253: Tracking my macros

Plus MNZ x J.Crew, The Row FW24, and Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale.

It’s been a minute since I’ve shared my recent purchases and, reflecting on the fact that we’re about halfway through 2024 and that I’ll be combing these intros when I assemble my list of everything I purchased at the year’s end (with costs-per-wear calculated like I did here), I figured an update could be helpful for all parties involved.

My latest buy happened 30 seconds ago, when I took a break from writing to make a decision on the astounding Maryam Nassir Zadeh x J.Crew collaboration—I didn’t see it coming, and what a blessed gift it is. It’s not even my birthday! I got the silver bikini top that doesn’t come with matching briefs (just a skirt) because I know and Maryam knows that all her girls will simply wear it as a shirt anyway.

The $45 barefoot Xero sandals that are being circulated as a Miu Miu dupe (though they were first and are the ones with the technical prowess) arrived just before I left for Italy this week. I’ve since worn them with The Row pants around Brooklyn, on my flight, and with socks on a beekeeping mission. A Renaissance shoe if ever.

I’m a bit sheepish to admit I’ve picked up four other pairs of shoes, too: two brilliantly comfortable pairs from A.Emery that I mentioned last week—the satin-strapped Morgan flip-flop and the Irving heel whose leather exceeds even the high expectations I’d previously established for the brand—a pair of orange-crush satin-and-grosgrain kitten heels from Doen that are now on sale for under $80, and the new crown jewel of my shoe collection, Saman Amel’s City Moc. I opted for the black suede, and those who’ve lent an ear over the past few months have heard me pining for the style and can guess how whole I finally feel, mocs secured. When the weather turns their way in September or so, I’ll have more to share (outfits, thoughts), but in the meantime I’ll say that my first impression really is one of awe.

Another next-season purchase I made, a bit impulsively on account of an insane sale, is Fforme’s Zoe leather jacket for 70% off at MyTheresa. I made a deal with myself that if it came back in my size—which never happens when something’s discounted that much—I’d get it. Lo and behold, it did, and nary a regret in sight. The deal is over now, but this similar wool version I’ve written about previously is an extra 20% off the base discount at Net right now.

What have thankfully featured heavily in my rotation for this season are a few pieces from Baserange. I recently traveled to Toulouse to meet with some of the brand’s suppliers—much more on this coming soon…I’m very excited to share it all with you—and the team generously gifted me a few pieces from the new collection. These shorts (I’m wearing them right now) and their pant counterparts are extraordinary, especially because they are so simple. The pants in particular, which do look a bit like The Row’s version but are, in fact, The Thing Itself and not some approximation, are selling fast and have been hard to keep in stock, according to the brand. It bears mentioning Baserange’s are $135, compared to The Row’s $1,050.

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With News Editor

em seely-katz

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What’s new

• The surprise MNZ x J.Crew collaboration that dropped this week is one of the best things that’s happened in shopping this year, if we’re being honest. It’s got everything: an unexpected comeback from a cult brand just as fans were wondering its fate, a cool and confident move from a legacy behemoth flexing its relevance muscles at the naysayers, flirty and clued-in summer pieces, and let’s not forget those prices!!! Like I mentioned above, I already bought the silver bikini top but I’m no doubt a high-risk potential double-orderer—like, maybe I do go back for the matching silver skirt, or re-buy the top that I owned (in blue organza) for years from MNZ main line until it literally fell apart, or go for the crystal paisley dress that gets the pattern just right without veering anywhere near “boho chic.” The braided heels and loafers, arguably, are the best deal—inspired by iconic MNZ styles but thankfully under $300.

• We love to say that The Row is a styling brand, as demonstrated with each new lookbook baring Brian Moloy’s imprint that gets circulated on Twitter with such sentiments. But despite all the ways we’ve experimented with fashioning the FW24 collection out of our own wardrobes since seeing those pics, now that the pieces themselves are beginning to land on site (including for pre-order), we’ll be buying a fair handful of them, too. The Bonnette pants will do well, for sure, as will the “men’s loafer.” I’m heavily eyeing the Adelie cropped pant, and while I won’t spring for it myself, I’m curious to see who pulls the trigger on the ghostly Julie coat.

• Dries for Dries’ last-ever womenswear collection is here now, in case you wanted to get emotional about the whole thing all over again. Still, it’s hard to stay sad in the face of DVN’s singularly joyful pieces: a silk lilac cigarette pant, a mint-green mohair pencil skirt, quintessentially Dries swirls on a satin button-down…and a little less zany but my personal favorite of the lot, this blazer-cut poplin shirt in a shade of navy I’ve been remarkably loyal to this year.

• This “bathrobe duffle coat” (??) from Lemaire’s newly arrived FW24 collection is among the few items that could make me will forth an early winter. What reads like a word salad translates to a waist-length wool jacket (we’re due for a cropped year after last year’s long-coat supremacy) that’s clever, practical, and seemingly dug up from hazy childhood memories exploring twiggy forests.

• If you’ve encountered any strapping young men frantically stripping to the tune of frenetic, buzzy trumpet trills on your feed this week, you’ve already seen a few of the SKIMS for Men offerings now available at SSENSE—jersey boxers woven at the waist with the label’s logo, cotton-blend briefs in subdued hues of teal and sage, and more varieties of underwear three-packs for $50 or less, plus loungewear from terry shorts to fleece crewnecks.

• Anytime I’ve resisted Leset it’s been to my own detriment. The brand may present in some unnamed way that couches it alongside lesser labels, but I continue to be impressed with its cuts and wind up wearing its pieces regularly. Its July Collection hosts SKUs I’d happily add to my wardrobe: the lightweight Merino James polo, the crunchy cotton Kyoto pant, and a new blue shade of the Margo tee, my pick for the best loose-fit tee on the market.

• Now available for pre-order, Sophie Buhai’s R25 collection meditates upon the violence and preciousness that coexist in flora: a petal-like “spear” motif in metal hangs sharply off drop earrings and a huge onyx iteration weighs down a leather necklace while the gentler facets of florals are made manifest in shapely “vessel” necklaces designed as tiny, sternum-bound vases for cut flowers and through antique-inspired barrettes shaped like veiny silver leaves.  

• Former Dazed EIC and current CMO of Acne Studios, Isabella Burley, opened her London-bound bookstore in 2020—now Climax Books has made it into the SSENSE catalog, stocked with a careful curation of fashion and smut-centric books and magazines that are just as much objets d’art as they are texts. The current selection includes a 1995 issue of Interview featuring Kids-era Chloë Sevigny, a first edition Juergen Teller photo book, a comprehensive guide to “erotic arts and crafts,” and more. 

• Sapir Bachar’s FW24 collection is made of jewelry fixated upon the sky: links that look like sun-bleached bones connect into a necklace featuring a huge drop of quartz that acts as a prism in daylight, scaly chains twist into a choker evoking the ancient Egyptian myth of a sun-eating snake, “Half Moon huggies” graze the earlobe like shadows and the silver “Luna ring” is inspired by the moon’s cyclical waxing and waning.

• A pack of Mansur Gavriel bags are now back from the archives: poppy red, camel, or black circle-shaped trunks worn crossbody; the simple stalwart crossbody bag with its huge magnetized flap; and the slouchy Cabas tote; all in vegetable-tanned leather, plus a new wicker take on the label’s famously puffy Cloud clutch and the introduction of an oversized hobo shaped like a sharp “M,” as is the brand’s favorite visual pun.

• Leandra Medine Cohen’s secondary persona and snack project, Cafe Leandra, has partnered with Parisian brand Tressé to create a homeware capsule, now available on Moda, including everything needed to set a compelling table: hand-painted pie serving platters, bubbly murano water glasses, goblets painted with creeping vines, cocktail napkins embroidered with sunbursts, and more eclectic pieces that cohere from colorful chaos into a distinctly legible tableaux.  

• With their newest collaboration, Jacquemus and Nike sanctify their union with a newfound focus on the potential of the latter’s swoosh to rotate into a “J” shape, used in silver as a zipper pull on stiff-sleeved shirt dresses and French cut one piece swimsuits, both of which also feature sporty stand collars. It’s easy to guess the biggest draw of the collection: a mini crossbody bag shaped entirely like a swoosh, hewn in crimson leather. 

• Mozhdeh Matin’s R25 collection is now available for preorder, and like every resort and spring collection the label has released, it features crocheted circles melded into the chunky “lace” that has been a signature since the brand’s genesis, this season in cornflower blue square-necked tops and black maxi dresses. These linchpins are accessorized with festively fringed raffia purses, exoskeletal beaded “dresses,” and more pieces in knit florals and black rubber.

• Super Yaya has revealed its new capsule exclusively at Maimoun, and it’s virtually the same as last season’s—the same smocked, bow-adorned halter; the same frilly-hemmed maxi skirt; etc—but this time, as if the label were in its goth era, everything is cut in an inky onyx version of its signature cotton bazin.

• There’s also: The PF24 versions of Bottega’s iconic sardine bag in wicker, crocheted raffia, and leather-piped canvas feel like a Groundhog Day harbinger of sorts, telling us that summer’s aesthetics will last an extra few months after August ends; and Studio Nicholson rolls out sunnies for the first time ever, made in tandem with Japan’s greatest eyewear nerds, EYEVAN Inc.

