Checking my intel channels after a fashion month spent on the ground, doing real-world reporting, I was a little jolted by what the retail machine had been up to and how little of it actually broke through. Over the course of a couple weeks, the…what we call “mall brands” but actually, they’re more like the impulse-buy brands we’d shop deskbound at 4pm on a Wednesday as Aquaphor for corporate ennui…have been raining down a hailstorm of packaged launches to varying degrees of attention-achieving.
Gap, in October alone, released a Simpsons collection, a Roy Lichtenstein collection in partnership with the Whitney, made costumes for Miami City Ballet, restocked the Hailey Bieber jeans, and sent out an embargoed PR release about another, fashion-ier collab coming in a week. Its sister brand Old Navy partnered with Altuzarra on a collaborative collection (why O.N. and not Gap, I can’t say, seems like a random choice). Its other sibling brand Banana Republic has me tied up by yet another embargo about yet another forthcoming, high-fashiony collaboration.
J.Crew, similarly busybodying the collab scene, released a follow-up collection with Barbour and expanded its partnership with ‘47 on college gear, both within a fortnight of its Eckhaus Latta NYFW debut. Yesterday it released J.Crew x American Girl (as in the dolls, for kids). Skims put out a collection with Ludovic de Saint Sernin and just unveiled its Alpine Collection. On came out with a second collection with Zendaya and continued its partnership with Loewe (despite new creative management). And Reformation finally released its Alexa Chung collab (which we scooped in last fashion month’s live reporting).
All of this, again, just in October. As far as what seeped through organically, I’d have to say almost none of it. Probably just Alexa Chung, which is why she’s still earning her ostensibly hefty fee for this kind of thing, decades post-Cobrasnake.
Why now? Why drop an un-graspable volume of product designed to attract news coverage and eyeballs when those resources are trained on the Chanel runway? But this is the game for mass fashion brands, whose approach to product is like an influencer chasing a mercurial algorithm, where the flops don’t matter, only the hits do. A bit queasy of an idea when the spray of target-missing material is actual physical stuff we need to deal with. Something to chew on.
News only below in today’s send, as I’ve been saying, it’s been a busy run.
In contrast with everything that announced itself over fashion month, Tigra Tigra (which exists semi-outside of “the calendar”) recently uploaded without much fanfare some of the most beautiful and wantable pieces I encountered all season. The brand, from designer Bailey Hunter, has been around for almost 15 years now, doing amazing things with traditional regional textiles and hand-embellishments through NGOs and artisan co-ops. It’s not the first time I’ve written about Tigra Tigra (Bailey has even contributed), but just seeing its latest arrivals, I’m struck by how much every other brand is now catching up to it. This glass-beaded shoulder-pad dress could have come from Valentino or Celine. A brocade jacket and skirt ensemble that looks like the most updated self-image of The Row. This little jacket…Dries. That it’s none of those things makes it better, more humble, more of a choice you make than something handed to you.
The Tory Burch fall runway collection is mostly live, including the cords that everyone stopped to gawk at. It’s a bit exasperating that the woven belt I also found great and purchase-worthy is $450, but as a consolation, the bigger fish pin is $180. I’ll be the first in line when these velvety, pearly pumps click over from ‘Coming Soon.’
The headline from the latest Phoebe Philo drop is the arrival of the Splay Clutch, a leather folio-style envelope with a slim wraparound leather tie. I’ve been spending a lot of time carrying my Hunting Season folio clutch and foresee the rise of bookish bags like these (also: messenger bags and backpacks). The other thing to pull out of the Phoebe arrivals is, doesn’t this silk scarf top look a lot like this Aflalo one released a few weeks back? (A little over half the price.)
The first fluffy coats pf the season are arriving—Charlotte Simone’s first winter drop is already mostly sold out (I acted early and got this curly-trim cropped style); but Carelli’s Upper East Side collection, similarly fur-cuffed and collared, opened up for pre-order. The updated Jackie in Bambi will do numbers.
Good tabs to open from Cristaseya’s just-unlocked temporary online shop (this is how it releases collections): an entry-level-priced velvet fringed scarf in deep ocean blue; a diagonal-stripe chunky knit in well-chosen field shades; and a stone-colored trench with a reverse leather collar. Also…those white riding boots I’ve been flirting with for seasons are back. Is this the moment I finally buy?
Alex Mill embodies every season somehow, but perhaps fall most of all, proof of which can be found in a few key releases. The newly arrived Sophia coat is the most remarkable of the lot, a double-face wool with double breasted buttons that’s been hand-finished by artisans who hand-stitch every seam, at the remarkable price of $375. The speckled wool-and-alpaca yarn Donegal sweater from the men’s section is worth consideration, as is the velvet Prince flat, which I foresee a lot of tip-tapping around Nolita this season.
La Collection is still underrated for what it is, deserving of its Rohé comeuppance and on-sight recognition (maybe open a store in NYC? I would shop there…). The Antwerp-based brand released its FW26 collection, titled Maniera, and became the preëminent smart, worldly, romantic source in doing so: Deco meets tailoring meets great un-tailoring. This coat! Whoa. Also—sheer embroidered trousers under a slit skirt…great styling concept; speaks the the strengths of the brand as a whole.
