xoxox



its never about one snakeskin driver
its about two
prada and tods if you need to seek out yourself
bought with the intention of getting a car and having them the mainstay change into slipper with my Porsche

not posted yet
but I promise I had these before Zoe Kravitz went out and blew up the internet
hint - vintage gap

Read more

but how have both landed in this zone

what level of unfuckable was on that slide
miu miu at least presented us with the world of lotta
that was surrounded with prada and miu
so it felt somewhat in context as the tension

and some of you think its not possible
how to do you make a huarache hot
givenchy took a dumptruck idea
and applied some hot vibes to it

you can reference something and still make it hot
THAT IS THE JOB

its not to keep the client
looking like she just left the woods
or some sad gal
or someone that just got back from a trip from mexico

to the clients that sold out both
let me know what you are wearing with it
pants that cover the shoe don’t count
and a full fuck you outfit doesn’t count

just head to the realreal
look up Givenchy
you are welcome

what are brands suppose to do
the job has always simple
get everyone looking better everyday

hide the performance
give a sense of belonging through the brand

if we are going to be sold something
we need the polish and the representation

my favorite brands and designers right now are doing exactly this
removing the need for flashy click bait items
or morose pretense of exclusivity
or a lifestyle that feels so showy
or a bore snore reformat of references or collaboration

product and marketing have to take the client somewhere together
show them a new approach
one that doesn’t disconnect them from reality or from eachother
that acknowledges the shared understanding of the uniform we actually need
evoke a feeling we all want to be apart of

the mid market is becoming algorithmic sadness
it keeps looking to celine or phoebe, hoping to catch the essence

they can’t
what’s missing is energy
personality of the curator
a little controversy if needed
a focus that becomes relentless across the offering from product to brand
and how each works together within the right context
rather than on islands of departments, drops or core busines

either the brand is so serious it forgets to feel anything
or it’s the smoke and mirror show of celebrity and yachts, trying to keep the dream alive
or its so boring you wouldn’t want to get a drink with them

and the assortment loses its POV
chasing the most democratic fit, the most understandable palette, the most agreeable approach
only to loose any sense of specific menu for the client

everyone racing to the middle ends up in the same exact place
what can they sell beyond the initial offer

now there is phoebe. dario, formerly at versace. michael at celine.
belief is being built into the items
disposition above all else
better versions of what the client already has - a t-shirt cut to establish a new stance
a button down shirt color that brings new energy to the outfitting
styling that inspires an extra tuck or tie
layered, proportioned, deliberate to work together
and the accessory is the thing that shifts the emotion with a note of something unexpected

it takes you back to your everyday, but with a new ambition
new reason to get dressed and out the door
one that doesn’t make you look like an asshole
one that amplifies

like lets get real
why would any of us want a sweatshirt with Celine arched across it like a brand melville destination sweatshirt ?
why is everyone loosing their mind over the reebok collab ?
why are we still lusting after Versace long after the terminated Dario?
why are phoebes ballet flats or carpenter pants the ones we are choosing ?
because there is a trust and personal touch that comes to all those items
that we trust
and want

then imagery pushes a bigger narrative

a whole life
no one is sullen. no one is sad
all feels inclusive and inviting without being for everyone
because who actually wants to be that

real journeys
real places in the world
and who you’re there with

a familiar grounding that lets the client exhale when seeing these campaigns

here’s the real thing they’re all doing: humility. personality. a good laugh
this mix becomes the aspiration

it comes through an accessory or an image and it’s never pushed onto the client to make them the joke

it builds a world you can add to what you already wear
enough to feel the unexpected, without looking like the reference someone threw on a moodboard just to disrupt the presentation for the sake of it all

the good ones give you somewhere to go
they are not looking to anyone else for the codes

everyone else is just following the algorithm

this article by Cathy Horyn is excellent
and exactly how I had been feeling for a minute

the big note being - we all want to want
but the brands job is the ignite it
and what’s working is when it comes from somewhere authentic

nike
the most recognized brand in the world
a logo anyone could identify
probably one of the most valuable logo marks ever
nike transformed with marketing

while everyone got excited from the communications and value it gave the swoosh
the product just had to show up

but lately the product is bad
the resale market has gone quiet
the drops don’t move like they used to

the trends aren’t resurfacing the way nike trends always did

i remember, this is twenty years ago now
going to copenhagen with a colleague
the girls there had all transformed

an oversized tailored overcoat.
a pair of air max 90s
they looked so cool

since then nike’s had a couple good runs with other silhouettes
consistently making the cut in styling or editorials

