• Field Notes - a look at even more weekend pop-ups.

• Forecasting - trends that keep popping up and I want to discuss with you.

• Retail Reads - A quick read on Phia and cliff notes on what is going on.

• Fashion & Beauty Finds - including items my 13 year old told me about.

• In My Feed - fun stories and content I enjoyed reading this week.

Forecasting

• Add this to the Loonen Water discourse: Have you seen ’s reporting and ’s reporting? I’ve been watching Karen Sayah’s Instagram content around the Sun Valley fashion and noted that Evan Spiegel was seen toting around Loonen Water. The other water bottles in Sun Valley have been mostly Smartwater and the occasional Dasani so Spiegel possibly brought his own?

• Put a ring on it: I noticed in my late night scrolling that Ringer t-shirts kept appearing in new deliveries this week. This white and black ribbed version, a colorful option in Leset’s July drop, and from J.Crew. This one from B Sides is pretty great too.

• Take me out to the ball game: If you aren’t wearing a ringer t-shirt maybe you opted for a baseball t-shirt. New from Leset (of course I love the solid white and black versions), Reformation, Jungmaven, Cos, or Cou Cou. How cool is this NPR one?

Retail Reads

Cookie Monster — What happened at Phia?

The latest in the affiliate discourse is this article from Bloomberg on Phia. In case you want to discuss without reading the full article the TL;DR1

• What is Phia? It’s the shopping app from Phoebe Gates (Bill and Melinda French Gates’s daughter) and Sophia Kianni, built to act like a personal shopping assistant. Download the browser extension, shop like you normally would, and it claims to find the lowest price on whatever you’re looking at. Even surfacing a secondhand version if one exists, and applying discount codes for you at checkout.

  The money: Over $43.5 has been raised, including a $35 million Series A that landed a $185 million valuation. The Series A was led by Notable Capital and included Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures. The big buzz from press was over the extensive A-listers in the raise too (here is a small list): Khloé Kardashian and momager Kris Jenner, Sydney Sweeney, Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, Mindy Kaling, Ice Spice, Halsey, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alix Earle, Karlie Kloss, Ashley Graham, Winnie Harlow, and LVMH heir Alexandre Arnault.

• So what happened? Bloomberg, Capital One Shopping, and researcher Ben Edelman found Phia’s browser extension was silently opening a hidden background tab during checkout and inserting its own affiliate code. It would essentially automatically click its own link without the shopper doing anything. So it could grab credit for sales it never influenced. This worked even when a shopper arrived via someone else’s legit link, like from Wirecutter, a Google ad, etc. Phia’s tab would fire after the fact and overwrite that code with its own.

• This is referred to as “cookie stuffing”. A banned tactic and it violates the terms of service of every major network Phia works with, including Impact.com, CJ, Rakuten and Awin. Impact.com has already suspended Phia’s account.

• Why to pay attention: Edelman, as noted above with the Phia research, also researched and found evidence that helped land two affiliate marketers in prison for defrauding eBay back in the 2010s. Also worth noting, Capital One Shopping, one of the accuser here, settled a nearly identical class action last year after influencers said its own extension was swapping out their affiliate codes. Same story played out with PayPal's Honey in 2024, which has still been playing out recently.

• Phia says the auto-click code was introduced in December and got fixed within 24 hours of Bloomberg flagging it, and claims it’s passed regular network audits. But this is the second shady data practice in eight months. Fortune reported in November that Phia was logging users’ full browsing sessions, including bank statements and private email content.

• My thoughts: This is not a good spot for Phia. They made a huge deal marketing their recent investor line-up like a concert line-up, and then played that up more with Coachella style marketing. All of this will be discounted now and Phia is in the position of having to prove themselves as a respected, trustworthy, and fair player in the affiliate marketing space. Plus it might turn off the very creators and influencers that already use affiliate links from wanting to support Phia and promote the platform to their users in the future. I want to hear your thoughts in the comments — can Phia move past this? How fast?

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• BoF reported on the top Amazon Prime Day Deals for beauty (as reported by Perpetua Prism) and what I found most interesting is the top 2 items were higher priced hair tools (valid — bigger savings on a higher retail purchase) but none of the top 5 were the devices that have been the top of the rankings in the ShopMy beauty rankings. When I reported for Puck’s Line Sheet in May, of the top 10 devices, 8 were face tools and many were the new red light devices. So what is typically driving ShopMy’s engaged shopper is not what is driving purchases on Amazon or perhaps the items aren’t being discounted yet. I checked the top items from ShopMy’s links and they have not been on sale recently on Amazon according to CamelCamelCamel. Related, the devices I use and recommend:

  • Ziip Halo* all because of this video of founder Melanie Simon from 8 years ago. Her skin is unbelievable — note I’m not a dermatologist and this is a dated video but her skin has stuck with me for 8 years (!!!) because of this content. (Use code RetailZiip for 10% off.)

