372: Well it ended up being a shopping trip
Plus new jellies from the OGs, Dôen's warehouse sale, and Mag's own Xavier Donnelly for The Levant Shop.
Find a list of only-here discounts up to 25% off in the Magasin Code Index. New this week are discounts from Diane Von Furstenberg, Violet Grey, Figlia, Corpus, and Melissa.
I’m back in town after three weeks away across five destinations—Puglia, Copenhagen, Paris, Capri, Rome—and while running catch-up errands in Soho yesterday, I realized that if I ever let myself walk into the Prada store here and actually buy something, it would be over for me. Certain shopping needs to be done away from home as a guardrail! I think this is why, even though I hadn’t really set out on a “sourcing” trip, I still ended up coming home with an extra suitcase of new clothes, home goods, wine...
In Puglia, a trip I went on with J.Crew, the brand set each of its guests up with a couple of outfits from the summer drop: tees and tanks and a super useful collapsible straw bag from the Masseria San Domenico collab, a perfectly fitted mini dress, swimwear (funny story, but on the second leg of my Italy trip, in Capri, I spotted a woman wearing the complete powder blue eyelet bikini-skirt set I’d worn a couple weeks earlier). A memorable touch was the additional gift of an anklet from NYC jewelry designer Zycloom, and a very generous assortment of Santa Maria Novella and Officine Universelle Buly 1803 beauty—saved me some pit stops in the coming days.
Copenhagen was a whirlwind, but I still ended up leaving with some Scandi memorabilia. A yet-to-be-launched Service Projects ice cream coupe, and a Louis Poulsen portable Panthella lamp.
In Paris, the most dangerous shopping city in the world, my idle hands—having arrived on the early side of men’s week—did the devils work. From Miu Miu, I found the most sweatable summer dress (I swear I had a tankini just like it when I was 12) that I wore to the event we hosted at Rojo. At Lemaire…actually at Galeries Lafayette, which launched its private sales a day earlier than the brand…I got a barista oat milk-creamy trench that I wore to the runway show the following day. And at Alaïa, I did twice as good at the 50% off sales, where I picked up a slinky, pique-knit dress (almost exactly this but white and with a hood) that I wore to a fabulous dinner in Capri and a pair of peep-toe flats.
The shopping in Capri is actually crazy. A little village of white-awning luxury boutiques that make dropping $700 on a knit linen tee feel so casual (as Nir did at 100% Capri). A novelty I got suckered into was having my own pair of leather sandals made to spec on the spot (in 10 minutes, while I hovered around recording and lying to myself that I’d finally publish a Reel) at Ragozzino Shoes Di Perin Ricciotti.
My final 18 hours in Europe, in Rome, I discovered a new favorite style Oscalito camisole—this thin-strapped one—and re-upped on more ribbed tanks at Schostal. Around the corner, I returned to a shoe store that had haunted me since my last no-buy visit—the shoes are better than the cheesy discount-store layout suggests, and I left with a pair of sublime leather horsebit loafers, handmade near Pisa by L’Artigiana Viareggina out of the supplest leather (even the suede that lined the bottom of the shoes was radically fine). And lastly, I got an eggplant purple bikini from Laura Urbinati—worth getting on the radar of any Nu Swim/Lido fans, per our swim survey.
My biggest regret is leaving Atelier Bomba without buying anything this time around. Huge mistake. Bomba is Rome’s Cristaseya, I’ve come to realize, especially reflecting on the flocked bloomers and vegetal fragrance new to the store since my last visit. They can and will make anything they feel like (all on site or nearby), which is a treat from such sophisticated design minds.
What’s new
Important new ins from Ancient Greek Sandals, who you’ll know from their jelly Iro flat that pre-dates The Row’s by uhhh…67 years. They’ve released more jelly styles this season, including a flip-flop and a buckled, plus leather shoes that equally capture the salty escapism of a natively Mediterranean brand: a fisherman, a caned ballet flat, and corded sandal among the best.
MNZ is getting its groove back. For the first time in recent memory, I’m seeing actually new shoe styles on the site—the Opera, Louise, and Veena are all first-timers—and fresh deliveries from laser-choice brands All-In and Lamia Lagha reflect the independent, off-beat spirit that made the store so influential.
Another piece of footwear news: Yuni Buffa, a shoe brand Jamie Haller fans would be into, released two new styles, a clean-lined boat shoe and bow-tied flat mule.
London-based Cawley introduced its first jewelry, a scaly fish pin that’s already sold out in sterling silver but remains in brass (also top tier). A little celebration, all orders that come it today will also receive a silk fish pouch made from fabric remnants around the studio. I hope they make these a permanent thing, such a fun vacation evening bag. (Side note: the brand’s Flying jacket is on sale…I can’t imagine why, it’s one of my most complimented pieces.)
Like J.Crew, Tibi also launched a limited collection with a hospitality project—Il Caroseno—in the Bari region, theirs an homage to Italian cotton shirting that includes button downs, boxer shorts, even a denim jumpsuit.
I somehow missed this earlier, but the skincare brand I love to travel with (especially when it’s hot out), Motif, released another product, bringing its total SKU count to three: a ceramide cleanser, an antioxidant serum (I use this as a standalone moisturizer in summer), and now a resurfacing peptide toner. My skin just loves this stuff, it beams when I’m using it consistently.
Also on the beauty note, Violet Grey gave Magasin a discount —15% off with LAURA15—where there’s a lot of me-coded product (the Fara Homidi lip compact, Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks in BICHETTE!! and Embryolisse that you don’t have to risk getting a fake of off Amazon).
There’s also: Comme Si launches a special-edition sport tee to mark its Austrian pop up; mentioned in Brand Rank, where Aritzia landed at #13, the brand collaborates with Thistles on three exclusive sunglass styles; and Allyon releases a bigger, more dramatic leather pouch bag—the Aurora, featuring a swishy tassel.
Men’s releases
The Colbo x Sperry boat shoe collab we previewed in Paris is up on ecomm, finally. Sperry is a prolific collaborator (and Colbo is on its way, admittedly), but what Tal Silberstein made out of the style feels uniquely his own. Beautifully bendy and highly weatherable. Also of note: the Sperry x Aritzia collab has been restocked for a third time.
Home releases
Magasin’s very own Xavier Donnelly collaborated with The Levant Shop on a table linens capsule that currently adorns Bar Tiberio’s piazetta seating, where people watching is an Olympic sport (a few dozen of us descended on the Caprese square last week to mark their arrival). Xavier is a masterful world evoker, so of course the al fresco dinner settings were inspired by murals in Pompeii and Etruscan motifs.
My personal stemware provider of choice, Glasvin, has launched a small ceramics collection that includes a stout, smooth tumbler, and one with ridged edges. The online merchandising seems to suggest enjoying them with a peppy bottled cold brew.
Hinging on Copenhagen’s 3DD mid-June, Design Within Reach brought back the Moller Model 82 Side Chair, a ladder-back style with a woven paper cord seat. It was DWR’s first-ever ladder-back chair and feels just as relevant in dining rooms today.
Pien Studios’ Collection 6 put forth some very good leather totes (this one looks like a rudimentary Phoebe Philo Bean Bag), but the emphasis on home goods like this floor pillow, feels like a fun step for the Amsterdam-based operation.
What’s on sale
A quick check in on our mega-multis: SSENSE is up to 75% off now…not quite the highest it’ll cap out at, but close (some Charlotte Chesnais jewelry is up there); Net-A-Porter increased advertised discounts yesterday to 70% (though some J.W.Anderson, Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, Tory Burch, and St. Agni goes higher); and MyTheresa’s running an extra 20% off (netting Dries dresses, Manolos, Lemaire pants close to 70% off).
Dôen’s Online Warehouse Sale just launched, so inventory is still up there—the highest it’ll be before guaranteed depletion over the weekend. A few links to get things rolling: an all-over smocked lace dress for $349, a precious satin mule in pink or black for just $75, 100% cotton straight-leg white denim for $124, and a mixed-metal kitten heel sandal for $155.
Gimaguas is looking a lot like Summer Part II to me (I’ll be back in Italy in a couple weeks…), and I’ll never get over how good the prices are. Especially on sale, as in the brand’s private archive happening now. Most of the tabs I have open are under $200, some under $100: a sheer capelet dress, studded drawstring linen pants, harem culottes, twill cargo pants…sizes are running low across the board.
A handful pieces left in Michelle Del Rio’s sample sale (actual samples…not how brands seem to be using the phrase lately): a killer zebra-print top and shorts set, a tasseled cotton blouse, and a juicy orange skirt with a trapped zebra panel within.
There’s also: Maygel Colonel, which falls right between Magda Butrym and Oséree, is 70% off at 260 Sample Sale online; and Tangerine’s sale is on, lobbing decimals off Azur, Gabriela Coll Garments, Super Yaya, and more.
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Wait. Tell me more about this fake Embrolyssie from Amazon?!?!