287: Athleisure 2.0
Plus 25% off SSENSE, calling the Prada hotline, and boots on the ground at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
For most of my adult dressing life, I gave myself permission to try pretty much anything, so long as whatever style I was experimenting with was firmly against “athleisure.” Branded leggings outside of the gym = bad, everything else = fair game! Now, as I survey the types of pieces I’m adding to my closet or am drawn toward, so many of them fall into the buckets of sporty and/or lounge-y, and that phrase keeps rattling around my stubborn old head.
Did I not wear my The Row Patti zip-up top all summer long? I once compared it to an Aritzia workout top (another high rotation category for me on pilates days), but so many other new, movement-oriented fashion brands have similar versions actually meant for working out in—Literary Sport (who I vow to get the final word on), Spence, Claudent, Pas Normal Studios, Jenneskens, Dada Sport. For anyone following the discourse, let me also say that I have seen the $920 Rier zip fleece and call myself a believer.
The Veilance pieces I’ve added to my closet recently (this jacket especially) are among its shiniest stars, exemplary of the elegance and austerity the rest of my wardrobe should strive for. The apparel I have from On gives me that same textural and simplicity-of-design satisfaction. Plus, it has a quarter-zip offering.
As for the leisure-suit wearing I’ve been doing…well it seems it plugs into a larger pattern of pan-loungewear-ism. The Lemaire robe coat I picked up in Paris is joined by a pair of The Row’s Frances slippers ordered from MyTheresa, completing the escape-the-hotel look I’m apparently keen on achieving. (Relatedly, I spoke to
about these exact shoes for her piece in T Magazine—I described the designer slipper wave as “an arms race between luxury brands to see who can be the most insouciant.”) The feature on the Lemaire coat that most evokes a bathrobe is its low-slung belt, which I find myself drawn to in other pieces of outerwear: My Lauren Manoogian double-knit trench from last year has been getting the tied-at-the-hip treatment, and I mayyy have just bitten the bullet on a The Row men’s trench set to cinch low on my frame.Even my recent “hard clothes” purchases are soft around the edges—roomy Rùadh jeans that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on (they fit like denim parachute pants); a pajama-soft Carven wool flannel blazer I just ordered from SSENSE with the 25% off coupon; Veronica De Piante boots sans any zippers or hardware that I can slip on as easily as a pair of Uggs; and a Paloma Wool cupro top so soft it tricks the brain into wondering whether it ever left the house at all.
(The fact that there was a conversation in the Magasin chat this week about good-looking snowsuits for the express purpose of taking your dog out for a walk in the winter is both genius and speaks to this dressing moment.)
Is it me who is changing or is it the culture itself? (*Principal Skinner voice*.) Could be that I’m finally seeing what literally everyone else has been privy to all along, but I think the concept of athleisure is—or should be?—undergoing a redefinition to accommodate this current wave of lounge-driven sportswear.
Are you on your athleisure 2.0 journey these days, too? Tell me about it in the FALL SHOPPING SURVEY, which funnels directly into the annual FALL SHOPPING SPREADSHEET, dropping later this week.
What’s new
I was at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show last night and forgot to start looking at the “clothes” until about halfway through. (I’d call that a win for the brand, which was clearly looking to distract from the content with all of the celebrity supply.) It’s available to purchase in see-now-buy-now form, and interesting to see that the fastest selling is the show merch itself, bearing commemorative “VSFS” text, like what the crew wore backstage.
It’s amazing to watch the Uniqlo machine turn star designers into successful capitalists (I mean that in a good way). Ex-Givenchy, ex-Chloe, now-Uniqlo CD Clare Waight Keller has launched a vintage-inspired jewelry collaboration with Reformation—its first foray into the category—most of which is under $400 (save for this chain belt that’s around $800). The brand itself also designed a successfully un-costume-y flapper clothing capsule to complement the 1920s vibes.
Speaking of, a quick jewelry rollup: Dorsey FW24 has landed and it’s lab-grown fine pieces are more invitingly colorful than in past collections; Corali introduces the Familia Collection, inspired by designer Caroline Sillisen’s nearest and dearest (including a silver baby spoon for her son); you can pre-order or just window shop Sophie Buhai’s SS25 if you need a reminder that she’s the blueprint for so much jewelry design we’re seeing these days (but no one does it like her); and a personal fave, Casa Ayllon is now on SSENSE.
