295: Freaky, unknowable holiday clothes
Plus Metier launches evening bags, Alaia boots for 70% off, and Martiniano's sample sale is moving fast.
My holiday dressing directive is to be freaky and unknowable. You may have already guessed from hints (links, IG selfies) I’ve been dropping (posting repeatedly, trying on in store), but this Khaite coat is the cornerstone of my festive fantasies this season.
Beneath it—and it’s questionable if this would work considering their shapeliness, but then again there are countless holiday events coming up, so let’s just call it a different occasion—I have many a Hodakova skirt, Nicklas Skovgaard dress, and Kiko Kostadinov blouse wishlisted. Oddly in their ilk is this hoop-rimmed sequin Tory dress (never thought I’d lump her among those names, such a testament to the brand’s embrace of its wild side).
This Auralee fleece column dress would be the unexpected hand to fit the Khaite coat’s glove. Can you just imagine its aquamarine emerging from beneath the black, in a room full of jewel tones? Brilliant, to me.
I’m silly for posting this because I’m very heavily leaning toward buying it myself (and I have a credit that’d cover most), but it’s easy to see the fun in “classic” holiday dressing with this Saint Laurent fur-trim mini dress + sheer tights + bitchy heels, like THESE from Loro Piana (or these if you must wear boots). Maybe leave the Saint Laurent for me and buy this Rodarte raindrop dress instead, or this runway Chanel that’s bizarrely priced under $700? Or, how about a Fendi fur coat for $370?
Another traditional trope, sequins are freaky, but as to whether they can be unknowable, I find this Norma Kamali dress (under $400) mysterious, elegant, and subvertible with the right (wrong) layer, like a patchwork tweed jacket from Ralph Lauren.
The 1940s lady thing is so befitting the holiday season that there’s no way it’s moving on before then. This Francoise shawl-cape-coat is it (Joy Sauvage, I’m looking at you). On the other end of current style thinking, a bit sportier, I’m looking forward to making a twinset of this Fforme long sleeve and these Fforme leggings as a slinky underlayer to…well, hopefully that Khaite coat, once I work up the nerve.
What’s new
I appreciate the premise behind this holiday packaging from Alex Mill: the 60 Second Gift Guide. It’s playful but to-the-point, distilling basically an entire site of giftable goods (IMO) into a few digestible edits that serve a practical purpose. If I were one of these gift guides, I’d be the the Wow Factor Edition or the Only Wears Neutrals Edition (guilty). If there were a Magasin Edition, it might include these sheepskin boots, this wool-alpaca wrap coat, a perfect corduroy blazer, and this cashmere polo.
Metier has staked its flagpole against stiff, luxury competition in the category of Day Bags (it’s Incognito and Private Eye are instant icons as far as I’m concerned) and now it’s coming for Evening Bags: a new holiday collection shakes the whole offering up with new textures like satin and lipstick patent leather. And how about this tiny bale bag? We so needed this.
Tibetian yak-wool label Norlha celebrates its 17th anniversary with the Circular Collection, four yak khullu vests made with off-cuts saved from the atelier over the years. This brand, and story, makes me want to cry—clothes should be this emotional.
Me and COS and everyone else are all so holiday dressing-minded lately. The brand dropped a party edit that meets my mood with drapey velvets, muted metallics, pearlescent silks…mysterious yet rich.
The grown-up version is Veronica De Piante’s capsule for Net-A-Porter. It’s largely familiar styles of top-top quality, but this dress is truly a standout.
The Balenciaga x Under Armor collab first seen on the runway in September is here earlier than expected. While the creative team-up makes sense to me (and this stretchy hoodie is really good, actually), I think interested parties without the Balenciaga collector’s itch could be satisfied by mainline Under Armor…this “scuba hoodie” is $70 combared to the collab’s $1,190, and the color’s great.
I love that the new Reformation x Shrimps collab includes little dog sweaters. I am a sucker for chic dog clothes. Also, this knit reads like Altuzarra 20th anniversary runway collection, for about a 10th the price.
There’s also: Lié Studio releases elevated, jewelry-esque hair accessories (the forgotten category); introducing the newest, babiest bag from Mansur Gavriel—the BonBon (it’s under $400); and Comme Si’s collaboration with USM Modular Furniture drops more exclusives as it city hops, so, more designy colors of the brand’s core socks and lounge.
What’s on sale
RIP American Apparel and Everybody.World, but now we have Organic Basics. As the name promises, it offers intimates and staples in natural materials executed in thoughtful colors (the pistachios and sage greens that blend so well with neutrals). It’s also, for fear of sounding so embarrassing, cool…Dudi Hasson shot its latest campaign. Prices are already uber-low, but the whole site’s currently up to 60% off for Black Friday already…this is big!
To dig deeper into that Savannah’s sale—I shared its 30% off The Row Alexia deal this week—there are some other strange gems like The Row’s just-launched Frances slippers for 30% off, the famous blue satin Manolos for 40% off, and Alaia boots for 70% off (they’re under $400). It’s a real, trusted store based in Stockholm, I know some of you may be wondering with discounts like that.
Realisation Par dolls out a sitewide sale (feels like a true sale after so many limited edits or sale parameters) at 25% off, including new in. I’m a long-time Realisation stan, but even I didn’t know it made denim jackets. So, not just slinky dresses, but of course no shortage of those either.
Nice 40% off happening in Proenza’s private sale with FIRSTACCESS, including runway. I’m surprised I’m only just seeing this leather coat—it’s fantastic—but happy to have found it at almost half-off, eyeing the Pam Anderson dress, and thinking I might actually make a move on the two-tone big-toe sandals (I wear open-toe all through winter, so yeah, they’re seasonal).
The Skims sale is on at up to 50% off thousands of items. Feels so redundant to talk about my hoodie again (JIC), so instead I’ll point to a loose and layerable mock neck long sleeve, this fitted track jacket (me-coded), and straight-leg lounge pants.
Martiniano’s sample sale comes twice a year and I always try to be among the first to open tabs. I’m meditating on this pair a size down (they tend to stretch slightly), seeing as I wear the off-white version at least weekly. I love these ballerina pink heels for any size 40s out there.
I would have said I knew Gemsun inside-out, but seeing its archive sale go live—50% off with ARCHIVEGEMS—I’m surprised to run into some never-before-seen delights that so ring of the brand’s language. The Petra dress is an old fave, but the massive Net Scarf and fete-able Toni Cap are new to me (all currently in my cart).
There’s also: I.AM.GIA dubbed its 30% off sitewide sale “NostalGIA”…cute; Luisaviaroma expands its 30% off new-in sale to more items…anything with a star is excluded; and Batsheva (great, personality-forward, and fairly priced) pieces (oh, also so great for holiday) are 30% off with BF30.
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“Freaky and unknowable” never has a better party vibe been stated