Retail Diary - Deep Dive - Week of May 6th 2024 - Met Gala Debrief, Sculpted Style & Newness

A deeper look at the Met Gala trends and insights, defining the waist, I got giddy over the new deliveries and all the retail insights & trends you can count on me for.

May 09, 2024

This Week's Topics:

Met Gala - Insights, Trends & More
Waisted
New Deliveries!
New Collabs, Launches, Investments, Corporate News & Retailer News
What else I ❤️️

🛍️ Quick note: I write a lot (too much good stuff to share!) so if you’re reading via email only, you may need to click through to the web version or read on the Substack app. I promise it will be worth it. 🛍️

Met Gala - Insights, Trends & More

Insights

At the Washington Post, Rachel Tashjian wrote about the significance of John Galliano’s work on the Met Gala steps. “The Real Winner of the Met Gala was John Galliano” (gift link to read behind paywall) an interesting insight I took away was that while Loewe was a sponsor, and dressed 17 attendees, Galliano was responsible for 6 designs but they were major moments. Zendaya wore two different Galliano designed dresses and she was a co-chair for the Gala. Kim Kardashian, always a debated and heavily discussed attendee, wore Galliano. Ariana Grande wore Loewe on the Met steps but later changed into a Margiela piece designed by Galliano for a surprise performance. One can assume that Anna Wintour had a hand in making many of these major Galliano moments happen and it is a way for her to test the waters to a future retrospective of his work and helping to bring him back into the LVMH fold. Personally I felt like the Met Gala this year was a bit of a test.
Behind the scenes from the Met Gala with the Run-Through podcast from Vogue.
The potential impact for a brand doesn’t end when the party starts - there is also the After Parties. From Vogue Business “What’s the ROI on a Met Gala Afterparty Look?” For celebrities while the Met Gala has a specific theme there is a lot more opportunity to architect your own look here without the restrictions.
I can’t even imagine the logistics of an evening like this between The Mark Hotel, the sprinter vans and The Met/Vogue escorts doing all the heavy lifting.
“Mall Brands” win the Met Gala - Tommy Hilfiger was the most talked about brand. (see image below from Business of Fashion.) I’d love to go deeper on this data (which platforms, which demographics, etc.) I need Steve Kornacki at the board filled with insights.
All in, the Met Gala raised about $26 Million for the Met’s Costume Institute. $4 million over LY and about double from a decade ago.

Trends

Waists and Busts - and in a way, these are related. When you cinch the waist the bust is often more pronounced. And both are seen as very feminine highlights.
Brooke Bobb for Bazaar wrote “Why Were There So Many Corsets on the Met Gala Red Carpet?” From Kim Kardashian's impossibly cinched-waist Maison Margiela by John Galliano couture dress to Tyla's sand-covered Balmain column dress, the red carpet was filled with attention-grabbing, figure-altering outfits. Worth mentioning that these celebs were so cinched they couldn’t walk the steps without help. Tyla was carried as the knees were also too tight to walk in (the dress was cut later so she could move on her own) and Kardashian walked in shoes with no heels to walk on her toes.
Designers incorporated corsetry into their creations, ranging from classic interpretations to more avant-garde designs. The corset serves two functions. First, it provides structure and strength and keeps the dress defined and in place. Celebrity Stylist Kate Young recently spoke on Lauren Sherman’s podcast Fashion People (it’s so good) and she mentioned putting horsehair in hems to make sure the dress stays in place and doesn’t do odd things on the red carpet. Second, the corset also creates these extreme silhouettes that get attention. It’s hyper feminine (does someone who writes deeper think pieces want to share more commentary around what is going on with Women’s Rights in politics etc and these extreme feminine clothing choices? There is a lot to uncinch, errr….unpack.)
Naked Dresses, Sweetheart Necklines and those cinched waists brought some attention to the cleavage.
The Naked Dress was on full display. With the least surprising quote ever from Emily Ratajkowski “It feels really natural on me,” she said. “Comfortable, truly.”
Men’s Bro-ochs from the Oscars stuck around.

From Fohr.com this is a great perspective on how content creators were driving engagement around the Met Gala even without being invited/included. A creator that is mentioned is .@oldloserinbrooklyn and this piece showing how the Tory Burch gowns were made is fantastic. Her TikToks (Mandy Lee) around Met Gala are incredible. Especially loved the predictions.
Fohr, Mandy Lee,
Amy smilovic
and
Casey Lewis
are some of the Fashion TikTok users and experts that are quoted in the Washington Post article “How TikTok Changed Fashion” that was published the day of the Met Gala.
The theme really did lend well for AI. Did you fall for these Katy Perry looks like her own mother did? (This is one of the parts of AI that really scares me.)
Taking the theme of sleep (Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion) to a new level, Prabal Gurung designed and made a dress for Maria Sharapova using Boll & Branch bedding.
I enjoyed reading
Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
(aka The Fug Girls, so you know it is good) recap and had a good laugh.