  • This wand from Therabody which helps with my sinuses, puffiness, tension and even headaches. Perfect for traveling too.

  • Personally I can actually see a change when I use this device. Again, I also love it for relieving tension especially in my jaw.

• There are times when even larger retailers with a lot of red tape still surprise and delight me. Take Walmart’s quick thinking surrounding international visitors and the World Cup. After seeing social media responses and visitors in stores thrilled with the idea of shopping at Walmart, they are offering tours and marketing activations around experiencing the stores even though they are not an official FIFA sponsor. I think this is a great lesson for retailers and brands of all sizes to not feel constrained by regulations. It also isn’t breaking rules to do so. Well done.

• Devastating, and I’m sorry for the sad and depressing news on the weekend, but this should be mentioned. A fire in a shoe factory in JinJiang China kills 28 and required 200 people to evacuate. [WWD]

Fashion & Beauty Finds

• Of all the Easy Pants the Colby Crops I’ve been able to both dress-up and wear with a sweatshirt and flip-flops. I’m also shocked at the quality for the price, it’s that good. I’m 5 feet 2 inches and the crop length fits me as a regular length. After I posted on Instagram I was flooded with DMs asking when they would be back in stock and if they would come in other materials. I reached out to La Ligne and the update is that the ivory will be restocked the week of July 27th and the black and navy the week of August 10th. I’ll likely be adding the navy to my uniform. (Privatelabel10 for 10% off your purchase.)

  • P.S. Y’all, I might have a problem. I think I own more Easy Pants now than I do denim. That speaks more to the denim gaps in my closet but this is a really interesting trend to note. With Easy Pants so simple to fit and so many great materials to chose from, are they a retailer’s dream easy sale? I could spiral on this a lot. For now they just keep ringing the registers.

• Emme Parsons launched this Bari slide in nappa leather. I own in the black rubber. I love that it has a comfortable footbed like a Birkenstock but a more sleek upper.

• Rothy’s newest iteration of the clog, a more academic penny clog.

• Freda Salvador’s July collection launched this week and my eye went immediately to these: a suede fisherman — extend your summer footwear well into the fall. The zebra haircalf Jada — one of their best styles! And cowboy boots have been picking up year-over-year and their Loretta is a fantastic starter cowboy boot. (Retaildiary10 for 10% off your purchase.)

• My 13 year old daughter alerted my ten year old son that Sol de Janeiro is launching men’s. Smart of Sol de Janeiro to go after the men’s fragrance mania with teen boys. My daughter could seriously be a scent influencer.

• My daughter is also very excited about these new launches: Plumping Lip Gloss, Glowy Balm, Lip Sleeping Mask. Lip products are a true gateway beauty product for the teens and apparently you can never have enough. I do like their Lip Mask but lately this* is the new lip balm I’ve been using in the Rose Dahlia shade from Violette_fr.

  🛍️ Quick note: I write a lot (too much good stuff to share!) If you’re reading via email only, you may need to click through to the web version or read on the Substack app. I promise it will be worth it. 🛍️

In My Feed

• For a different type of look at fashion week from what you might typically read, check out ’s recaps. This is for the sporty girls too. Douglas’s running boutique — Running Wylder — located in my old neighborhood, Noe Valley, is the absolute coolest. I love her vintage running t-shirts and the brands she sources are the best — she has an excellent eye. Part one and part deux.

• The Financial Times HTSI spread for wellness and workout gear is so well done. I’m excited for all the anoraks. Like this cotton one that just dropped this week and is already sold out in most sizes (the color is so good!) I saw this Agolde one at Hero Shop and it is fantastic. But I still own this old school anorak that I got in high school (and wore practically everyday) so I’ll just stick with this one for now.

• Top links of the week: most clicked are three of my favorites!! A travel bag I love, the set* I can’t stop wearing, and the handbag line from Berlin that I’m obsessed with. Top orders are from my favorite car lip oil (it doesn’t melt) and my favorite bathing suit three years running/swimming.

• I have a lot of questions about Reformation’s use of technology in the stores. So does this guy. My dream is to have two Reformation in apples-to-apples locations and test the technology first location and have the other location like a typical store with all the inventory in various sizes out. See which one has higher revenue.

Made just for you — always. See you Tuesday.

xx, Sarah Shapiro

Private Label Issue 18

Catching Up:

The one where we talk about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale:

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Quick note: some links here are affiliate links — I may earn a small commission if you shop through them, at no cost to you. It helps keep this newsletter going. Gifted items are marked with an *. All opinions are my own, and everything I share, I’d tell my best friend about and probably already have.