but the moment the samba came back
something shifted for them

they never got the cultural tie back

i worked with them on some co-creation
thankful to the team i worked with who where angels
but everything seemed to be impossible in their company

internally the structure kept moving

from sport
to women’s / men’s / kids
and back to sport again

the styles got confused

every reorg landed in the same place
across the years, the interviews i had to work with them, the working sessions on collaborations

frankly put - the male ego was always in the room
the never-ending gospel of sport
and a complete blind spot for materiality

no understanding of how a material can lift something
make it relevant
or elevate it
*i myself am still really happy with the product we did roll out

but in that same time the women’s assortments offered are buried in lace and glitter

the moon shoe might be the last thing they pulled off that actually held
a piece with real lasting relevance
the bode astrograbber was ok but not wearable in a broader sense
dunks even came back but even Hailey Bieber can’t save them now
notice that i don’t think the nike skims partnership has really done much…

beyond that a lot of it reads like zappos or an algorithmic summary of pinterest
volume
options
over assortments into the wrong ideas

then i saw they’re bringing back flyknit
for a second, i was excited

then i saw what they did with it
knit stretched over hero silhouettes that have no business being in flyknit
frankensteins

i am left wondering if there are actual designers
or anyone with taste
or just marketers trying to grab a headline
or merchants trying to reclaim golden days
or a bunch of bros high fiving lace and bows

i think i’ve gone allergic to sneakers

with the value of the swoosh
they will have to figure it out
or become like an old navy

a real miss was the world cup
and the materials they offered the P90 in
they could have had a contender against the low profile of the samba
if they just chose some nicer materials and colors ….

utility vs feeling pretty for the sake of it all

chloe has started to come through stronger
and keeps making me feel like i am missing something

i am loving seeing olivia rodrigo in chloe in her music video at the the palace of versailles, somewhere that seems appropriate to wear chloe

last summer dree carlson lost her luggage and just redid her entire outfitting at the chloe store, for a week on a yatch in italy, again somewhere that seems appropriate

but what about the rest of us, where can we wear chloe

looking back
stella mccartney started in the late 90s
alot of those more iconic graphic pieces are now coveted
phoebe philo assisted her
then took over in 2001 where the paddington was born
and she is back in a sea of modern bags
i have yet to see a true net new purchase rather than a depop source
the girls were on it before they even re-issued it to be frank
and now chemena kamali
who started as an intern under Phoebe
bringing back the dream like states of the past

while i am seeing notes of it in the markets
its still feeling too modern in the way people are choosing the copy it
the spaces that its being reimagined in too cold

and then i am wondering do consumers really have anywhere to wear these pieces
is the why the contemporary markets are having a challenge with it

everyone is comfortable in the everyday uniform
found refuge in quiet luxury
or harsher edges of khaite
or the bore of toteme

something is just so fun about these prints
statement dresses
flowing slips with the most stunning lace detailing

i could only hope the ones who something else, and see it in chloe
find themselves somewhere other than the special occasion
because right now i catch myself wanting to be a guest at a wedding just to wear one
then i catch myself wanting to be the bride, just for the dress.

are we ready to be a little more delusional in dressing and catch a more dream like state ?
or has this become a costume
reservations for a special moment in time

do we have enough reasons to purchase
do we have the places to be

i think i am just bored of everything being so clinical
and want to see more values than a modern uniform

there is no traditional merchandising team behind phoebe
no one back there slicing the vision into tiers
no bending to the department store request
one more color, one more material, one more length
if an item is coming back its because she blessed it

if you are buying Phoebe you are buying what the brand sees for you
you get to participate from a clear vision
where product is the source
and creates the brand

she is giving exactly what is needed
nothing made for the sake of someone else
unapologetically not for everyone

there is no balanced assortment
and you start to wonder if there ever needs to be one

that confidence is the rare part
we don’t have much of it in the market right now

take a brand i love - prada, completely different approach
walk into the shoe salon at bergdorf’s and you see the frankensteins
five versions of the espadrille
a chunky last from three seasons ago dragged back out, fitted with new uppers
a sandal, a boot for a client that is just there for the prada of it all

the audience of the runway is not the customer of that espadrille
but that is how their business is built
the tiers rarely touch, those clients don’t mix
the client mesmerized by the runway never sees that chunky boot again

prada strategy is to only communicate the highest tier
but provide for everyone
in very contained circumstances

and chanel does it another way
walk into chanel and most of the clients are not there for matthieu
we like the believe that because we are not the mainline chanel client

