Deep Dive - Week of November 4th 2024 - Retail Pulse: Post-Election Insights, Holiday Sales & How Brands are Feeling
A look at retail's post-election mood, holiday sales strategies, key industry updates, featuring insights from Ariel Gordon Jewelry and brand responses to the election.
A little note, I started this when I was still hopeful about the election. The outcome was not what I wanted and I’m feeling it now. I’m going to keep Retail Diary on schedule. I have removed the paywall for this post. I’m also not in the mood to do much of a creative spin today so this post will be more focused on sharing retail stories vs styling and trends.
This Week's Topics:
New Collabs
New Launches
Field Notes - Ariel Gordon Jewelry & Planning for Holiday Sales
New Store Openings & Pop-ups
The Business Section
How Retail is Feeling
Fashion & Beauty News
What else I ❤️️
New Collabs
Fashion
Exciting news for stripe fans, and I know there are many. Brookelinen x Kule. Super giftable with some grab and go items under $100. There is also a luxe and splurge worthy cashmere robe.
Uniqlo x Anya Hindmarch coming out with another collab. Live now is the latest from Uniqlo x Marimekko.
Beauty
Touchland x Hello Kitty on a keychain style hand sanitizer collab. Touchland states that it was their most requested collab partner.
New Launches
Fashion Launches
Gabriela Hearst launched a new exclusive Carrington handbag at MyTheresa. Also available in this gorgeous (color of the season) Bordeaux.
Brunello Cucinelli exclusive collection now available on Net-a-Porter.
On’s new Ikon collection is all about getting away from true fitness gear and more on clothing for athleisure and business casual.
Beauty Launches
Roz Hair launched their Holiday Gifting assortment. I love these products and the gift boxes are an excellent way to test the brand if you haven’t yet.
Field Notes
Ariel Gordon Jewelry & Planning for Holiday Sales
I woke up Wednesday November 6th and was really feeling like canceling everything and staying in bed. I had planned to visit the Ariel Gordon Jewelry Studio in Berkeley and visit with Ariel Gordon. Something I was so looking forward to. Rather than canceling, since I assumed Gordon was also feeling the impact of the election, I kept the appointment. I’m glad I did. We had a frank conversation about the challenge of not feeling up for holiday shopping, promoting sales or shopping in general but also the need to keep a business on track. There are less days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and there is so much pressure.
I’m glad I kept the appointment and we were able to connect in person. Such a good reminder of how special community can be. I asked Ariel Gordon if she wouldn’t mind sharing some thoughts around Black Friday sales starting now in the wake of an election and how she is thinking of her business.
“We are living during trying times and I have a heightened sense of awareness of the world we are leaving for our children. My name is on the door and I am very proud that my brand can stand for the values that matter to me. This is something that I want to model for my kids. AGJ as a company is deeply personal and I feel a moral obligation to speak up about causes and policies that resonate. As a conscious consumer, I know I want to spend my money with brands that have values that align with mine.
My other primary responsibility is to my employees, my jewelers, and my team to run a profitable business that can pay bills on time. The planning and forecasting that goes into the holiday selling season starts as soon as the last holiday season ends. Mapping out creative, marketing, web development, ad spend, inventory, production, collaborations, and cash flow all dovetail and culminate in Q4 when profits for the year are solidified.
Balancing the needs of a business with doing what feels morally right and financially sound is a hard line to walk. I try to remember that while jewelry may feel frivolous in the face of these dark times, it also brings people joy and that joy is needed now more than ever. I’m proud I can bring little (or big) delights into people's lives.” Ariel Gordon
As always, I recommend shopping with the brands that you want to support. I love that I’m able to share brand stories to help get that message out.
Gift Guide
Looking for gift ideas? Holiday Beauty Retail Diary Gift Edit is here. Luxury Upgrades Gift Guide is here. You can also check out some earrings I love here. I didn’t create any new ones for today but I will have a new one Sunday as well as next week.
Retail Diary PSA
New York jewelry brand Catbird's coveted annual Black Diamond Special returns this Friday, November 8th (update!! This event will be Monday 11/11), offering their signature pieces reimagined with black diamonds at 50% off, with a limit of three pieces per style per customer while supplies last. This is always a huge event for Catbird.
It is Sephora’s big sale event ends on 1/11.
Great time to stock up on gifts (maybe this for my daughter or for her to share with friends)
refills (I need my favorite eye serum)
bigger ticket items are also a smart move
I always like to throw in one new fun item to try. If you haven’t tried these lipsticks yet I would highly recommend.
New Store Openings & Pop-Ups
Pop-Up: I’ll be at Marché Collective on Saturday, November 16th at The Bridge Yard. Get your tickets here. I’m excited to see Ariel Gordon Jewelry, Freda Salvador, Art Life Practice, Starling and many many more.
New Freda Salvador store opens in SoHo on Mercer Street 11/11/24.
Trinny London beauty pop-up opening in Soho for four months starting Monday November 11th.
