Sunday Scoop - Gold Charm Necklaces & Vestiaire on Emily in Paris
Fashion news, charming finds to start a gold charm necklace with and my current face wash routine
Quick Hits:
Let’s kick off Sunday with epic content for Neiman Marcus (check out the video here) with Ayo Edebiri, Colman Domingo, Gigi Burris hats, Tyler Mitchell, Poppy Bartlett set designer, Yohana Lebasi as stylist. I love the old school department store feel.
The microtrend du jour is “very demure, very mindful” and if you are looking for an explainer and wondering how your brand might engage (or not) check out Madeline Schulz’ explanation for Vogue Business with strategy suggestions from some content creators & brand strategist I admire for their insights and talent, Tariro Makoni and Steff Yotka from Ssense.
Bally has been on my radar lately from their recently super well received runway shows and these boat shoes that have been selling out. Creative Director Simone Bellotti joined in 2023 and now the brand has a new owner after being acquired by US-based investment firm Regent. Regent also owns Club Monaco, Escada and La Senza.
I’m listening to this Podcast interview with
on Nik Sharma’s Limited Supply podcast. Wow! I was already a Dianna Cohen and Crown Affair fan, but she went really in depth in this interview talking about her personal career journey and the way she spoke about building Crown Affair had me thinking more about career lessons and brand building I do in my own projects. I’m now searching all interviews where she talks about visual literacy.
Gold Charm Necklace
My friend
(she has the most interesting reads - check out her Instagram too) messaged me that she was looking for a “buildable” high quality charm necklace that she could add to over time. As either a self-purchase (great way to celebrate a big personal milestone) or birthday gift from a fiancé or family member. She knew I would immediately 🌀 with ideas and categories…and that’s what I did.Investment pieces that are gorgeous:
Sherman Field - the weight and detail on these are incredibly special. Starting with a chain and an engraved circle medallion would be a lovely start. These are pieces that you want to pass down to future generations. Sherman Field was founded in 1967 as a high-end women’s tailored RTW brand in London. In 2019 the founders’ granddaughter, Danielle Sherman, relaunched it as a fine jewelry business. Danielle Sherman co-founded The Row with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. (For even more about the brand, I love
Designer Dossier and you can read this one on Danielle Sherman.)Brent Neale - my favorites are the personal pieces that she remakes. When clients bring in jewelry with meaning that they aren’t wearing and she re-designs them into fresh new designs with even more meaning. A special start would be a four leaf clover with meaningful birthstones.
- interviews Founder and Creative Director Beth Hutchens on Second Life Podcast. I love that you can also get a head start with a couple of charms on a chain.
Personalization options in the billions
Hart - have fun with a charm builder on the Hart website or in one of their locations.
Adina Reyter - these are really unique due to their fonts, enamel beads and open chains.
Milestones by Ashleigh Bergman - these charm enhancers are my kind of jewelry. I love that you can slip on one (no jewelry soldering needed) and you can pile on charms. Switch it up as much as you want and the possibilities are endless.
Fewer Finer - more classic and delicate. I also love these for a special sweet 16, graduation or milestone birthday to start here. They have a great assortment of engravable charms.
Ariel Gordon Jewelry - I love this brand and have a couple of pieces (special recent anniversary gift) I’ll design what I think would be a meaningful charm necklace: their unique portrait charms with a special photo, add initials, a special date, a couple of tiny charms or this if you have a sweet tooth like me. This fall, the “I Am A Voter” charm is the best stylish accessory. (Special for Retail Diary readers, SarahShapiro15 you will receive 15% off at the Ariel Gordon Jewelry website.)
Start going to estate sales, flea markets and search Etsy. Enjoy the hunt.
Tip: go to a local jeweler and buy a chain you love (unbranded), overtime add charms from a variety of spots and invest in the cool charms like these:
Jennifer Fisher - slightly gothic feel and a bit of edge.
Jet Set Candy - for the traveler these are adorable charms and priced really well to collect or gift. I also love that so many are customizable, have movement and a bit of whimsy.
My style/what I wear - these are a little non-traditional. I love something a little edgy and a little different. I mix-in more traditional pieces too. I rarely say no to jewelry.
Marla Aaron - I love that you can keep adding locks to this. I started with a chain and a lock and then I was gifted another cool lock that I hang from the other lock. I also love these itty bitty charms. (I also highly recommend keeping an eye on this brand on TRR as they often have cool pieces and I think the brand looks great worn in too.)
Loquet - this is something really fun and different. You place tiny charms inside the larger clear charm locket. I also like that you can add other charms on a chain with this too.
There are so many other great ones. I really love personalized jewelry. We can get to more in a future send.
Versed’s Two-Step Cleanse
This summer the weather and travel has been ROUGH on my face. When I clean my face at night I’m looking to feel refreshed, squeaky clean with zero squeak (usually means your skin has been stripped too much) and calm. This is why I love the Versed Day Dissolve Cleansing Balm - a vitamin E-infused wonder that melts away makeup so gently. No scrubbing required. Once you massage it in you can practically feel the day dissolving (hence the name), leaving skin soft, not stripped. While this can often be enough, with the heat and humidity of summer I love the idea of going even deeper. The newest step I added in to get that extra clean feeling was a two-step cleanse with The Purist Daily Antioxidant Cleanser*. This gel cleanser is a secret weapon against the day's effects, packed with superfruit and aloe to soothe my stressed-out skin. The best part? My face feels clean and refreshed, never tight or dry. This cleanser was also mild enough for my normal to dry skin (thanks to the pro-vitamin B5 to help calm skin and retain moisture.) You can check out Versed Simple Essentials Bundle here which includes cleanse step 1 & 2 along with the Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream for the easiest 3-step routine leaving you refreshed and clean.
