Deep Dive - Week of September 23rd 2024 - Fashion is so back!
Seriously though, I'm loving all the Fashion Shows and the conversations around the collections.
So much Milan Fashion Week News. I recap a lot of the articles and insights this week. Additionally, I do a thorough breakdown of how Tuckernuck approached an excellent Landing Page for Barbour Jackets. A great shop-in-shop online experience.
This Week's Topics:
Bottega Veneta's Playground Chic
New Collabs
New Launches
New Store Openings
PSA: Friends & Family Events
The Business Section
What else I ❤️️
Bottega Veneta's Playground Chic
The first item at the top of my Deep Dive is always the main story I’m most excited about to share. It has to be interesting, fun and super relevant. I can’t stop thinking about the moments from Bottega Veneta’s Spring/Summer 2025 fashion show and from the podcasts I’ve listened to this week, content from Instagram and even Substack Notes it is clear we are all entranced by this.
Bottega Veneta's Spring Summer 2025 show, with Matthieu Blazy at the helm, transformed Milan Fashion Week into a whimsical journey through childhood wonder and sophisticated craftsmanship. The presentation seamlessly blended playfulness with luxury, offering a fresh perspective on high-end fashion.
Key highlights:
• Venue: Adorned with animal-shaped beanbag chairs by Zanotta Sacco, creating a nostalgic, E.T.-inspired atmosphere (beanbag chairs were inspired by E.T. dressed up in the closet from the movie.) The image created an animal wonderland where you wanted to look at every detail and it was incredible for social media impact and sharing.
• Celebrity guests: A diverse crowd including Michelle Yeoh, Kendall Jenner, Jacob Elordi, and cultural icons like (demure & mindful) TikTok star Jools Lebron and Olympian Imane Khelif. This shows the connection to pop culture and being part of the of-the-moment dialogue.
• Concept: Childlike wonder meets primal fashion, evoking the experience of trying on parents' clothes.
• Silhouettes: Oversized jackets, asymmetrical wrap skirts, and one-leg pants, playing with proportions and expectations. Check out .@tagwalk top 5 data points for a highlight of the silhouettes and themes.
• Fabric innovation: Denim-like pieces crafted from merino wool jacquards. Grocery bags made out of leather.
• Playful details: Frog-adorned necklines and heels, bunny-shaped lapels on leather coats, fish-printed scarf tops. I’m also so obsessed with the construction and execution of the intrecciato Richard Scarry giant busy book. Check out .@stylenotcom for more details on the venue/atmosphere and more details here. Look at “The Ark” aka leather beanbag chairs here (yes, totally shoppable too!)
• Craftsmanship: Spiky leather wigs, metal matchstick embellishments, and intricately draped jersey dresses. Plus the intrecciato details from the accessories. Standout bags including one-of-a-kind pieces made with leather vests by Bottega Veneta school students.
• Color palette: Vivid orange, icy white, and sophisticated grays and reds - but if you look at .@databutmakeitfashion you’ll see lavenders and icy tones.
More Fashion Month news in The Business Section below.
New Collabs
Vestiaire Collective, the B Corp certified fashion resale platform, is partnering with designer Mara Hoffman to sell over 90 items from her brand's archive during Climate Week, showcasing Hoffman's commitment to sustainable fashion. The curated selection includes sought-after pieces from past collections, offering customers a chance to acquire Mara Hoffman's designs while supporting fashion circularity. Check out the shop here and the MARAHOFFMANXVC code will give you 20% off your order. I love that Vestiaire Collective is recognizing Mara Hoffman’s design career with this archive event.
"We've long admired Mara's work for her creativity and dedication to conscious fashion. We hope our community finds pieces they may have missed the first time around and rediscovers her beautiful brand." Samina Virk, US CEO of Vestiaire Collective
“This partnership is a seamless way to bring continued life and longevity to the Mara Hoffman brand. Our respective companies' ethics and commitments have always aligned and we found this partnership to be an opportunity to celebrate and support each other. I am proud to expand the brand’s availability to a broader customer and for these timeless pieces to stay in circulation." Fashion Designer Mara Hoffman
GAP x Disney for a collegiate inspired collab. The one item that quickly sold out is the $129 (2nd highest price point) sweatshirt poncho which leads me to believe they only bought a couple units.
Levi’s (Levii’s) teases a new collab with Beyoncé. Beyoncé’s stylist, Shiona Turini, will be part of a launch event in Paris for the new Haus of Strauss. And check out this logo!