but he is there for the brand
to lift the perception
to engage an audience that has been waiting for something new
he is there for us but not the core client
the core client is still standing in line for that chanel 22
when you shop and ask to see the assortments
there is a clear divide between “studio” and “mattieu”

phoebe has not felt the pressure to do any of that
yet …

how does the client even know what it means to participate in the brand beyond a logo mark
does an assortment need to be balanced
because with all that perceived balance
(do we need 5 versions of a shoe just to balance the buckets)

how does the client know what’s important
do we need more brand elevations
to carry through mass over assortments
do we need different teams designing separate collections to keep the business happy

does it just becomes a buffet of stuff
or a brand that validates stuff

and all is forgiven since the separate clients will never meet

but the pull back is needed

keep the trend pure and you look like a kook
outside the context of a beach
outside the context of a board

does your moodboard translate beyond a costume
are you applying your handwriting to the trend

what becomes performance versus what becomes a real trend

when surf reached peak
and sold out to mass the first time it didn’t work
where are those brands now
what works if buying a vintage piece to participate

i still recognize the allure
but more from the reframe than from the pure reference

it has to be mixed
it has to be stylized
it had to be designed

miu miu spring 2024 is the perfect example
one board short as a single note
just the suggestion of surf
even looking at spring 2003
the hibiscus print was the suggestion
recalibrated with cashmere knits and terry fleece fashion silhouettes

abercrombie always did this well mixing surf with prep
diluted it just enough so it never read pure

i believe what everyone has mixed up about trends is we need to do the whole kit and kaboots

it’s not about achieving the costume head to toe
it’s about pulling the right notes and applying them to the right styling, the right product and the right image
more of a reflection not a cos play opportunity

the trend isn’t the board short
the trend is knowing what to do with one

take the waistband of the board short - apply it to a pant
or get some shorts in with the sample proportions
or take your shoot to a beach town to capture some peripheral vibes with styles that have nothing to do with surf culture
or style it in through accessories like a pucca shell necklace
or even the consideration to do nothing
call it a day

carolyn bessette core will be replaced with blue crush references
i can’t wait to see it executed on everyone’s beach vacations

but i will likely shudder while brands try to present the surf trend as a pure concept
rather than just the notes we need from it

but if you didn’t catch it this season
the customer that is looking for it now during peak won’t want it
and the mass next year won’t need it

everything i would be purchasing for a fun bum summer
shop my

link to a previous article
billabong boyfriend

there is so much noise right now about the pursuit of taste.
how to project it.
how to harness it.
how to participate in it.

how important all of it has become.

i have participated in the discourse and agree, taste is more important than ever
but ultimately you have it or you don’t.

the thing we are forgetting there is another level to it -
taste comes from people who are happy.

a point in time where you are present enough to appreciate
your company.
a destination.
a bag. a coat. a cigarette.
how you are choosing to spend your day.

the pursuit of whatever you find beautiful
the pursuit of the best
comes from being present

take that wherever you want
projection, gatekeeping, whatever the discourse you need for the things you appreciate.
*i am for gatekeeping again

i agree with the conversations around performative values of taste and ai showing us how badly we need real consideration and taste.

i have written about this before.
hit a full wall realizing how high ai can aggregate without a second look.
all the top notes of the best but thats all it is - is the top notes.

sameness is going to become the next challenge in most industries.

but what trumps through that is feeling
something a person actually wanted

lately i am resonating with people who are finding things for themselves.

not for a reaction.
not to join the circus or discourse.
not to acclimate to the same commentary everyone else is repeating.

go out be happy
and if you got it flaunt it or gate keep it
its for yourself

and yeah I do think alot of people lack taste

the knitwear and leather excellent
categories that truly show how luxury executes

the sunglasses were a great cut to the collection
high design perfect alligator farm owner from the south
truck stop but elevated

but did notice every model needed them
take them off and the looks collapse
the sunglasses are carry the collection

the casual coats continued what they had started with the barn coat seasons ago
the blue was a refined blue. not the literal french workwear blue of past seasons

this is what reimagining an archetype looks like
reconsider material, color and cut into essential items
to show the touch of the brand

but then - everything else

i don’t know what anyone is going to the row for anymore
the uniform doesn’t feel exclusive
the brand and feeling now an uptown snore

the long shorts felt down market
the chinos won’t translate on most people as the row, but instead more jcrew
the caftan cover-ups read like a sheet with a hole in it
the shoes look like an older woman’s shoe
dated - no power behind them

i went looking for where it’s selling.
fwrd was moving some pieces
notes of sell out across the rows site
then you check the inventory
only 3 size runs max of each apparel item

sold out driving the sense of scarcity and exclusivity
but meh

here’s what i want from the row
a refined uniform
items perfected to the point no one else can credibly make them
fabric consideration is obsessive - get me that japan fabric or that one made in italy
an exercise in color that gets applied to items that makes the item the row
styling that produces a vision

you should leave looking and feeling the row
right now you leave looking baseline with no elevation
unless you have the sunglasses on …

recommendation to move to Auralee

kudos when kudos is deserved.
people undercut her constantly.
cast her off as too mainstream.

