437: Appropriating FiDi culture
Plus Khaite winter arrivals, Bergdorf's sale-on-sale, and what's new from a few agile, young shoe brands.
Find a list of only-here discounts up to 25% off in the Magasin Code Index.
I always liked the way my uncle wears an insulated vest under his Barbour jacket to do outdoor stuff on his vineyard, but when I do it, it’s far more finance guy-coded. That’s fine! A lot of what I’ve been wearing this year so far, or for the public-facing parts of it at least, have taken soft cues from FiDi.
This Arc’Teryx vest is a newly minted foundational element of my outfits. Provides regulated warmth that enhances already-heavy outerwear and opens the door for mid-weight jackets to serve in true winter positions. I can feel smug when something pragmatic reads as such without disrupting my sense of proportion and character, which I do when it comes to the vest. The way the zipped-up collar stands behind the lower necklines of over-layered outerwear, like a turtleneck under an Oxford shirt. Something very right about that.
I’ve worn it quasi-formulaically, with an oversized leather jacket (this one from Lexx Finger Marche, with Cawley’s Flying Jacket, and Arma’s pinch-waist version), loose pleated trousers (Cristaseya cashmere pinstriped ones—very ‘80s corporate, The Row Lilas Pants), and what one could call a “briefcase” (either my The Row Marlo 12 or Métier Private Eye, which can carry a lot).
I think real finance guys wear slim-cut chinos and Untuckit shirts, but what I’m talking about is more office siren masc / JFK Jr. femme. I’ll also vest (verb) with pointy patent leather Toteme boots and my Ralph Lauren cap, or a contrast-collar Celine shirt and a honking big belt buckle from Maximum Henry. This formula and its satellites answer the question to me of, what does a professional wear through winter in a post-covid, office-agnostic reality?
I’m very taken with my Arc’teryx, but links for good measure (nothing too sporty): one from Uniqlo for $49; a non-insulated boiled wool one from Soeur; a Salomon with a good quilting pattern; the OG; and the fashion option c/o Lemaire.
With News Editor Maya Kotomori.
What’s new
Khaite drops a late-season wave of outerwear and tailoring: serious, like the Sandor jacket, and more transitional suit separates and light seamless leather coats and dresses. A standout is the navy and white pinstriped Linden pant and Naran jacket, suit separates that read like an elegantly-Khaite take on the ’80s-canon boxy suit we can’t seem to escape these last few seasons.
Herbert Levine’s latest delivery lands at MyTheresa with crisp leather sandals arriving ahead of spring and satin pumps in sharp pop-art colors. A cobalt pair stands out as the shade to watch for the winter-to-spring handoff.
Prelude, Miu Miu’s latest micro-collection, reads like a fashion-forward Farmer’s Almanac forecast: a tight lineup of functional-leaning pieces for a wet East Coast winter. Think durable lace-up booties, gabardine outerwear with a cozy patterned lining, and technical fabric separates with a sportif undertone.
Zebra is kind of…everywhere right now? Nili Lotan’s new Freddie bag, Khaite’s calfhair Celia pump, and that one pair of slingbacks (also the boots, if you’re nasty) from the Conner Ives x Jimmy Choo collab. Are we in the middle of a fashion stampede?
Stella McCartney’s Jeff Koons collaboration capsule, teased late summer, lands at SSENSE with neither a wink nor a full-blown come on, but a naughtier third thing: a wearable innuendo. Hoodies marked “slippery when wet,” tanks stamped “doggy style,” and a distinctly British deadpan attitude toward the ever-expanding streetwear industrial complex. A Damien Hirst approach to clothing, but make it merchandised up: self-aware enough to be funny.
Net-A-Porter wants you to meet Jude, a sculpture-esque shoe label playing with curve and contour in a manner best described as “Frank” (as in Lloyd Wright, or Gehry). There’s a leather thong wedge that looks like it could have been sketched on the Guggenheim’s exterior, alongside white curved-heel pumps with a crisp, Betty-Draper-goes-Mod energy.
Furthermore, shoe-wise, Le Monde Beryl’s collaboration with creative director Kim Sion of highly styled, deeply textural footwear broke through to the group chats today via this verging-on-vulgar toe-cleavage pump, Phoebe Philo-esque in its nook-cranny candor. We are currently debating who gets to own them, who saw them first, etc. (Side note: the flat version of Phoebe’s cleavage shoes are on sale via yet another contract-flouting yet totally legitimate European off-price site.)
There’s also: Doên’s winter collection of soft-focus romance and cold-weather florals; the return of Flore Flore’s Diana polo in a suite of season-agnostic fresh colors; Marsèll’s SS26 collection at La Garçonne, that classic artisanal leather with that custom-feeling, built-in slouch; a new candy-colored jersey-filled drop from Gil Rodriguez; Bottega’s Andiamo bag is now available in a soft bucket silhouette; and Rachel Comey’s introduction of The Pilla, a hair-calf sneaker with a somewhat sly, downtown attitude.
What’s on sale
Some designer sale styles at Bergdorf Goodman dip to 70% off (including $375 Alaia flats and a $23 Simone Perele bra), plus a concurrent private designer sale that is, essentially, a dedicated shoe edit. It’s a special chance to stack discounts in the world of Miu Miu, Prada, and Bottega footwear, (some with an extra 25% off, like these strappy sandals).
Net-A-Porter’s sale sits largely between 30–60% off, now with an extra 15% off select pieces using FLASH15. That means items like this Khaite cashmere-mohair cardigan or these gold-vermeil Sophie Buhai hoops net more generously.
MyTheresa adds an extra 20% off selected sale pieces, with shoes and accessories emerging as the real stars. Crystal-tipped Jil Sander rings sparkle quietly, while shearling-lined Le Monde Beryl thong sandals toe the line between eccentricity and elegance, perversely charming layered with tights in a snowless winter look, to be quite honest.
An Ulla Johnson online sample sale launched hours ago, with 70% off sweet, resorty pieces including swim, crochet separates, sunset-y dresses. Plenty of flounce that could be played straight or imagined through a mussed-up new-Chloe lens.
Baserange marks down much of its soft, minimal lineup up to 30% off, including recycled cashmere knits in saturated, slightly exuberant colors (like this tomato red). Beyond the sweaters, silk dresses and easy separates round out the sale, reinforcing the label’s ongoing thesis: comfort doesn’t have to flatten personality.
Lisa Yang opens up first access to an archive sale with up to 40% off seasonal pieces using code FIRSTACCESS. The proposition remains steadfast: a full wardrobe in 100% cashmere, designed for the kind of cold that turns a sidewalk into an endurance sport.
Tibi’s end-of-season sale climbs to 60% off, and the knits feel like the real winners: blanket-scale scarves and cardigan-stitch pullovers that operate somewhere between clothing and emotional support object. Polished, but still grounded in the brand’s pragmatic DNA.
Lauren Manoogian’s sale is understandably color coded, brown layered on brown layered on brown, escalating in a wonderful spectrum; organized by shade. Beyond the hand-knit sweaters, there are merino blends and many varying weights of knit basics that make a case for a wardrobe composed entirely of texture rather than color.
There’s also: Reformation’s sale climbs up to 70% off some seasonless skirt slips, and other swishy affairs; a Janessa Leone sale of sculptural wool hats, travel-ready raffia, and leather carryalls; Officina del Poggio’s flash sale on equally polished and utilitarian leather bags; and Proenza Schouler’s final reductions up to 65% off their fast-dwindling sale edit.
Men’s sales
Magasin favorite and friend of the letter Carter Young is running a 30% off sale on FW25, bringing a burdensomely heavy wool coat and a suede jacket with subtle cowboy flourishes to under $700. Its excellent shirting and celebrated denim comes below $300,
Home sales
Parachute’s archive sale goes live with discounts that shift by fabric and color—linen, cloud cotton, and other fan-favorite textiles all in rotation. It’s a spectrum of neutrals and near-neutrals rendered in duvet covers, sheets, and towels, quietly refining the idea of “home basics.”
Casa Shop takes 15% off everything with PAUSE, spanning an eclectic mix of home goods and jewelry that are more for the craftsman-considerate rather than the retro-obsessed. Curvy resin candlesticks, sculptural objects, and MCM-adjacent silhouettes that stop short of overblown, pieces curated to coexist with any era of decor.
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