Ann Mashburn & Sid Mashburn is now open in Nashville. In the WWD article it compares the new Nashville space in the Neuhoff District to the Country Marts in California. With that in mind, I’d love to see the Mashburns open in Marin Country Mart.
Prada opened a boutique in Troy, Michigan at Somerset Collection. I was curious to dig in deeper to what the mall directory looks like. The anchor stores were Macy’s, Nordstroms, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
The Business Section
How Retail is Feeling Post Election Results
A look at Instagram to check out what some brands were sharing and saying.
Lingua Franca - Stories: “He has a party that’s unified and just took over the senate. He will be entering the White House with only yes men, no guard rails and total impunity. There are 3 Supreme Court seats up for grabs. I am depressed, upset, scared and angry with my fellow Americans who voted for this right now. I can’t believe this is what they want. May g-d help us all.” The brand then had a question box for post election thoughts. On their grid they posted this.
Ariel Gordon Jewelry posted a reminder to breathe. You can see the post here.
Marché Collective wrote an Instagram Post about supporting and empowering women owned businesses.
- from Loeffler Randall posted this on Instagram.
Indré Rockerfeller, who focuses on sustainable fashion, shared this post stating that anyone interested in the climate or a creative in the space to reach out to her.
I understood this Thread from Omnivore books (an amazing cookbook store in San Francisco) and feeling it too.
Aurora James (Brother Vellies Founder and Founder of the 15% Pledge) - Stories “No matter what happens guys. We’re still in this together. I promise. We might not be the majority of the Country. But we still have each other.”
Articles on a Trump Presidency and Retail/Business
BoF wrote about what Trump’s Second Presidency will mean for businesses.
Vogue Business Hilary Milnes and Madeline Schulz wrote “Fashion Braces for Another Trump Term.” They included all the points I’m thinking about - the impact from tariffs, price increases and spending.
In the Substack Chat I was asked about election changes and purchase behavior. Election years typically impact consumer spending in a predictable pattern: spending slows before elections due to uncertainty, then bounces back once results are known—even if people aren't happy with the outcome. People just want certainty. However, the real economic impact comes from trade policies. If tariffs increase on Chinese or Mexican goods, companies will pass those costs to consumers. When consumers buy less, companies order less from factories. This creates a cycle: smaller orders mean higher production costs per unit, which can lead to even higher consumer prices. For more detailed analysis, check PWC's research on this topic and by industry impacts.
WWD wrote more about potential tariffs and imports possibly surging ahead of 2025 and the start of a Trump Presidency.
Fashion & Beauty News
Burberry shares initially jumped 7% on rumors of a potential Moncler acquisition, but dipped after deeper reporting revealed these talks were largely speculative. Personally I do think there is some nice alignment with Burberry having outerwear history and being acquired by Moncler. I’ll certainly be watching what happens with the Burberry brand.
Amanda Mull’s latest piece for Bloomberg on the price of handbags. Focused on accessible luxury (Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors) and why the argument the FTC made regarding the Tapestry - Capri merger didn’t make much sense.
🛍️ 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. 🛍️
What else I ❤️️
I enjoyed sharing with Marie Claire, and Julia Marzovilla, my thoughts on the Suede Trend for Fall. If you want even more suede styles and a deeper look at the trend, here is my Fall Trend Forecast on Suede.
I spoke with Ellie Rineck about my day, the busy morning routine, my night owl tendencies and how I organize and write Retail Diary. If you have any Notion tips send them my way. You can listen to the A Day in Her Life Podcast with me here. (I also need to listen to
’s episode from last week and I loved listening to episode too.)- writes and creatively thought about what The Row Beauty might look like. I think about this a lot after L'Oreal and the Wertheimers (the family that owns Chanel) invested in the brand earlier this year.
Remembering the Founder of the JanSport Backpack. Murray McCory passed away at 80 years old.
I’ve been enjoying all of Misty White Sidell’s reporting for the NYTimes Style Section. She recently wrote “Pants That Show You’re in the Know” (gift link to read behind paywall) about High Sport Pants, Issey Miyake Pleats Please Pants (and here) (great resale options here), Brooke Callahan Tie Pants, B-sides Lasso Jeans and Pippi pants by La Veste. This article takes the stance that with designer handbag prices skyrocketing, certain pieces of clothing (like these pants) have become a new status symbol. It is an interesting take, and while I do agree with some of it (certainly the belonging part of it) I wonder if how frequently you are wearing the “it” pants matters compared to the daily use you can get out of a handbag. Also, handbags often have logos and the pants might be harder to tell except to a more trained eye (who is also in the know.)
What's Next?
I’ll be back Sunday with the Sunday Scoop and next week I’ll be sharing more Q4 strategy lessons and retail and marketing expert interviews. Thank you again to
for sharing insights from a freelance journalists perspective as we dove into pitching Gift Guide products.Thanks for reading Deep Dive Edition 190
Sarah Shapiro
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