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What’s on sale

• Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is underway and, aside from maybe a few clicks through the beauty aisle, the only tab you need to open is for its SPACE department, which conveniently houses all of the department store’s more creative labels, e.g. an asymmetric Tao Comme des Garçons painted-dot blouse for about half off; suiting shorts with an exposed lace lining from EENK for under $200; and a sale-on-sale Wales Bonner pom pom midi skirt.

• MyTheresa’s sale is now up to an extra 30% off—not bad at all—and many of the final prices are substantially reduced. It’s a site I’ve been spending a lot more time on lately, given all the doomsdaying around Net and Matches’ fall, so have a few sale picks as a starting point: wedding guest-y dress from Jacques Wei for about $300, tennis-y Courreges dress for around $400, and Toteme’s version of the Gala pant for under $300.

• In addition to a sizeable lineup of pleated-back lambswool trenches and festive silver lurex trousers, Tove’s seasonal sale takes up to 60% off pages of pieces that feel solidly late-summer: 100% organic cotton trapeze dresses with romantic origami-style collars ($313 down from $628), silk satin triangle bralettes for $57, peplum strapless tops with necklines that jut off the chest in an abstract way usually reserved for runway looks by the likes of Loewe, and more. 

• The SKIMS bi-annual sale is stocked with every type of wardrobe padding possible, nearly everything in the loungewear department rounding out to less than $50—square-necked, thick-strap tank tops are $28 each and ‘sporty satin’ basketball shorts go for $48 each–but underwear is the star of the show, with packs of five different styles of underwear going for $32 (that’s under $7 a pair) and bras ranging from ultra-supportive to wireless at less than $30 a pop. 

• Lots of sales happening right now, and everyone’s trying to keep up. Bergdorf’s own selection keeps up with discounts that just got bumped to 70%: Manolos under $400! Those Interior boxer pants I have for under $170! A funky open-back The Row blazer for about $1,700! Jil Sander bag under $600!

• It’s almost too simple to put together a capsule wardrobe without leaving the bounds of the Colbo summer sale, taking 30% off a selection of earth-toned, androgynous basics both from Colbo’s house brand and a tight edit of other labels’ wares, e.g. a deconstructed button-down by Camiel Fortgens, the brand we’ve doubled down on since mens’ fashion week; split denim trousers by Kartik Research re-sealed with tiny, delicate embroidery, and more. 

• Recent additions to the Lauren Manoogian summer sale include an entire outfit in washed charcoal—structured trousers, a crocheted net tee, a woven bucket hat—plus greige suede ballet flats with a scrunchy strap, a basket-style white tote, and a gauzy, twist-shouldered cream dress, all for 30% off.

• The Banana Republic summer sale is the most summer-oriented of this week’s sale roundup, with pleated V-neck maxi dresses, ribbed one-shoulder tops, wide-legged linen trousers, and more already up to 30%, now with an extra 20% off at checkout.

• Under-the-radar Canadian boutique Neighbour is having its seasonal sale, taking 30% off pieces by the likes of Comme des Garçons and Lemaire, with smaller brands taking center stage: a piecemeal, kaleidoscopic Julia Heuer dress is $713 down from over $1k, Cawley sun hats are under $150, Ernie Palo knit polos go for under $30, and more.  

• If you’re into the above-mentioned new Mansur Gavriel circle bags, note that in the up to 65% off Altuzarra summer sale there’s a nearly identical option embossed with the label’s name for more than $400 less than the MG purse, alongside ruched leather dresses, watery tie-dyed button downs, and more dramatic pieces focused on color schemes that could work for any season. 

• Take 40% off selected sale items at Eileen Fisher, with crushed silk camisole and midi skirt sets going for under $200 all together, washed silk dresses and linen stand collar jackets under $150, and nearly 500 more rugged but elegant pieces ready for purchase in many still-available sizes. 

• There’s also: Paris Georgia’s online sample sale takes more than 40% off little black dresses, drapey jumpsuits, hip-baring jeans and more going-out fodder; Vince’s sale extends its purview of up to 60% off basics in summertime fabrics like washed cotton and silk; Le Monde Beryl’s summer sale adds new syles and shades to its already-copious collection of flats and Mary Janes; Guest in Residence’s SS24 sale offers half off dozens of genderless pieces in cashmere with a seasonal focus on sweater vests; take an extra 25% off the items already on sale at Beare Park, including plenty of tailored pants and shorts plus silk dresses and tops in mature versions of every color of the rainbow; and Live the Process’ summer sale takes 40% off a ton of what you could call “athleisure” oriented toward dancers—strappy sports bras, pointelle wrap tops, dance teacher studio cardigans, and more; and the Anemos summer sale gives you 20% off its full-priced stripy bathing suits, French-style cover ups and more current-season finds with SUMMERSALE20.

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