaint about Tove, the UK brand I have a 100% success rate with, is that there just isn’t enough of it. I thoroughly devour with my eyes and outfits every new collection that comes out and then wait rather impatiently for the next season’s spoils. A 17-piece summer capsule collection creates a welcome resting spot for my vacuum of desire: shorts and strapless top sets in faded school uniform-blue and off white, twist-busted dresses, heavy satin separates in sunny yellow and paint-splotch spots.
This year, the humble button has shed the shackles of utility, proving itself game as decoration, most recently in Paloma Wool’s new summer capsule, where tiny circles carved from mother-of-pearl line the edges of understated, stretchy tank tops; outline the number “10” on a navy t-shirt; ring around the hips of bikini bottoms, and are deployed in more gloriously impractical contexts.
It’s the final hours of Cristaseya’s ephemeral online shop where Italian-made cotton and linen pyjamas (sometimes when I wear loose, crispy separates I spell them out like this in my mind—p-y-j-a-m-a—it’s true it makes them feel different), clever padded-collar kaftans, and glorious window pane-effect cotton pants in vacation’s most evocative turquoise could change the set point of your wardrobe for the better if you so choose before midnight tonight.
I love to see Marie Adam-Leenaerdt land at La Garçonne (my girls are linking and building), especially with a new-to-market collection that includes the designer’s swimwear references—a maillot-style tank, a twisted tankini top—and the off-kilter suiting she’s already celebrated for only a few years in.
Miu Miu’s great, but there’s no denying it’s officially ultra-mainstream after several years straight of bopping around the top of the Lyst index. Happily, A Personal Uniform’s Edition #13 fills the less-exposed void with a prim perversity similar to Miuccia’s, though a bit more earthy—Japanese cotton twill tops with sporty seams and intentional staining, a host of button-downs cut in just off-kilter shapes, nylon hooded scarves that connect Jackie O and bicycle nerd style, and more.
Lié Studio’s Summer Stones collection is oriented around perfect globules of blue-dyed jade, green agate, and red carnelian fashioned into stud drop earrings, collar-grazing necklaces, and bracelets with beautifully curvy clasps, each providing intense but relaxed bursts of color to any look and topping out at $325.
Fruity Booty’s new “Marseille” collection ranges in tenor from just-brash-enough, as in a cherry-red bikini top and bottom emblazoned with baby blue sunburst embroidery, to strategically coquettish, like a white lace skort-bloomer chimera the label ingeniously styled over a translucent cotton skirt, with some wild cards to boot, like a leopard-print bikini and a polka-dot slip dress.
Dear Frances’ brand-new line of handbags is texture-oriented, from the flower-like weave of the gold-hardware-sporting Gio tote to the chunky, ribbed Mari crossbody—the lack of texture on the shopping-bag-like Como tote feels like just as much of a statement in contrast.
More handbag news: Savette’s new PF24 collection is very particular about shape: an angular “pochette” looks like a tiny trunk rimmed in leather braids, a raffia crossbody curves at the base mirroring a suede hobo that bends into gentle “V”, and more shapely purses fill out the collection.
Sunglasses-wise, Annie’s Ibiza x Linda Farrow is constitutionally ‘70s, with aviators, huge-framed Old Hollywood shades, and more, while Erin Wasson x Jacques Marie Mage skews contemporary with puffy Wayfarer-esque frames sold alongside gold and silver bolo ties.
There’s also: Dries Van Noten releases seven objet d’art lipstick cases in gorgeous clashing prints that share the main line’s penchant for startlingly apt colorways, $78 each and refillable with your choice of lip color; Our Legacy Work Shop’s “Natura Running” capsule is now live with shorts and hoodies in technical fabric and limited edition colorways; the collaboration between Jamie xx and Tekla renders a capsule collection of hypnotically-patterned towels and bathrobes; Asics and CFCL launch a second sneaker collaboration combining the former’s sporty sensibility with the latter’s sensitive approach to color and elegant detailing; and the Levi’s x McLaren Racing capsule includes denim and other casual pieces decked out in ‘80s F1-inspired patches and hardware.
What’s on sale
Emme Parsons is likely the best deal to be found in footwear, with a price-to-quality ratio enormously rare to come by for this caliber of made-in-Italy leather and largely attributable to the brand’s young age. Eventually, it’ll grow big enough and brave enough to charge standard margins rather than those designed to attract a loyal customer base, as currently seems to be the case. Right now, a seasonal sale makes a handful of styles even more cost-conscious: a walkable heeled sandal with great gold hardware, ‘90s minimalist satin heel, and lizard-embossed leather v-vamp heel all for a few hundred bucks and 40% off.
The Studio Nicholson summer sale now offers up to 50% off pieces that have set sartorial standards: easy blue jeans default to a low-ish rise and straight leg that skims the shoe, their price halved to $150; also half off is a button down with cool green stripes framed by almost-imperceptible micro stripes, a detail that escalates the shirt from formulaic to essential-feeling; plus the crepe-soled Leitch shoe (now $260) that retools the lovably humble shape of a pair of old Clarks to a dress shoe-adjacent state in tumbled leather.