too easy. too pretty. too not about anything.

if your personal brand is clean it gets called uncreative.

to me that is the hardest thing to do.

build something aspirational and actually understandable at the same time

she has been on my muse boards for years.
referenced for collections and styling.
pulled for key items

its understandable - inclusive
when girls take inspiration from her, most of the time they look good!

the uniform. the restraint.
the lack of performance.
there is a steady tactic to what she has built.

rhode is a real brand.
it started with influence on her platform.

but she planted it. she carried it.
the product is good.
the discipline around it is better.

rhode is always on her grid.
a hint of the product but its not being sold to you
she is showing you how its apart of her world
and how it could be apart of yours

the growth of rhode is not nothing.

what she is doing is what every brand should be studying when they hire someone like her.

with the big wins - there have been some misses

the chase sapphire campaign was not her fault - that creative is questionable.
it didn’t make me want a chase sapphire card
she and her team should have taken the creative over.

fila felt downstream.
dkny is dated and Macys coded.
but none of it matters.

everything else she is doing casts such a shadow that the misses disappear.

the new alaia campaign.
the cover of time.
the cover of interview.
mango ambassador.
saint laurent with nadia

what people get wrong is wanting her to be more.
more edge. more risk. more something.

for me it is the restraint.
the focus on her own brand.
the edit she does for her brand.

the participation without the performance.

why can’t someone just be great.
at the level of stardom she is at.

yes i am sending shade to the costumes and makeovers to feel alternative or niche.
and yes offense sent to the peers manufacturing a frenzy every six months to stay relevant.

i do believe what she has done is not easy and takes more focus than chasing a costume or culture or look to get to the level she has.

she shows up.
she shares.
she keeps it easy.


RE : mango ambassador
i am personally devastated about this but get that bag girl

i can’t tell if this is justice or just bad timing.
one collection.

barely enough runway to prove out a perspective.
but I keep seeing it.

the fitting room try-ons on social.
the shared sentiments showing up across this platform.
the conversations with my team that keep circling back.
the stalking of the website daily.
all the brightly colored heels on the gals i appreciate their taste the most.

do I need red jeans ?
what about red leather pants ?

i didn’t even know dario came from miu miu until recently.
now I can’t unsee it.
the outfitting that wasn’t dressing, it was casting.

the way the clothes assumed you already had a life worth styling.

it wasn’t versace as a costume.
it was versace as a culture.

or the culture he was going to build for versace if anyone had let him stay.
the prada group bought versace and within two days he was out.

we all know i love the prada but

long live dario.


pray for me and my trip to nyc next week
i fear i might need to get your bag in red

current wish list if anyone is feeling generous

and if you see me in nyc with a versace shopping bag
no you didn’t

where they are.
what they are on.
what they are engaged with.

almost like the idea of youth has shifted from when you were “young.”
the premise is still the same, i promise you just forgot who you use to be
what motivated you

w mag launching w mag youth
i appreciate the tension of addressing them

“The idea for WYouth came from a conversation with Sofia Coppola and Sara Moonves, where we were thinking about the magazines we grew up with when we were teenagers,” says Nirui. “They were so influential and shaped all of the things we were obsessed with. We want to bring back that spirit, but for today—through pop culture experimentation and physical media, inspiring the next generation on style, beauty, and fashion history through the perspective of W Magazine.” Coppola, alongside her teenage daughter Cosima Croquet, have been enlisted as contributing editors.

is it just editors pressing her own nostalgia onto the page
re-referencing her own aesthetic and calling it the youth

but I’m waiting to see what it actually is
what platforms. what voice.
the only voice here should be Cosima Croquet -

i thought about this and heard the voice of an old boss in my head.
i was 22. hired as a trend forecaster. my first corporate job.