Waisted

Written before the Met Gala even happened, in the May issue of Bazaar,
Liana Satenstein
wrote a totally of-the-moment article “Main Squeeze” (not online yet.) Which makes one think that waists were so cinched at the Met Gala because that is what is trending in broader fashion.
Satenstein mentions her obsession kicked off with the Phoebe Philo cinched leather jacket giving a “coke-bottle figure.”
The article also quotes designer Batsheva Hay who states:
“The waist is what originally appealed to me about the prairie dress. It’s like a piece of cotton you can throw in the washing machine, but it has a waist. Just that shape….it’s like suddenly you feel fancy and sexy.”
Looking to get cinched?
- First check out my belt round up here (or the piece I recently wrote here) or check out an OG Alaia belt via resale here.
- Summer dress that is beautiful and perfect for those really hot days
- Short LWD is super versatile.
- Perfect dress for work - add a belt too if you want even more definition.
- This Showstopper looks great in red but comes in a huge variety of colors and prints (including black for those of us that prefer not to wear color.)
- Gorgeous neckline, fitted waist.
- This Doen dress is on sale.
- She is a favorite for good reason (the silhouette is 💯)
- From the newest drop.
- Waist defining top here. And this is a cool spring top (but selling out fast because Dries Van Noten) This top is part of the Moda Operandi x Frankie Shop exclusive collection.
- Fitted cropped trench with a nice cinch.
- Hourglass Blazer from The Frankie Shop that reminds me of this gorgeous fitting Dior Bar Jacket.

New Deliveries!

Summer collections have started arriving in stores and I’ve had so many “gah!” and “I love this!” moments that I wanted to share. Add to the comments too linking any items you love and want to share.

Loving this Raffia Ballet and I suspect we’ll see a few more this season as Freda Salvador teased a new launch on their Instagram this week too.
WOW!! This two piece set is perfect. I’d wear the top with the matching skirt or even with jeans or silk-y pants like these. The matching skirt can we worn also with a plain white tank top. This set is so versatile!! Already crinkle-y so it will travel great too. Done and done.
How great is this Alex Mill cardigan? I think one test of a great item is that you can immediately think of many ways to style.
- 1) with jeans or jean shorts - try the new longer lengths.
- 2) over a bathing suit as a cover-up. Especially great when traveling and on the go.
- 3) over a great dress. like my favorite here.
Ciao Lucia has a vacation ready new summer collection. Some picks here: this two tone dress has a fiery bottom (I mentioned two tone dresses recently here), easy dress for summer graduations, weddings or other events, and a wear now dress with sandals or sneakers. Love this easy dress.
Hill House Home’s biggest drop ever - Wednesday (after a successful Met Gala moment and tons of cool press and editorials that resulted from the event) HHH launched Nap Dress Summer. In the Nap Room ahead of the drop Founder/CEO Nell Diamond shared Met Gala behind the scenes. I really love the whole experience they create with the Nap Room ahead of launches and excitement with new product. I have 3 Ellie Dresses already in my closet as I love the fit and ease for summer. From the latest drop my favorites are: my favorite silhouette in this new stripe, this dress feels like a no brainer, love this set and finally, if you have a summer event this looks beautiful.
This dress in white reminds me of this look and this look from LY.
I love this! I feel like
Irene Kim (김애린)
or
Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style
would give excellent styling suggestions that I would gladly take!
If you like the idea of a “naked dress” but don’t want to look, well, naked. Go for this elegant and easy dress.
Donni’s perfect summer dress and easy everyday fancy pants.
Ulla Johnson newness - this dress if you want to channel your own Met Gala garden, for graduation and fancier day events this is a fun pop and a super-versatile pair of shorts.
I’ve seen a bunch of requests for party shoes to wear to outdoor events. This works and is a great heel height.
Everyday bag at great price point.
Tabi. Mary Janes. Mules. 3 for 1.
New belt for preorder from Amanu. Love!
I added this cutie to the East-West bag round-up (see my full collection here)
Love these Julieta necklaces. A single special statement. From the PDP1: Brooklyn’s Juliana Liden is winning over the It set with statement jewelry inspired by vintage—and made with her upcycled finds.
These are getting closer and closer to the OG mesh flat.
Rothy’s launched an espadrille.
One of my favorite Soft Services products, the Buffing Bar, came out with a Green Banana scent.2