I could never have predicted the Gap x Cult Gaia collab, but it exists and it’s here. This leather tie-front jacket and straight-leg pant set is phenomenal—the finish reminds me of Gap’s heavy leather staples from the ‘90s that could withstand nuclear fallout. Cool to see that expressed in such a fashion-forward way.
Couple things Substack readers in particular might want to shop, like, statistically: Alex Mill debuts it's October Collection, and the first delivery of Leset’s Holiday capsule has arrived.
I called the Prada <> Miranda July hotline (set up to promote its FW24 sunglasses?) and had a hard time falling asleep afterwards. Dial at your own risk: 833-526-8880.
There’s also: Still Here joins the ranks of excellent new belt makers (only a few years ago, it was impossible to buy anything in the mid-tier, now we’ve got Saint, Emme Parsons, Lie, Dehanche…); we’re still hugely overlooking Tod’s (especially its leather bags and mules), maybe this MyTheresa exclusive capsule will change that?; CDG x The North Face is back with a third collaboration full of fleecey, sporty, leisurely goods; I skipped the J.Crew x Holiday Magazine party in Paris because I was sick from the rain, but me and everyone else can now enjoy the capsule that came out of the partnership; Khaite updates its Nevada Boot with a simpler, stretch-leather version just as we’re all hawk-eying the newest boot releases; and Lemaire does it's first ever technical sneaker…Sport!
Men’s releases
Studio Nicholson’s Winter Mens Module dropped today—the limited release as a whole lives up to the high expectations we have around the brand, but to me, the standouts are this leather flight jacket, this two-way zip knit, and a shirt and pants cut from the most gorgeous textured felted wool in a sandy desert. tan.
Continuing a pattern of cultish women’s brands expanding into menswear (as with last week’s accouncement: Soeur introduces Frere), knitwear brand &Daughter launched men’s this morning, a range of pullovers and cardigans in thoughtful, lively colors. I’m impressed they resisted the urge to call it “&Son.”
Beams’ description of Birkenstock on its collaboration landing page nearly took me out:
“BIRKENSTOCK was born from the concept of ‘releasing the body of a person who has been away from nature to its natural state.’ This is a brand with a history that has continued to pursue people’s health for over 230 years through shoes that wrap around the feet, which are said to be the ‘second heart.’”
The London clog marks the third jointly released style from the brands in the past months. If you’re shopping internationally, use the World Shopping cart popup that looks like spam at the bottom of the page.
Home releases
Colin King released a follow-up collection out with Cultiver, the kind of bedding seen in vintage French interiors coffee table books, and for ages unattainable in the real world. Edition II is more colorful than the first, with shades of artichoke and cinnabar gracing bedcovers, sheets, and long cushions.
Tableware brand Service Projects, from Philip Seerup (Amalie Moosgaard of Lie Studio’s boyfriend, if anyone else is following the Danish power couple game as closely as I am), expanded his original offering of adorable stainless steel dishes with Walter, a collection of glass drinking vessels and carafes.
Newness from Gohar World (after what felt like a little break, no?) in Table VI: mixed stripes, silks, gray pearls, and embroidery characterize the selection.
What’s on sale
The SSENSE sale landscape looks different than it did as recently as last year, when “the sale” was truly ephemeral. Now, there is an evergreen section for shopping past season discounts, on top of which the retailer graces us with special promos. The 25% off new-in deal it just announced is more generous than usual (literally a quarter off for pieces that only just arrived and are at the peak of their demand). As I mentioned above, I took the opportunity to get a Carven blazer I've had my eyes on since showtime, and tbh I'm still thinking about the coat version, too. Aside from that, an Auralee leather overshirt, Marsell weekender, and Marie Adam-Leenaerdt swimming pool-print dress populate the wishlist.
Sensioria scored an archive sale with Flore Flore, meaning the brand’s pensively toned cotton basics are some faction of their already-reasonable prices.
Tory Burch sale ain't over. Additional pieces and discounts have been loaded up, lest you thought this baby bowler was the only gem from the bunch (there's actually plenty of runway marked down).
If you're me, it's mattress-shopping season, largely assisted by a Friends & Family sale at Casper, which took nearly $1,000 off a king-sized Snow model.
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Is SSENSE officially a discount retailer and diluting its own brand???
Laura, You do what you do so well!