she told me my direct boss had aged out of her role. *she was four years my senior.
her strategy was to ensure everyone was stagard in age
she said: when you get older you have to be conscious of the kids that are participating appreciate them for what they are doing.
your job is to help capture it.
not become it. not tell them what to like.
not tell them what it was like when you were young.

i don’t think youth wants to be called out.
even the phrase “you are the youth,” “you are young” sounds patronizing

they want those few years where nothing and everything matters.
where they get to find and make whatever they can,
without someone older naming it for them.
live on their platforms. learn their communication lines.

unfortunately, or actually fortunately,
it has moved beyond a printed page funded by sponsors and advertorials disguised as editorial. (for another post — but publications are basically editorial buy-outs at this point.)

that preciousness of content is over.
everyone has access now.
no one needs to be told what is good between two covers.
they want engagement.
idols who get shared across generations instead of gatekept by one.
youth is fleeting.
why try to name it, commercialized it and put it in a bottle.

just appreciate what they are doing.
let them use the references however they want
without pressing on them where it came from

merch i directed for Olivia Rodrigos first tour
maybe I was doing the same thing …
but then again she made us put rodrighoe on the but of the sweatpants

both for the same reason
to regulate. or to justify.the
logic is never about the item itself.

its about the potential of being the someone who actually leaves the apartment - had a place to be or a lifestyle that supports this range.

see below for the items that are taking me to places that i currently have no intention of visiting or events that i am not invited to.

also fair warning - some of these items do end up getting into my life in one way or another -

Links through the images if something sparks your fancy
and I welcome gifts if anyone is feeling giving -

Phoebe Philo
Fringe Trousers
I was on the hunt for these to wear for my 40th birthday party - that has come and gone and then I tried to say - hey there is 41. Eventually trumped by the excuse I could not wear them to someones wedding because they are white

Mini Pump - already transacted - now would like more colors.

The below got me to goto coachella
Proof of concept - purchase for the idea of leaving the house - and you will

Miu Miu
Heels
These had been on my list since the show - To get these I would need to start going to a couple of dinners a week and hope they are comfortable.

The boots already purchased with the intent “oh if I goto Coachella” and I did and wore them and happy about it all.

Versace Knits and T-shirts
This whole collection once it made it online made me rethink my approach to colour and what I was in need of - to be real I did transact on the tshirt - influenced by the gays that have been projecting it on their feeds. Unfortunately we all know this collection will soon be marked down to make for the new vision.
Really feel the runway did it a disservice - because now I am obsessed.
Received my ringer v neck style today

Vintage Lanvin Ballet Flats
Very slept on - so many colors - so many materials.
I have not pulled the trigger but I envision myself in cut off jean short a la Kate moss early 00’s.

Emily Dawn Long
My friend sent this to me the other day and have been in a hole since. trust I don’t need more graphic tshirts. But imagine being a hot boy in silver lake wearing this sitting at bar seco - living la vie da loca.

Heremes Plume - smaller sizes
This has been on and off my wish list for years - currently absolutely do not need another blue bag especially post my Phoebe Gig purchase but … still thinking and trying to justify. RealReal always has some decent priced ones.

Been watching too much of the reruns of the Rachel Zoe report - and now think I need the below … also so a very chic woman at the airport flying somewhere fab so it now has me thinking if I have this - I too will go somewhere fab

Celine
This button down shirt in JERSEY would be so hot probably.
This little sweep of a dress also very perfect.

Lastly the Prada coat that still haunts me
I look into this every other week
Trying to justify it for Los Angeles weather
And the need for another jacket - I have some great ones already

it’s more generous than anything else on the market.
khaite — angry. clenched. dressed for a fight you’re not having. also starting to feel like an expression of being old.
toteme — suburban snooze. not sure I want to be there.
the row — still beautiful, still expensive, but not making anyone smile.

zoe ghertner shooting in clean light.
expressions more neutral than a dry fashion scowl.
just people you could actually be.
that’s the shift.

it’s an invitation.

the new uniform is almost embarrassing in how easy it is.
a red sweater. a pool blue shirt. denim underneath.
amazing simple tailoring with no crazy proportions.

primary colors used with restraint -
so red - can be just a sweater.
not a statement, not an over assortment to capitalize on colour.

the branding is a flirt.
a note that says you’re in the club without screaming about it.

this is the part everyone is going to miss.
new codes you can actually read.

the new bag shapes will prove themselves functional
and be duped by the end of the year.

the feeling is about generosity.
giving you the codes.
showing you how to dress yourself.

elevating through accessories that are statements but never alien
always grounded in something familiar.