Reformation x Hoka collab launches today 9/26. Loving this tease on Instagram from Ref and the preview from Hoka.
One of the most fashionable toys? The Frankie Shop x Barbie collab. You can shop it here - the oversized jacket with the hot pink cuffs is a great combo of the two brands. The Cut wrote about it here and it really is fun to see Barbies dressed up in The Frankie Shop pieces.
Caboodles x e.l.f. cosmetics collab. 1) I’m obsessed 2) seriously, this should have happened 5 years ago 3) of course it is sold out. Big Night Pout. They should do another one for Holiday or something even bigger.
New Launches
Fashion Launches
Telfar, the brand that has the Bushwick Birkin aka vegan leather bags for under $300, is now launching a real leather line with bags priced $400-$960. My initial thoughts:
I’m not surprised they launched real leather, just surprised it took this long. They could have launched this much earlier or decided to keep the vegan leather material only.
I find it interesting that they partnered with Wilson Leathers to create a small leather capsule collection. Wilson Leathers isn’t a name/retailer mentioned in fashion circles often.
La Ligne has really expanded their outerwear offering this season and it is both classic but also their own original take. Check out the Amelie Trench Coat for water resistant and oversized (perfect for wearing over their sweaters! so smart) and I love the nipped in waist of the Luca Coat to go with cocktail/evening looks or with jeans (I have and love these*) a t-shirt and sweater. Wear a second sweater as a scarf too. 10% off your first order with code SarahS10
Dorsey’s new Riviére Pendants make it so easy to dress up a tennis necklace. I love that a simple pendant can completely change the look. You can wear these necklaces more casual with a t-shirt and then add the pendant for evening without buying a second necklace. You can also easily switch between lab grown sapphires and emerald.
Donni dropped Fall Launch 3 and the rib knit set is fantastic (unfortunately the pant length looks like it will be too long for me.) I think this will be the coziest set for fall/winter and excellent to travel in. Also worth noting that the silk stripe pants are back for pre-order and I love love love these. Cropped pant length works for a variety of heights.
Tuckernuck launched a well executed and comprehensive Landing Page for Barbour on their site. At the time of writing it was also on the Homepage. Brilliant execution. Notes for ecomm worth studying:
Creating a “shop” online for this will help with discoverability and SEO. It will help Tuckernuck rank higher for Barbour as customers are searching and googling the brand name.
Helps Tuckernuck become a destination for learning about the brand and making a considered purchase for an item that is in the mid to high price range for their store.
Whether it is an insight or goal of this campaign, it seems like they are pushing to increase AOV and get two or more into carts. They are messaging “Here, our annual guide to help you select a signature style (or two) for the family.” They can also showcase a classic style along with a more trendy Barbour piece. They also have sections for Women, Men and dependents (aka kids and pets.)
They clearly bought a lot of inventory and a large breadth of assortment for this online shop-in-shop. I wonder if the creative content and building of the LP1 and marketing was done with a Co-Op budget from Barbour. (I would negotiate to get help from the brand.) It is standard for retailers to ask for a co-op for marketing for large buys. For example, you might negotiate a 5% to 10% marketing co-op based on your total buy. If you purchase $100K in orders at cost that could result in $10K of marketing support.
They had a hashtag ready to go to promote this and advertise on the LP too.
Opportunities to Improve:
Put the “Shop the Brand” higher on the LP so customers that want to just shop can get to the good stuff quickly.
Need to get back in stock on Hero styles (I’m calling this Hero because it is at the top of the Landing Page. If it isn’t going to be a key driver they reorder into they should move lower on the page now that they are OOS2.)
I’d love to see a chart - why to buy each style and when to use. Similar to what I created for Utility Jackets. Think of this like when you compare different iPhone models.
Shopbop leaning into Game Day style with a Hero Image and Navigation of game day outfits. They pulled together team logo merchandise with a fashion forward edit for teams based in major cities. The items in the collection all look like pieces Taylor Swift and friends would wear to the games. I think it was smart to launch this assortment for Football Season. I’m sure boutiques across the country in big college football towns are taking advantage of this too (as they have for many many seasons.)
Beauty Launches
Big news from Glossier!! We get our first look at two new fragrances - Glossier You Rêve and Doux. They launch October 3rd. Just in time for prime holiday sales. I love how they are showcasing them together and assume/hope there will be a great set for Q4 gift giving. You can see the visual notes on the fragrances here and here on the PDPs3.