Dutch designer Camiel Fortgens’ specialty is his raw-edge, high-end fabrics, which finish clothes that sit somewhere between tailoring and gorp—feels very Amsterdam casual IMO, and to the uninitiated, Camiel is rightfully considered very cool now. The designer is hosting an unspecified sale in his site where I’m attracted to these drawstring-waist canvas pants in white and these big brown pants in a polyester-cotton blend. I appreciate that everything is unisex and comes with an easy size guide for each.
Rachel Comey’s seasonal sale has ripened to a compelling 60% off a studio’s worth of pieces that cement the brand’s attachment to the art world: a ton of pieces from last season’s collaboration with Joan Jonas, like a tufted top inspired by her light-based installations; an acrylic-tiled tote that reads like a mod sculpture in and of itself; slingback sandals with thin straps that feel, in a world saturated with Mary Janes, genuinely unprecedented; and more.
Writing about Dehánche while wearing Dehánche. I’m a newcomer to this leather belt brand and an emphatic convert—I used to only swear by Saint and Emme Parsons to fill this central role, but I’ll now put my whole torso behind this Italian-made brand whose sale reaches up to 30%.
Use SUMMER20 to unlock a 20% discount on J. Hannah’s trove of jewelry, including its signature candy-like Gem Drop earrings and pendants and extending into its more metal-based pieces, like custom-engraved signet necklaces that start under $400 with the discount. J. Hannah’s commitment to pragmatism is on full display in pieces like a pair of silver hoops, made in collaboration with The Met, designed to seem hefty but constructed light enough to wear every day.
Milwaukee’s Bona Drag—whose inventory of MNZ, Clyde, Lauren Manoogian, Nomia, and Nia Thomas would put it right at home among the shops on Atlantic Ave—is hosting a sale that puts such brands and less familiar ones at prices that would last them seconds on the shelves within Brooklyn’s newest shopping district…especially given the additional 20% discount with EXTRA20.
The seven pages of 100% Silk Shop’s summer sale feel collage-like, a somehow cohesive jumble of heart-rendingly hand-embroidered camp shirts cut in antique linen by brand-to-note Béhen, bow-sided Super Yaya bustiers in the label’s signature shiny bazin at a $200 discount, Giu Giu’s always-bemusing knits like a very Red Riding Hood robe (styled, fantastically, with a sword) under $200, and more pieces situated in the most creative sphere of current clothing.
Gil Rodriguez’s beloved basics are on sale for up to 50% off, with warm-weather offerings including the ubiquitous boat neck crop top and a stretchy cerulean scooped-back dress, both under $60, plus a few pieces like a zip-front catsuit ($72.50 down from $145) to stock up on ahead of the encroaching autumn.
In addition to past seasons’ bag shapes, from bucket bags to puffy clutches, Mansur Gavriel’s summer sale is packed with easy summer sandals ranging from a more formal pair boasting eight skinny golden straps to ivory mules and criss-cross tan slides easy to slip on and off from beach to bar or wherever else your summer may take you.
Somehow, the Gimaguas private sale’s lineup includes a few of the new season’s McQueen-y pieces we clocked last week for 20% off, plus a bunch of beachy cover-up candidates (crocheted hoodie, mesh dress, etc.) discounted up to 30%, but most impressive is the sale’s selection of statement belts, like a skinny belt interrupted by a huge metal hoop, a white leather belt edged with thick stitching, and more well-considered waist adornments.
Matteau’s archive sale is quickly selling out of its summer stock, but the pieces still available include plunge-neck one pieces, cotton twill utility trousers, 90s-inspired bikini tops, and a selection of beach-bound voluminous cotton dresses for up to 30% off.
Toogood makes clothes to wear out East if you don’t believe in Doen or whatever…I’ll always think of it as a Rachel Tashjian brand, which should give you some sense of its galaxy-brain intellectual chic. Anyway, it’s having a sale that hits up to 50% off!
There’s also: A sale sorted by color is always a joy, and the rainbow of pieces available for up to 30% off in Kule’s summer sale compound the delight with a very Princess Di-esque approach to transitional weather wear (think collarless blazers, boyish polos, etc.); Collina Strada’s summer sale takes up to 60% off the flurry of lace, plaid, tulle, and hand-dyed fabrics that characterize the label’s clothing no matter the season but seem especially on point in the summer; use BETTERDAYS10 for an extra 10% off the Martine Rose seasonal sale which ropes in the brand’s Clarks collab in addition to its usual splay of streetwear with a healthy sense of humor; Rus’ summer sale adds more styles to its selection of 30% off knitwear ranging from melon-colored market totes to matching sets in lilac plissé; all credit to Magliano for establishing the sweats-with-belts wave I’m beginning to see emulated more widely, a treatment you can find on the brand’s site, alongside other pieces for sale; take up to half off an array of cheeky leather “shopping bags,” plus shimmery wallets and portable Napa leather ballerina flats, in Medea’s summer sale; and spend €250 to take €50 off any combination of crowd-pleasing houseware, from glass bowls to leather couches, for the duration of Rira Objects’ summer sale.
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Tampico bag is unreal🫡 ty for your service
Would love to hear any recs for Marseille if you’d like to share!