yes some of it has roots in polo.
the americana. the ease.
but pushed with a parisian lean.

made it dreamy without making it precious.
optimistic without being naive.

this is what we were waiting for and didn’t know how to ask for.
meanwhile everyone is still looking the wrong direction.

the only other one who gets it is phoebe
joy lives in her work too, but that’s another day.

joy is the thing not many of them are offering.
generous joy is rarer than taste. and taste is already rare.

hope your not a miserable snob and can appreciate the shift.

both have become a muse for how to miu and prada effortlessly.

the customer is not young.
the customer is the woman who still brings an energy of youth or aspires to capture it.

and the sales say the quiet part loud.
miu miu was up 93 percent in the first half of 2024.
prada up ten.
that’s not a sister brand catching up. that’s can’t all be youth purchasing -
women are not chasing more taste.
they have taste.
they are chasing a feeling they were told to retire.

there is something about age that has been lost on a lot of us.
not everyone needs to get old while growing up.
there is a lightness you can keep through the years if you stop apologizing for it.

miu miu gives people the codes to not age themselves out.
to sidestep the fuddy duddy golden girls era entirely.

obsessed and possessed

never ending pursuit of the perfect hoodie and sweatpant

looking back at the work of Bruce Weber feels strangely clarifying right now

there is something that I am missing and longing for - or maybe its just a sense of acknowledgment of america

his all-american project is something i have been returning to -
rodeo riders. prom dates. journalists. dogs. actors. teenagers.

what they quietly underline is something easy to forget:
americans live with a kind of freedom that is still unusual in most of the world

the freedom to reinvent yourself.
the freedom to leave.
the freedom to wander around the country collecting stories.
his America is messy, optimistic, occasionally ridiculous — but wide open.

then looking to today with nadia lee cohen riding in the ranks -

both photographers construct images that feel staged, edited, and heightened.
but the lens is different.

cohen builds a surreal version of american culture from the outside
weber built his from inside the house

both arrive at something similar: a slightly exaggerated portrait of American life -
the idea of home.

not a literal one.
more like a cultural memory.

a backyard.
a pickup truck.
a prom photo.
a dog shaking off water.

weber’s work captures the version americans grew up with.

cohen’s work captures the version the rest of the world imagines.

we have alot of figure out as a country but feels like there is something no one can take away, an idea of home comes through because it all seems familiar

and maybe this is why everything feels so confusing

to be clear, i respect the honesty.
these men are presenting themselves exactly as they are.
and somewhere out there is a woman thrilled by a portable stove and a headlamp.

but it does leave me feeling… outnumbered or the odds are against me to find a connection.

i appreciate nature.
i like a relaxed hike.
a mountain cabin is great.
and if its on a lake - heaven.

what i struggle with is the full production.

pitching a tent.
cooking outside.
no shower.
battling the elements.
packing everything back up.
then coming home to unpack and restore the gear like you’ve returned from a minor expedition.

to help myself get there, i looked for inspiration.

the closest i’ve come is a cr fashion book editorial of troye camping while wearing only Prada.

in that scenario, i do believe i could have a good time - but how do i explain that to my match ?

lets get real these guys aren’t for me - and i am not for them

honorable mention to this cutie kenzie that makes it all look cool

anthem for the day

the formula was simple.
remove the noise.
raise the price.
perfect the proportion.

it was genius of quiet luxury.
everyone else was screaming logos while the row was quietly selling a $1,200 sweater that looked like it came from nowhere.

but are we bored ?

celine has reintroduced a kind of optimism.
styled to perfection and intentional.
a brand showing us where to go.

meanwhile phoebe philo has returned with something else entirely. the specific kind of cool that feels effortless but clearly isn’t.

both offer what the row once monopolized:
taste.

but now I am feeling like the row has entered bland lady zone.

too grown.
too controlled.
too polite.

the basics are still beautiful.
but the problem with perfect basics is that eventually you notice how close they are to something you can find at uniqlo or brandy melville.

the row still has the power of exclusion.
the price alone takes an entire sector of clients out of the conversation.

but exclusivity only works when it feels like something special is happening behind the curtain.

you start to notice that versions of what they do, something sharper which is appearing elsewhere.

the red-sole flip flop did this - the jelly shoe had some signal of life.

who would you rather be ?

phoebe - celine or mk + ash depresso

yes i will still have a bag or two from the row … i haven’t lost total hope

notice i didn’t even bother to bring khaite or toteme into the conversation.

who cares about the angry city stompers of khaite to the suburban bores of toteme.