Hi, and welcome back to Line Sheet. What a week. No, really. In less World War III-ish news, we’ve been blessed with a bulging mailbag of feedback from readers about everything from Nike’s woman problem and Mark Guiducci at Vanity Fair to Greg Krelenstein’s casting prowess at Old Navy and the drama at Drunk Elephant. And, of course, there’s the Kering of it all. Today, we’re sharing a few of those gems, plus some notes on the ICE raids at apparel factories here in Los Angeles, and why the forthcoming closure of one of the last remaining newsstands in the city is such a bummer. (I also watched Leena Nair’s Wall Street Journal C.E.O. Council interview so you didn’t have to.) For the main event, Sarah “SShapiro@puck.news” Shapiro is here with her inaugural mailbag, filled with Loro Piana references, an essential claw-clip mention, and answers to your retail existential questions. Programming note: I made a speedy guest appearance on today’s episode of The Grill Room to talk Guiducci with my buds Dylan Byers and Julia Alexander. Listen here and here. For those of you with the Shoppies: Did you know that Dolly Parton has an ongoing collaboration with the equally Southern costume jeweler Kendra Scott? It’s all very Katie Grand trash-is-treasure coded, and I’m here for it. My personal pick is the gold (vintage 23k yellow gold over brass, to be exact) heart locket, etched with a beaming heart-in-heart on the front and, inside, the inscription “I will always love you.” (Get it?) I will always love that song, both the Dolly and Whitney version. Mentioned in this issue: Franco and Giacomo Loro Piana, Leena Nair, Supergoop, Ambiance Apparel, Reformation, Laneige, Brunello Cucinelli, Prince William, “Coco” Chanel, the Wertheimers, Brian Jang, Roz, and many, many more…

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Three Things You Should Know…

Save the Larchmont newsstand!: I’m not one to lament the shuttering of brick-and-mortar businesses—things change, people change, there’s no sense in harping on the past, etcetera. However, I am saddened by the prospect of the Above the Fold newsstand on Larchmont Blvd., in the neighborhood of the same name, closing at the end of July. According to the dear local website Larchmont Buzz, the newsstand owner, Brian Jang, is a subtenant of the adjacent Rite Aid, which is closing. (Have you been to a Rite Aid recently? They just filed for their second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in less than a year.) Above the Fold is one of the last, great newsstands in Los Angeles. The one I used to go to in Los Feliz, before I even lived here, shuttered before the pandemic. While there still are plenty of magazines to sell, there are fewer and fewer places to buy them. Places like this make you feel connected to not only the people around you, but also the rest of the world. If this Larchmont location closes, I might actually move back to New York. I definitely don’t believe in the power of online petitions, but if you’re so inclined, here’s one to save the Larchmont newsstand.
ICE targets fashion: Of the 46,000 or so garment workers in California, many are undocumented, and so it’s no surprise that several factories in downtown Los Angeles and nearby Vernon have been raided during the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recent rampage. (On Tuesday, Mayor Karen Bass said the ICE raids may continue, over her objections, for 30 more days.) The impact on local industry could be significant. A lot of clothing is still made in the area, and not just at Dov Charney’s Los Angeles Apparel factory. Fashion Nova and Amazon supplier Ambiance Apparel are producing stuff here, too, as are higher-end brands like Monique Lhuillier, Reformation, and even St. John. Granted, the more expensive the clothes, the less likely it is that there are undocumented workers in the factory. But it’s a cause for concern, nonetheless.
Leena Nair gets the royal treatment: On Wednesday, Chanel’s C.E.O. sat down with Wall Street Journal leadership conference guy Alan Murray to discuss her personal journey, what she’s been up to at Chanel over the past three and a half years, and broader macroeconomic trends. Nair, who was recently honored by Prince William with a C.B.E., also talked about the difficulties of the job and the challenges of coming to luxury from the H.R. side of the consumer packaged goods industry after 30 years at Unilever. “I don’t think any board ever does a succession planning for an H.R. to become C.E.O.,” she remarked. And yet, it seems that the Wertheimers, the family that owns Chanel, recognized that Nair’s background would be integral to guiding the company through its grand transition, much of which I’ve documented in Line Sheet. “The biggest challenge is being able to make the pace of change coherent for everyone in the company,” she said.When Murray nudged her about the challenges of working at a family-run business, she tapped back with a brag about how much money Chanel invested in itself in 2024—$1.8 billion—despite sales dipping. I wish Murray had pushed her a little more on the China question: Consumers in the region have soured on luxury goods, and while she insisted that the plan is to think long-term and continue investing, I would love to know what Chanel is doing to innovate, and delight, beyond opening standalone beauty shops. (Fun fact: Among Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s many innovations was the cross-body bag. Thank her or blame her.)

And now, the main event…

Loro Piana Scarcity & The Next ‘Succession’ Fashion

Summer season news and notes on the latest industry trends, shopping data, Gstaad looks, beauty recs, and inbox intrigues.

