FASHION
Sarah Shapiro
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April 4, 2025
The Week in Shopping: “Mayhem at the Mart”
Reflections on Jim Rosenfield’s agreeably bougie mecca for Bay Area fashion worthies and families on weekends, plus some informed speculation about what comes next.
Radhika’s ‘Vanity Fair’ Exit & Luxury’s French Resistance Fantasy
Notes on the chatter surrounding Radhika Jones’s departure from Vanity Fair (plus the requisite succession speculation...), how the luxury world is bracing for knock-on effects from “Liberation Day,” scenes from the Skims flagship opening on Sunset Boulevard, and a look at Zac Posen’s GapStudio debut.
The LVMH Success Trap
While the luxury industry processes Trump’s multibillion-dollar assault on global trade, LVMH and Kering are confronting the consequences of their own success: greater exposure to macroeconomic trends, creative exhaustion, and consumer fatigue… at least until a new wave of designers arrives.
Lauren Sherman, Sarah Shapiro & Rachel Strugatz
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April 2, 2025
Fashion’s “Liberation Day” Fears & Meghan Markle’s ‘As Ever’ Debut
The latest industry chatter: A readout on how fashion executives are processing Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff onslaught, an inside look at the Nordstrom-Sephora arms race, and notes on Meghan Markle’s brand-building myopia.
Rachel Strugatz
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April 2, 2025
An Ulta Cinderella Story
Mikayla Nogueira was working at an Ulta in Massachusetts when she parlayed her pandemic furlough into semi-stardom as a beauty influencer, and then to launching an actual business.
Lauren Sherman & Sarah Shapiro
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April 1, 2025
A Vogue Defection & More Thirteen Lune Questions
Dissecting two subjects of fashion world intrigue: Longtime Anna Wintour sidekick Willow Lindley is taking her talents to WSJ., and industry insiders weigh in on the Thirteen Lune T&E mini-scandal.
Sarah Shapiro
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April 1, 2025
Uniqlo: Lost in Translation
The Japanese fast retailer does almost everything right, with updated classics from top fashion talent at insane prices. But their online experience is still clumsy and dense, hamstrung by a digital divide between East and West. With hundreds of new stores opening in North America, will an e-commerce reboot be part of the expansion?
Lauren Sherman
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March 31, 2025
A Met Gala Scheduling Snafu & More Saks Global Existentialism
The latest fashion world chatter: A notable scheduling conflict surrounding Keith McNally’s book party at Balthazar, another round of LVMH C-suite musical chairs, and a rare silver lining in the Saks Global meltdown.
Lauren Sherman
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March 31, 2025
The Hunsicker Proxy
Back when everyone wanted to be a tech company, Caastle pitched itself as a miracle software solution for struggling retailers to turn deadstock into a rental business. Last week their C.E.O. abruptly exited, the company furloughed its employees, and the management team told the board to disregard the previous years’ financials. What could possibly go wrong?
Sarah Shapiro
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March 28, 2025
A Thirteen Lune Mini-Scandal & The A.I. Fashion Explosion
A dispatch from the fashion frontlines: Notes on a shareholder lawsuit accusing Thirteen Lune founder Nyakio Grieco of using the company card as her personal slush fund, how major retail brands are starting to embrace artificial intelligence for cost-cutting, and a close look at Brooks Brothers’ edge in the prep fashion revival.
Sarah Shapiro
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March 28, 2025
The Week in Shopping: “Friends & Family” Discounts & Fresh Golf Fashion
News and notes on the latest retail trends, from PGA chic to Miami’s design district.
Elisa’s ‘Elle Decor’ Era & Kim K’s Skky Fall
Fresh intel from around the fashion world: Notes on the hiring of Elisa Lipsky-Karasz to oversee editorial at Elle Decor, a somewhat grim status update on Kim Kardashian and Jay Sammons’s private equity firm, and a micro-development in the P.R. agency universe.
Prada Yada Yada
The Prada Group is preparing an estimated €1.5 billion bid for Versace (and maybe another €500 million for Jimmy Choo), setting the stage for the luxury brand to win back its obsessive and loyal fans under Italian ownership once again.
Lauren Sherman & Rachel Strugatz
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March 26, 2025
Savannah James’ Skincare Debut & Wintour’s Vogue World Preview
A quick dispatch from the fashion frontlines: News on the launch of Savannah James’ forthcoming Augustinus Bader-esque skincare brand, scenes from Anna Wintour’s Vogue World preview at the Chateau Marmont, and notes on the departure of a key creative director at Louis Vuitton.
Rachel Strugatz
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March 26, 2025
Gwyneth & Now
A micro-targeted mini press tour proclaiming the revival of her acting career has unintentionally turned a spotlight on Goop—Paltrow’s 17-year-old, unprofitable company currently in the throes of reinvention. Did she drop some clues about Goop’s future along the way?
Sarah Shapiro
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March 25, 2025
Meghan Markle’s ShopMy Surprise & The New Forever 21
A roundup of essential fashion industry intel: The Duchess of Montecito’s allegiance with ShopMy (and calculated return to influencer territory), how the fashion-forward tennis brand Spence is capitalizing on the sport’s resurgence, and whether the tween brand Edikted can fill the void left by Forever 21.
Sarah Shapiro
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March 25, 2025
The Boat & Tote Blues
At first glance, L.L.Bean should be thriving—its boat and tote and field jackets connect with yet another generation of stylish, prep-adjacent shoppers. But revenue is flat, more layoffs are coming, and the company is no longer the trusted outfitter of yore. Can the iconic Maine retailer navigate these troubled waters?