New Collabs, Launches, Investments, Corporate New & Retailer News

Collabed
- K. Jacques x Ciao Lucia Wrap Sandal it’s a great barely there sandal with a pop of red. K. Jacques also partnered with DÔEN earlier this Spring and I’m loving how they are partnering with the summer-y dress brands.
- Issey Miyake x New Balance
- Wrangler x Lingua Franca launches Thursday May 9th.
- J.Crew x Westminster Kennel Club (for anyone that loves pups, the hat is cute) J.Crew is also going behind the scenes at the 2024 Westminster Dog Show, happening from May 11th to 14th at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing.
Launched
- Hill House Home’s Summer Drop (see above for details)
- Telfar launched genderless denim. Check it out here.
- If you like your belts vintage and more unique,
  The Millennial Decorator
  has a very cool Belts & Button down vintage drop on May 13th.
- Hilma launches in Walmart as the retailer is focusing on gut health.
- EltaMD launches a deep tint sunscreen.
- Moda Operandi launches their first Fragrance Discovery Set. $34 for the set. Try their exclusive scents. How would I launch this? I would do it for $50 and ship it in a reusable travel pouch along with a $20 gift card to purchase your next full size fragrance at MO.
Invested & Acquired
- L Catteron taking Tod’s Private
Corporate News
- Fabiola Torres was named Global Chief Marketing Officer at Gap. Previously she held roles at PepsiCo, Nike and Apple.
Retailer News
- MyTheresa is doing well where other luxury online retailers are struggling. For MyTheresa, strategic focus on top client engagement, assortment curation, and cost control has positioned it strongly in the luxury e-commerce market. MyTheresa is on track to surpass €1 billion in sales by fiscal year 2025. The company hosts numerous exclusive events for top clients throughout the year, reinforcing its community-oriented approach to luxury retail - this also allows them to lean into experiential retail and have an IRL touch in the digital world. Additionally, its disciplined approach to brand curation and markdowns sets it apart in the marketplace.
- Collectively we’ve all been confused with Birkins on Walmart.com and designer merchandise being sold through the marketplace (The Row! Khaite!) “What Walmart Selling Luxury Says About the State of E-commerce” brings some great points from Retail Analyst Neil Saunders. 1) Luxury sales are slowing down, therefore there is excess stock and 2) Brands have less control over where their brands are sold when wholesale is involved. In this case, possibly getting the stock from the Matches liquidation. This article also talks a lot about the “marketplace” business strategy which Nordstrom is rolling out and the challenges that arise there with brand dilution.
- Gregg Renfrew bought back the brand she Founded, Beautycounter (see what I previously wrote here and here) and initially the plan was to take the site down and relaunch 2 weeks later (this month) but Renfrew announced that once looking at the business they would not relaunch until late 2024. I’m all for pausing until they are ready and it sounds like the initial May timeline was way to aggressive. (See more from Business of Fashion)
  “The company could look very different when it returns. In the email, Renfrew said “all aspects” of the community and sales structure, including earnings and job titles will be assessed.”

What else I ❤️️

The Spread
interviewed Nikki Ogunnaike for “The New-Model Editor-in-Chief” and it touches on OG magazines, new media and building style. I also love that some of my favorite Substackers are mentioned in this piece. Follow them all - you won’t be disappointed.
I watched the movie Unfrosted this weekend with my family and we really enjoyed it. Fun cast, silly premise, light watch.
Way to go
Gabriella Gofis
on the new Starling branding.
Alyssa Wasko Stein
shows us a really gr8 way to tie a shirt.
I never thought I would say that Rockefeller Center was anything other than a tourist destination, but it is pretty cool these days. I think we have Jenna Lyons to thank for that (she has been consulting for Rockefeller Center.) Lots of great shops and bites if you are midtown and need a spot.
I feel like this needs to be discussed. Add thoughts to the comments.

What's Next?

Last week of Mother’s Day messaging, a final burst of graduation messaging, and then true summer (swimwear!) and travel is up next. I’m keeping my eyes peeled on all the retail trends so we can discuss. Thanks for the ❤️ with the new Brand Crush series and I’ll post a straw bag history & round-up next week. xx

Thanks for reading Deep Dive Edition 164

Sarah Shapiro