Letter of Rec #072: Where function and fantasy must intersect
Pithy field notes from resort, spring and the second-hand internet
It was a good week for mainstream wearables thanks to two shows: Valentino (née Gucci; the feedback to the first collection of Alessandro Michele, previously of Gucci, has been split between two camps. The first seems annoyed that Alessandro Michele is still Alessandro Michele to the extent that his design dna has not changed while the second camp is into the signature maximalist [and quite spiritually-driven] stroke he’s painted over the new house of Valentino.
I am personally a fan of the places where preppiness and maximalism intersect, but overall crave a more conceptual, restrained approach to the latter, which is a perfect segue into the second show I reference above —) and The Row.
From Valentino: sneakers that look like a dead-ringer for the Bensimon classic —
From The Row: flip flops that look like Reefs, or better yet: Rainbow sandals .
And a work jacket that could pass for an Alex Mill classic.
What always gets me about these collections from The Row — in particular the ones that come for Spring (I, uh, staged a re-enactment last year) is how immediately they possess fans of the brand.
The style code remains so consistent and buildable and yet the tweaks from season to season read enough like seismic change to make you feel like everything in your wardrobe, everything in the world’s wardrobe is irrelevant outside of these looks.
Of course that’s not really ever the case, and the rosiness desaturates as soon as the browser closes but the references, the inspiration, the magic sauce of it all continues to percolate. What do these clothes do that other clothes can’t? What does the brand mean to the wearer? What makes it feel so good, so sticky, so right?
Part of it has to relate to how familiar so much of it (the individual garments, but especially the styling) feels, the colors employed, the nuanced accessories and where they get worn, but I believe the x-factor is much more imbued with the subtle, sometimes unacknowledged but always-present fantasy that The Row is bullish about nurturing through each collection.
In the end, I suspect this is the crossover on the Venn diagram of what creates success-with-depth — the melding of function and fantasy.
In other news, here are some forthcoming tweaks I feel absolutely certain of:
Silk shirts will eclipse poplin shirts. It’s a good time to start thinking about whether you care/want to participate. Esp because so many of the best options are on sale right now. (You deserve an edit from TRR.) The vibe is
matte, not shiny (which usually means the shirt is a twill blend, which is more summer friendly)
pretty neutral in color, lest you’re going for this, which 100%, I endorse
don’t rule out ‘pajama’ shirts as viable contenders
My preferred way to think about wearing them for this moment reflects how I saw an old Rachel Comey shirt styled on Jessica Willis at a recent dinner for Savette. She was wearing one unbuttoned with a mini slip dress (a less literal lingerie option is this, or something like this feels like an appropriately bizarre foil too) under, and sandals that spiraled up her leg. This bullet point is motivated partially by TR’s S24 lookbook too, but my antennae for the shift have been up for a little while.
Tangentially related to this point is one more I’ve been thinking about re: the jelly shoes. I think these, specifically in blue, might be a good alt to them if you’re not hot the trend, but yearn for an off-shoe choice. I like them in partic if your summer vibe is a combo of flimsy cotton, linen and silk. They can be the structure that confirms you’re planning to go out and stay out.
Actually, it’s electric blue for all. You know, I used to hate the color cobalt blue — wild how trends have the ability to sink into your psyche and challenge your personal preferences and aversions. At best, I think you learn flexibility from this tendency. At worst, you get paranoid about how much control you do or don’t have over your own taste.
From left: The Row upside down canal slippers, Tod’s Gommino loafers, Cleonie bike shorts, Cayumas velvet loafers, Gimaguas necklace, Alex Mill jacket But anyway, three’s a trend as far as the shoes (let’s call it a combo of pool blue and cobalt). I refer back to the Alex Mill jacket and I’m dropping in these shorts from the swimwear brand Cleonie because the color is electric and the fit is great. I wore them with a bucket hat, these sandals and a long-sleeve red and white striped t-shirt last week. Needed a satin clutch to break up the utility. Next time!
Not really part of the above, but in case you’re interested, here is a minor PSA: the full suite of Ancient Greek jellies are bAcK iN sToCk.
Onwards to the basic garment principles of how to live out Lauren Marie’s “Boring Girl Summer,” — the best term (and definition) I’ve seen to describe what feels like the most pervasive (and genuinely appropriate) vibe for the upcoming summer: