Retail Diary: This Will Be Quick 4.23.24 - WNBA Style, Belts, Spring Styling & Fast Fashion vs Resale

Phoebe Philo's next delivery, Glossier's berry launch, and Veja's repair service. Plus, insights on WNBA brand partnerships, belts as THE accessory and eco-conscious shopping.

Apr 23, 2024

Images via all the sources linked below.

New drop from Phoebe Philo on April 23rd, Céline Dion for Vogue France, Glossier launching strawberry 4/24 (comments requesting the old formula), Veja opened a cobbler/repair location in Brooklyn - they’ve already repaired over 20K sneakers in other locations outside of the US. Handbag Designer Nancy Gonzalez was sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags. Golf fits trending.

Clare Vivier

(as in these handbags - and a cute shop I recently wrote about) is launching her Substack

LA VIE DE CLARE V.

Betsey Johnson and Nell Diamond (of Hill House Home) discuss all things bows.

Remembering: JJ Thomas as he was very active in the internship program at Bloomingdale’s when I interned. Thinking of his family as I read his obituary in WWD - he was the first black buyer at Bloomingdale’s, so kind and passionate about retail and giving back.

Brands & WNBA…🏀

For brand partnerships, I’m continuing to keep my eye on female athletes. What you need to know:
- Really appreciate that brands are stepping onto the court early. Caitlin Clark’s stylist speaks with Leigh Nordstrom for WWD. Adri Zgirdea, who also styles other clients from Excel Sports, mentioned that it was no accident, being a first with Prada (first time Prada has dressed any player - male or female - for the draft. I love that the storytelling in Clark’s style came through with every detail.
  "It typically takes five years before a major fashion brand will agree to dress any athlete" stylist Adri Zgirdea said.
  “She already has a knack for captivating people through her confident and record breaking game play, so styling her is all about taking that bold energy and translating it into a look that reflects her personality, values and the moment.”
- I had the chance to speak with Madeline Schulz for Vogue Business “Why brands should follow Prada’s WNBA play” Schulz shares that Gen Z isn’t as easily swayed by celebrities, but see a lot of authenticity from athletes and notice which brands they partner with. The Luxury industry, especially fashion and beauty, seemed to finally be taking note with the WNBA draft. The article also notes that fashion, beauty and consumer partnerships can help bring more attention to the athletes and the game, which can in turn drive their future salary up. As everyone in the article (and commentary online) noted that these players are not being paid what they should be.

WSJ Magazine reading…📰

WSJ Magazine styles the Bag Charms “How To Reinvent Your Favorite Bag” I might be annoying y’all with how many times I mention that I love bag charms. I have three bags I am frequently wearing right now and I’m keeping a few bag charms on each. How about each time I mention “bag charms” I’m required to add one more…it will also help with building upper body strength. I’ve added more to my round-up here including this heart Chanel coin purse key chain.
Wear sheer for work “How to Wear Sheer Clothes at the Office (Yes, Really)” and the trick is to layer. I’ve been really intrigued to try a sheer long sleeve (another option here) top under or over a tank or the sheer skirt trend like what
Leandra Medine Cohen
designed here.

What’s Trending…🚀

Belt it out

Love that

Bailey Marie-Foret

called this “jewelry of the hips.” After reading Glossy’s newsletter on the Belt as Spring’s hottest accessory and

Casey Lewis

who is an expert on Gen Z & Gen Alpha trends at

After School by Casey Lewis

linking to this Vogue article stating that Belts are the backbone to the fashion industry I started spiraling. As I do…

Like all trends, I think belts swing in and out of fashion. For some, there is always a belt moment. But retailers and designers need trends to change so we buy new things. And people’s taste changes. Many might have worn the double G logo belt, then switched over to an organic buckle shape from Khaite.
As the Glossy article quotes Allison Bornstein a bunch and I think she is the go-to cheerleader for belts. Not only is she often styling looks with a belt, she points out how wearing a belt helps to frame where to tuck in a shirt to jeans or pants. It creates definition for the outfit and takes it from jeans and a t-shirt to a styled and intentional look.
In Bornstein’s book, Wear it Well, she lays out the 9 Universal Pieces. 8 are items of clothing. Item #9 is a belt. She writes:

“The finishing touch. A belt is like a bow on top of a present. It is that final element that makes almost any look feel more styled, with very minimal effort.”

I pulled together a bunch of great belts for any statement (or non-statement) you are looking to make. I love Andersons Belts, this great Madewell belt (now available in multiple colors), Denache belts, this Toteme and this Loeffler Randall. See my full edit here.

🛍️ This post is long (too much good stuff to share!) so you may need to hit “expand” or read it in your browser - I promise it will be worth it! 🛍️

Shop but make it Earth Friendly…🌎

Earth Day 4/22/24, Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal make the case for shopping resale over fast fashion as the more affordable option.

WWD interviews Dounia Wone, Chief Impact Officer at Vestiaire Collective in “New Report Shows Why Fast Fashion Is Worse for Your Wallet, on Top of the Environment” to make the point to shoppers that resale is less expensive than fast fashion.
- This is an important argument that resale businesses need to get across to customers. The shoppers that want luxury, but can’t afford it, likely don’t mind (and love) that they can shop resale. But, the consumer that doesn’t care or isn’t aware that it is an option, just wants what they can afford - which the assumption is that fast fashion is the option.
- Data from the article/report:
  - 60 percent of fast-fashion items end up in landfills within a year of purchase
  - 92 million tons of textiles are discarded every single year
  - Vestiaire Collective achieved 25 percent revenue growth in 2023, versus a 4 percent increase in the luxury industry. (Making the case for investors too!)
  - One in three buyers use Vestiaire Collective to source unique, hard-to-find items
  - Almost a quarter of a million searches for vintage in 2023, up 40 percent from the year earlier.
  - The linked article also has a ton of data around pre-loved fashion being worn more frequently and the lower Cost Per Wear on these items.
The RealReal made a similar argument on Instagram, highlighting items from TRR vs the fast fashion alternatives. Some fun recent finds from TRR: smart investment I saw in person in Marin from Chanel - gorgeous white leather for summer, lady like jackets trending for spring, summer thong from The Row and a Dries Van Noten dress with tags - in a graphic print - for under $500.
I love resale fashion and I’m finding in the last few years I’ve often shopped this way. Personally, my main consideration is like a car, it loses the most value the moment you drive it off the lot. If it retains such little value, why spend more. Especially when you can see the quality up front. I have a Mansur Gavriel bag that still looks brand new and I bought it resale. Was it more expensive than buying fast fashion, yes, but my cost per is likely down to pennies at this point. This isn’t always true with investment pieces like Chanel and Hermés that increase in value due to the constantly increasing retail prices and consistency in brand value.
The argument of fast fashion being more expensive than resale I think has one flaw, the upfront cost of fast fashion is still often less than resale. If you have $10 you can buy a dress at Shein (I don’t recommend it.) Overtime, your Cost Per Wear might be more with fast fashion than a gorgeous Zimmermann, even at resale, but upfront you can’t buy a Zimmermann for $10….unless you score at thrifting. In the Zimmermann resale vs Fast Fashion example you have to have $463 upfront to purchase vs $10.

What I’m listening to…🎧

No surprise, I’ve been listening to non-stop to Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD). Specifically “I Can Do it With a Broken Heart” I won’t go all Swiftie on you here (since there are other places for that) but I do want to share why this song resonates with me.
Here you see the lyrics lined up with scenes from her Era’s Tour concert. I started thinking of Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s piece for the NYTimes “My Delirious Trip to the Heart of Swiftiedom” (gift link to read behind paywall) this past summer after attending an Era’s Tour and the NYTimes Daily Podcast where she talked about the article. Swifts lyrics about love also resonated with Brodesser-Akner and building her career and how she is seen to others.
“Except that, yes, they seem like only love songs. What a great trick that you could write about business betrayal and friendship betrayal in a love song. But then when you land on what is unique about a woman, a girl, a female experience, it’s that we tend to — and I know I am speaking in a highly subjective way — we tend to take all of that to heart in the same way.
Times that I’ve been betrayed in business hurt as much as the times I’ve been cheated on by boyfriends. It all lives in the same place. And, finally. I don’t know why it took so long for somebody to understand that we needed songs about these things. These are the full range of a woman’s experience — of any person’s experience — and she channeled it.” Taffy Brodesser-Akner
So, with all of this in mind, Swift’s lyrics really hit home:
“I cry a lot but I am so productive, it's an art
You know you're good when you can even do it
With a broken heart”
And the final line:
“Try to come for my job”

Recently loved…❤️

I rarely wear prints, but this dress looks like it would be so versatile for summer. And so fun!
Very into the shape of these sunglasses, which remind me of the pair I’ve been wearing.
I enjoy these! My favorite shoe style can be described as a black flat with edge.

What’s Next 🗓️

Mother’s Day content making the rounds,

Gabriella Gofis

Charu

and

Christina Tumminello

have all written great guides. Friday I’m attending an event that Freda Salvador is hosting and looking forward to it. I plan to wear these. Later this week I’ll send a Deep Dive and hoping to finish and send Part 3 for Retail 101 on negotiations and how Buyers (for department stores, boutiques etc) build assortments and make pricing decisions etc. If you have any questions, add to the comments or feel free to reach out (my contact information is all below) and I will include answers and insights.