And here's an exclusive offer for my Retail Diary subscribers: Use code SARAHSHAPIRO for 15% off your order - that's a deeper discount than you'll find anywhere else right now! This applies to all eligible products (excluding already discounted items and bundles). (Sponsored by Versed ~ with a huge thank you. Sponsorship allows me to test the products and provide my honest feedback.)
Vestiare & Emily in Paris
In a super visible launch, right after the Olympics in Paris, Emily in Paris season 4 started with a fashion retail partner in a strategy to grow their U.S. business.
Vestiaire Collective, a leading platform for pre-loved luxury fashion, is featured in the upcoming season premiere of Emily in Paris. This partnership marks a significant step in mainstreaming circular fashion through popular media.
Key business highlights:
Strategic visibility: The show introduces Vestiaire Collective as a solution for selling designer items, showcasing the platform's authentication expertise and user-friendly process.
Market positioning: This feature reaffirms Vestiaire Collective's status as a trusted destination for buying and selling high-quality pre-loved luxury fashion.
Growth initiatives:
Removal of seller fees (except for a 3% processing fee) this is an opportunity to support sellers choosing Vestiaire Collective as a key partner.
$50 shopping credit for first-time listers creates an incentive for new customers to try it out and remove friction from trying the platform.
Partnerships with notable fashion influencers to list their items makes it more fun and engaging. If you love an influencers style you might be excited to literally shop their closet.
Curated collections: Vestiaire Collective has created character-inspired edits, allowing fans to shop styles similar to those seen on the show.
Price points: The curated selections offer a range of price points, from $22 to over $1000, catering to various customer segments.
Another brand featured in a big way was Ami Paris. I’m surprised I haven’t seen them do a Ami Paris x Emily in Paris collab but this hoodie in a special color way would have been a nice touch.
Fashion Finds
I am obsessed with this collab. Black tableware, Diane Keaton, Hudson Grace. Say less. I love it all. Also, this bedding. GAH!
My favorite bathing suit (and their whole swim collection) is 30% off until Monday. Left On Friday is a winner. FYI - It’s final sale as part of the promo - the brand fits TTS from my experience.
We are still all about bag charms and since they were on the Fall Runways they aren’t going away this next season. I rounded up my favorites here like the fun assortment from Parker Thatch.
Most popular from recent trend posts:
Carhartt is having a moment (you might like these pants too which have been spotted on Jenna Lyons)
Bonus miscellaneous best sellers:
Away’s new featherlight sling bag (really well priced too!)
Loving Frame’s new Le Sleek Straight denim* (I wore mine to a soccer tournament Saturday. So comfortable and I love the fit.) (Use code SARAH15 for 15% off non-sale + non-exclusions.)
🛍️ 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. 🛍️
Substacks to Scroll
Looking for more on Bag Charms and a look at the trend, check out
by “Bag Charms and the Commodification of Individuality”I’m obsessed with
from ’s piece “How To Dress Like The Row (Without Buying From The Row)” it is so good!!! She absolutely nails it.I loved seeing that another favorite follow,
worked with on the launch of her amazing Substack . If you are looking for Decor and Interior Design inspiration her first post, “Jessie Loves: A Reno” is for you. And stay turned because on Monday I have a fun Loeffler Randall send that I can’t wait to share.With Fall and Back to School I think it is the most fun time of year to shop. Thankfully
at has us covered.If you read
send “Best in class: 7 brands that seem to get it right-- what they're nailing, and what to take notes on.” Then you know how much I love it already. But I laughed as I read it because she knows these great brands that just get it 1) I was wearing these pants from Negative* as I read it because I’m obsessed. These are my favorite house pants I would even wear out of the house and 2) SCL yep, I own multiple pieces from this collab.- from wrote “At the Table With: Annie Meyers-Shyer” and I loved learning more about Annie Meyers-Shyer’s background and her Instagram on designing her house. LaBelle edits, writes and designs her sends so well and there is so much inspiration in this send.
Enjoy your Sunday Scoop. xx
Sarah Shapiro
What’s Next
I’ll be back Monday with the Loeffler Randall post where I spoke with the Co-Founders/CEO and Chief Creative Officer Brian Murphy and Jessie Randall on growing their brand with a mix of DTC and Wholesale as well as what the RTW collection means for the brand. I love how thoughtful they are in how they grow the brand and I know you’ll love reading (plus they shared a special code for Retail Diary.)
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FYI: I use affiliate links where applicable which means I may get a small commission from things you buy (at no cost to you.) Thank you for supporting my work and trusting me. Love that we can enjoy Fashion & Retail together in this space.
Items marked with * have been kindly gifted by brands. Thoughts, selections, and reviews are my own.
So glad Crown Affair is finally getting the attention it deserves. I’m an OG customer and swear by the dry shampoo. *insider tip* it also makes for THE best face powder!
Love the charm necklace round up! I'm interested to see how charms build from here, especially with Mejuri's charm welding launch. It's been amazing to watch secondhand gain traction over the past few years - happy that Vestiaire's partnership with Emily in Paris is driving visibility in the wider market.