On my mind and in my cart, March 24
My ADHD makes organizing these so hard buuuut: Tory Burch, me loving MK Olsen's troll-like behavior, shopping habits, a very good listen, and a few very good links.
I originally started writing this on the 5th and it is now the 26th April 2nd April 4th, soooo here goes a month’s worth of thoughts!
Starting with Tory Burch.
Tory Burch has been on such a roll and it just occurred to me how funny it would be if/when the brand reaches their new cool girl brand status (because I do think if they continue to elevate their designs plus some excellent strategy they can accomplish this) they re-introduce their once very popular (then very basic) ballet flats and now I think someone over there should deliberately be trying to make this happen. The more that I think about it, what an amazing full circle marketing moment that would be. If anyone who works at Tory is reading this call! me!
Like can you even believe this is Tory? Also Camilla Morrone wearing this other very cute Tory dress in her new Vogue Mexico spread.
The Cutting Room Floor. I’ve been meaning to share this spillage of thoughts Recho shared ever since I listened to it. I’ve mentioned it before, but I think the most alone I’ve ever felt was when I was living in LA. It was a confusing feeling as I had always previously enjoyed being by myself. I was also never actually alone, but I had never experienced the loneliness of not being with your people or even just in your groove. The trivial interactions with your local bodega/coffee shop guy, the random neighbors you’ve forged a relationship with simply just because you cross paths all the time— until LA, I never realized how much these relationships mattered and did for my spirit. Again, there are some great people in LA, but the city and culture there really doesn’t make it easy to actually be in community with them.
Sometimes I question whether I “fucked up” by leaving NY in the first place, but listening to Recho who has lived in NY even longer and still feels this longing for *their people* (along with all the other stuff I listen to and read) makes me realize that this is actually a larger cultural issue plaguing our society. My latest hot take is that globalization is a scam. That for all the innovation and technology and how cool it is that we are able to be so connected to people across the world, it simultaneously has also left a lot of people feeling very disconnected from their environments and consequently very sad. Simply put, the abundance of opportunity has flatlined us emotionally. I think a lot of people, myself included, have felt/feel paralyzed and kind of just lost and floating within the context of so much promise, at least more so than ever before. I don’t think the rise of mental health struggles/care/awareness is any coincidence.
Instead it seems like this is the consequence of individualism and hyper-individualism— the defining principle and the by-product, respectively, of the American dream we were all once sold. Almost all problems in our modern world can be traced back to hyper-individualism. (Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton does a great job at summarizing this part of our history.) However I do see glimmers of the tides beginning to turn and that gives me great relief. I love seeing localism making a comeback. I love seeing a return to old-world values and sensibilities (I’m not talking about the bad ones obviously), but only in community do I think impactful change is actually probable. And as far as this particular episode of TCR goes, it’s really nice to know that all of our human experiences are actually not singular. I am equally thankful that there are people like Recho who keep it really real in this increasingly fake world of ours.
Good on Business of Fashion for calling out Loro Piana. It’s always refreshing to see that not everything is bought in media. While unsuprising, the Loro Piana news is pretty upsetting for a brand of that caliber. Alec Leach depressingly writes about the situation at large here and thinks that it actually costs money to be the good guy in fashion. Which I agree, it does cost more money, however in the long run I think the potential for increased revenues, profit, and longevity are greater. I hope to be able to prove this in a few years via a project I’ve been working on.
As I edit this, the news has just come out that Dries Van Noten is stepping down from his brand. Although he sold a part of his brand some years ago, he still remained chief creative officer, chairman, and part owner, seemingly navigating a new business partner really well. This is pretty rare. It makes me wonder about his leadership style. I wonder how his employees felt working for him/the brand and whether or not they felt appropriately compensated. If anyone has any insight on this please share!