Sarah Shapiro

With the country, and the whole world, going through it right now, this seemed like a good time to turn our attention to some of life’s restorative pleasures. Clearly, I love talking about shopping and retail—stores, inventory levels, foot traffic, merchandising strategies, etcetera. So I cracked open my inbox to tackle your questions about our ongoing fascination with stealth wealth, why brands sometimes disappear the very items they’re advertising, and more. I also self-assessed my makeup bag, pulled data on whether people are actually shopping, and uncovered a wrinkle with the Scandinavian trend. Herewith…

Loro Piana, Shopping Data & The Succession Look

Why did Loro Piana take out full-page print ads in major newspapers promoting its, ahem, “quiet luxury” bona fides, and the authenticity of the Open Walk and Summer Walk shoes, only to… apparently discontinue the shoes? These were entry-level L.P. items. I share your frustration—nobody likes when an item is advertised and is then no longer available. Sometimes it’s an inventory management issue, but it’s clearly a matter of limiting overexposure in the case of Loro Piana. As Lauren has reported, Bernard Arnault directed the Loro Piana team to carefully control growth for this very reason—they don’t want the shoe to become the next McQueen sneaker, Reva flat, or Isabel Marant wedge sneaker, so they buried it before it went out of style. Loro Piana isn’t too concerned with missed sales. (I reached out to the brand, but they declined to comment.) If you’re hunting for a pair, try their moccasin, or the Brunello Cucinelli Venetian slip-on. And there’s always The RealReal.

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Speaking of Loro Piana… what’s the latest iteration of Succession-coded fashion? Sease carries stuff made for people on permanent holiday. Founded by Franco and Giacomo Loro Piana, it has a dozen stores in places where their target customer roams, such as Milan, St. Moritz (even better in the summer, IMO), Paris, Gstaad, Dubai, and Geneva. Are people really shopping right now? Yes. And there’s data: Foot traffic is up across department stores and shopping centers compared to last year. Apparel, as a category, is pacing even faster. Fears of tariffs also drove lots of people to panic-buy, which boosted spring numbers. More surprising, though, is that the broader retail industry isn’t expecting a drop-off stateside. The National Retail Federation is forecasting that retail sales will grow between 2.7 percent and 3.7 percent in the U.S. this year, hitting just under $5.5 trillion—on track with pre-pandemic numbers. Meanwhile, people are at least talking about the joys of browsing in physical stores. Beth Buccini of Kirna Zabête tells me that the annual seasonal migration of deep-pocketed shoppers from Florida to East Hampton is well underway. Out west, business is good at the Marin Country Mart, according to Hero Shop’s Emily Holt. After years of bloodless, sometimes kooky online transacting, there’s something refreshing about the tactile, social experience of shopping in person. Just think of all the meet-cute opportunities. Sarah, can you share your top five beauty products for summer? I happily open my wallet for a good lip balm. I like Augustinus Bader x Sofia Coppola in Shade 1, and my daughter loves anything by Laneige. I’m also very pro with SPF; I’ve used the Supergoop Glowscreen for years, even when I don’t leave the house—I still have to take Zoom calls, after all.

Hairwise, I’m impressed with how the Roz Santa Lucia Styling Oil treats drier hair, and with Mara Roszak’s innovation of hair products to address specific challenges. Undo Hairware claw clips are beautiful and strong, and don’t look like accessories you stole from your tween daughter (hypothetically, of course… I’ve never done that). Finally, while I fully support the bare nail trend, I like it to be buffed, manicured, and glossy. This kit from Bare Hands has everything, and my nails feel “done” even without polish.

The Week in Feedback…

On the Guiducci appointment at Vanity Fair: “Excited for Mark. For what it’s worth, I legit think he’ll be good if only because of his enthusiasm.” … “Would I sound two-faced if I said I think it’s the right choice, all things considered?” … “I think the funny thing is that by interviewing everyone in town, they now made everyone else want to say the job doesn’t matter.” … “You were right all along.” … “I’m so happy for him.” … “I hope he’ll remind people that the magazine used to mean something.” —A bunch of people who Mark will have to talk to within the next few weeks, if not sooner On Greg Krelenstein casting that Lindsay Lohan–Old Navy ad: “Get Greg on the pod!” … “Greg is not a ‘former member’ of The Misshapes. He’s a current and forever member of The Misshapes.” … “Apparently it takes a village to cast a Lohan! I will say, everyone is conspicuously silent when it comes to the question of who cast Charo.” —Greg Krelenstein fans On Nike’s performance issues: “I’m glued to this Nike x Skims collab to see how it fares. I’m also hoping Faith Kipyegon will be a huge draw the same way Kipchoge was with his Breaking2 attempts for Nike. I’m not dialed into the hobby jogger world enough to know whether Nike is making strides (ha) in getting some of their market share back from these other brands, but I think it might be a little too late for them to get back to where they were without the entire industry losing companies. It’s just too saturated now.” —A project manager

Happy Father’s Day, Lauren P.S.: We are using affiliate links because we are a business. We may make a couple bucks off them.

Puck fashion correspondent Lauren Sherman and a rotating cast of industry insiders take you deep behind the scenes of this multitrillion-dollar biz, from creative director switcheroos to M&A drama, D.T.C. downfalls, and magazine mishaps. Fashion People is an extension of Line Sheet, Lauren’s private email for Puck, where she tracks what’s happening beyond the press releases in fashion, beauty, and media. New episodes publish every Tuesday and Friday.

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