Lots to discuss on the handbag front: Nour Hammour’s Amal bag now comes in a slouchy, shiny ponyhair iteration, in either black or burgundy. For the art lovers, Eittem created a selection of bags inspired by the Frick Collection—particularly the mantlepiece carvings in the Walnut Room. Net-A-Porter has an exclusive Bottega Veneta Baby Madison bag in a caramel suede intrecciato that’s ideal for fall; Mulberry introduces the Delilah family of bags, a relaxed flap style with a removable strap and lock closure that comes in three sizes; Liffner High Season is here, and it’s chock-full of jewel tones, metallics, and lustrous fabrics like satin and calf hair; Absolutely Fabrics has restocked its sold-out LA MAMA bag, an oversized carryall for every day; and St. Agni’s textural woven tote collection is another option for daily wear.
Now, for some shoe news: Jamie Haller’s Penny Loafer has a new ponyhair iteration for fall, in a deep wine shade (good news for anyone all-in on purple this season); Jimmy Choo celebrates 30 years with a Pearls of Wisdom capsule collection that’s heavy on—you guessed it—pearl detailing, from subtle accents to all-over embellished platforms and evening bags; Le Monde Beryl enters boot season, including a knee-high kitten-heel Babouche boot in croc-effect brown leather; and Repetto comes full-circle on high-vamp ballet flats for women—though the style of the moment is often credited to Phoebe Philo, the French brand introduced it years ago, though only for men.
Finally, for the fragrance heads: The luxury collection of scents from Contrapposto, the beauty house founded by Nick and Casey Axelrod-Welk, is now available at Violet Grey; Tibi teams up with Abel for its first-ever eau de parfum—a peppery, green wood with 18 natural ingredients that is aptly described as “chill, modern, and classic”; and BODHA, the brand that’s become known for its smokeless incense, is entering the perfume game with a collection of three debut scents, complete with cool, well-designed bottles.
There’s also: a Conner Ives SS27 trunk show is live on Moda Operandi, on the heels of his superb New York Fashion Week debut at The Grill; a new cotton flannel offering, The Winchester, from perennial shirting favorite Comme Si to elevate fall layering; VADA and H-O-R-S-E teamed up on a sporty necklace featuring a sterling silver coach’s whistle and eyeglass holder, together on a nostalgic ball chain; Brynn Wallner of The Dimepiece Dispatch designed an adorable limited-edition baby tee in collaboration with her favorite t-shirt brand, China Girl; Fruity Booty’s fall offering is inspired by dance studio staples, from ballet pink track trousers to a delicate detached layer top; the second drop of 6397’s AW26 collection is now available via e-comm, featuring an array of violet shades; the AW26 offering from Dima Ladina is also online at L’Ensemble, top-tier scouter of convincing, new-to-us brands; Tricot x LIÉ STUDIO joined forces for a limited fall capsule with a tight trio of pieces—a knit polo, a skirt, and a belt; and the Moda Operandi ski shop is open, should you have a jaunt to Aspen on your winter agenda.
Men’s releases
Spanish shirting brand Camisas Manolo partnered with Japanese designer Soshi Otsuki on a range of that embodies “boom boom.” Otsuki, a 2026 LVMH Prize finalist, finds inspiration in the Armani suits businessmen wore to work in his native Tokyo, which comes through in this range of shirts, complete with silk polka-dot ties that can be flipped to peek out from the inside.
Parisian menswear boutique Beige Habilleur hosted the first "made to order" event for Rier, the brand founded by Andreas Steiner, deepening its commitment to avoiding overproduction, as well as supporting small factories and family-run businesses. Everything from coats to trousers to fleeces are made to order and delivered within 4-6 weeks.
Our Legacy is keeping it simple for its FW2026 collection theme: “Just Clothes.” Sure, but they’re very good clothes—a casual, collared leather shirtjacket, a wool herringbone car coat, a flannel-like check-pattern shirt, and some low-rise marled trousers are worthy of heavy rotation status this season and beyond.
There’s also: a duo of clouty collaborations is now shoppable—writer Jake Woolf partnered with Mark the Tailor on one key piece, a sport-luxe merino fleece jacket that’s available in black and navy; and music video director-slash-tastemaker Cole Bennett created a white, wooly pair of cozy-cool Birkenstock Bostons that appear to be Yeti-inspired.
Home releases
Our very own interiors columnist Xavier Donnelly unveiled his latest collection of wallpapers for Backdrop, entitled ALTER EGO. The three new styles—THE PENTHOUSE, THE BUREAU, and ILLUSION DE BOIS—translate architectural materials into wallpaper, evoking the texture and mood of Brutalist brushed steel, olive lacquered tile, and walnut-hued wood grain, respectively.
Erstwhile Tory Burch textile designer Spencer Malinski has a new collection of five made-to-order ottomans for Love House, all rich in color, pattern, and texture. Made in Italian textile mills and using Samuel & Sons fringe, both velvet and jacquard options are available in a tight edit of shapes and patterns—we’re especially fond of the maximalist floral velvet and Art Deco fan print—priced starting at $5,700.
There’s also: Giancarlo Valle and Jane Keltner de Valle, the married couple behind Studio Valle de Valle, unveil a new exhibition and Rizzoli book to mark the 10-year anniversary of their interior design practice; Tekla’s new checked bedding collection is the linens version of switching over your closet for fall; design studio Apparatus unveils its first full collection in five years, “Act V: Afsaneh,” which consists of lighting and furniture inspired by mythology; industry-beloved illustrator Angelica Hicks designed a collection of holiday cards for Paperless Post; Brooklyn-based designer Eny Lee Parker releases her second lighting collection with Lulu & Georgia, complete with a charming cherry-shaped table lamp.
With contributions from Alyssa Vingan
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