More news that makes scents, Hotel Lobby Candle’s latest scent is Napa Valley and is well timed for cozy fall vibes. The vessel is a beautiful rich Cabernet Sauvignon shade of burgundy - perfectly on trend. It was created in collaboration with the Solage - an iconic hotel by Auberge Resorts in Calistoga. I was able to test out the Napa Valley* scent and it is rich and full bodied, exactly as you would expect and for the holiday season this is a great item to keep in my gift closet to share with friends/hostess gifts.
Tons of holiday collections and advent calendars starting to launch. Beauty brands pay close attention to the timeline for next year.
Westman Atelier gift sets are gorgeous (and I love the products too!) I love that they have 3 main price points. Opening with 3 minis (mascara and two face contour sticks), mid priced (aka accessible luxury) 3 matte lipsticks (which I love love love) and the luxe set of brushes at the high-end.
Merit - 3 mini flush balms (a product I always keep handy because I can swipe on my lips or on my cheeks for instant color) and the trio of lip products The Dress Code Set. This is great because it is 3 different types of lipsticks. Satin, Matte and Lip Blush and you can try them out. Such a smart retail tactic as you will likely find at least 1 you love and will go back and buy more shades. The colors are limited edition too to drive the need for this set (can’t buy the shades any other way.) I ordered these sets because I couldn’t wait to see the shades and textures in person.
New Store Openings
The Row has finally realized its long-held dream of opening a store in Paris, a significant milestone given the brand shows in Paris. Located at 1 rue du Mont Thabor, the new boutique seamlessly blends The Row's signature understated elegance with Parisian charm, featuring exquisite early- to mid-20th century furniture and objets d'art. The space, formerly a restaurant, has been meticulously renovated to preserve original architectural elements while creating an intimate, welcoming atmosphere that reflects the brand's ethos. This Paris outpost marks The Row's fifth global location and solidifies its position in one of the world's premier fashion capitals. Brilliantly timed to open during Fashion Week in Paris while everyone is in town for the shows. (PS I expect we will see The Row runway looks in a few days since photos were not allowed again this season.)
Ring Concierge, the New York-based luxury jewelry brand, is making its West Coast debut with a new boutique in LA’s Century City Mall, marking a significant milestone in its expansion beyond NYC. This strategic move is part of Ring Concierge's thoughtful retail growth plan, tapping into the strong demand for luxury goods in LA and establishing a presence in one of the nation's largest retail hubs. My favorite Ring Concierge styles include: my petite diamond huggies (I wear everyday as part of my ear stack), this little wrap ring* I wear as a pinky ring and I love the look of these cloud bangles.
Perfect Moment, the luxury skiwear brand, is set to make waves in SoHo with its first-ever retail store opening next month, bringing a taste of alpine chic to the heart of New York City. The 1,070 location will open at 42 Crosby Street in October and be open at least through ski season (April.)
Brilliant Earth opened two Boston area stores.
PSA: Friends & Family Events
Freda Salvador - Freda Salvador’s Friends & Family Sale is happening now. I love the brand and their shoes/boots. Use code FALLFRIENDS at checkout. Here are a few I suggest:
Earlier this week
(who writes an epic lifestyle focused finance newsletter) asked what shoes we would wear with barrel-leg jeans when the weather gets cold and wet. This boot would be perfect! I especially love the chocolate suede that is water resistant.If you are still looking for your loafer, check out this soft and low profile one or a bit more of a statement.
The perfect elevated ballet flat in a metallic.
Looking for more suggestions?
from wrote a review of her favorite Freda Salvador shoes including more details on the Bay Area based brand.
Frame Denim - Friends & Family sale is still going on and I’m loving these Le Slim Palazzo jeans*. The material is stretchy and so soft. They are loose and not at all constricting. They fit long on me (I’m 5ft 2) and I didn’t feel like getting them hemmed right away. Not sure which shoes I’ll wear. So I put on these Margaux boots* for a Kacey Musgraves concert (along with my favorite Doen top) and it was perfect!
Bloomingdale’s - Ends 9/29. I like using sale events like this to get kids clothes. Denim girls jacket, fun dress, my son lives in these sweatshirts,
The Business Section
Business of Fashion wrote that “Money just got a little less expensive” and Retail Brew breaks down how the Fed Rate Cut could help holiday sales.
Business of Fashion also shares that online holiday spending is expected to increase 8.4%. The most since 2021. Might want to adjust and make sure your online strategy is competitive and also ensure you can quickly move inventory around if you are omnichannel and in brick and mortar too.
To recap recent Retail notes:
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