• New Collabs

• New Launches

• New Prep on the Block

• New Store Openings

• Summer Season Pop-Ups

• People & Brands in the News

• What Else I Loved

New Collabs

• I noticed on Mytheresa this week that the Rixo x Dragon Diffusion collab was back. It is their third season working together (Spring 2025, Autumn 2025 and now this Spring/Summer 2026 drop) so let’s look at why this is working and what I love.

  • There are two new shapes: Lysia a mini tote, and Saoirse a proper handbag. Plus a new color, the Amoria in niamh a butter yellow added to what already has launched in the past. The price points range from $245 for the belt to $630 for the larger Lucine tote. The Roxella belt was inspired by Rixo Co-founder Orlagh McCloskey’s own collection.

  • At Mytheresa you can also find the Lucine tote in navy and a dark silver, the Amoria in green and a gold version, and the smaller Lysia mini tote in silver and gold. Another win is having a different assortment on Rixo and Mytheresa so there is a reason to shop at each retailer.

  • Coming back to proven styles and adding in new additions shows that this program is working. I appreciate that it isn’t a straight repeat but these bags are classics so it didn’t need to be a complete reinvention or a new brand partner.

  • Dragon Diffusion's founder, Craig Wright, spends about 60 percent of his time weaving leather for Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Prada, and Bottega Veneta from a NYTimes profile (gift link). His factory outside Chennai runs about 700 weavers through 43 miles of leather strips a day. The identifiable Santa Croce weave took six months to perfect.

  • Plenty of mall brands have merchandised their own version of the Dragon Diffusion woven bag but none of them have the charm, quality, and expertise that Wright’s product does. I appreciate how Rixo rather than doing their own version partnered with Dragon Diffusion and kept it as a collab, or maybe that was the only option). It also makes the price point feel like a designer deal. The price-to-value equation for Dragon Diffusion handbags is unmatched by any other brand. You won’t find a quality bag for these retails.

  • Bonus, while on the Rixo site it is worth checking out the Coralie sleevless style combo dress that is a summer-y version of this incredibly popular Meg dress that is a combo of polka dots and leopard print. They also have romantic and boho style blouses.

• When I first saw the Birkenstock x Repetto collab I had to confirm that it wasn’t AI. [WWD]

• Madhappy has been cranking out the collabs. From Freecity, Converse, Puma, Crocs. So Madhappy x Roxy feels straight from their playbook.

Sports Corner Collabs

• The latest in extremely minimal shoes are from Xero Shoes x Literary Sport in their version of the original Genesis barefoot sandal. Literary Sport brought in the paracord construction with a navy leather cord and silver bead.

• Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance collab

• Another collab between Malbon x Fabletics launched this week.

New Launches

• Glossier, with a ton of eyeballs on the business (see Rachel Strugatz coverage, and the latest on their marketing at BoF from Brennan Kilbane) launched a new Balm Dotcom. An apple flavor inspired by NYC — the I ❤️ NY Balm Dotcom. Two things can be true. One, I think this is a fun launch and has some city adjacent activations. BUT I’m really hoping to see more from Glossier if they want to continue to be relevant in the beauty space. I don’t think this is enough or what an audience is looking for now.

  • Ed. Note: Glossier has likely lost their millennial shoppers to brands like Rhode and Summer Fridays and their elder millennials to Violette_fr, Merit, Saie, Jones Road, and Westman Atelier. They can still capture Gen Z but they need more innovative products that cut through the noise and not a rinse and repeat of what is already out there. I’m afraid to share how many balms and glosses are in my make-up drawer (please don’t make me count)!

• Sofie Pavitt, the acne whisperer, is launching a new facial treatment — microdermabrasion-inspired scrub. Studio Smooth Microdermabrasion Exfoliating Skin Treatment is a mouthful but lays it out all for SEO. Make sure you are reading , ’s Substack. I bought this recently for my daughter to try.

• Sidia is launching at Sephora Canada. I love their hand serum, it feels sophisticated, the scents are not overpowering, and it blends right in.

• Herbert Levine just launched an ecommerce site, including exclusive styles. Herbert Levine isn't a new name in shoes, but it closed up shop in 1975. Relaunched in 2025 with Trevor Houston as the designer, the brand just added e-commerce as the next piece of bringing it back. You can read more about the brand and Houston in the NYTimes profile from earlier this spring.

• Collina Strada has 7 exclusive styles launching at Nuuly. The goal with launches like this is to attract new subscribers to Nuuly and for Collina Strada if you try these new styles maybe you will be more likely to be a shopper in the future.

• Bloomingdale’s is launching Ulla Johnson in store at Century City, Aventura, and Chestnut Hill.

New (Old) Prep On The Block

When I spot three in one day around a single trend I start to 🌀 spiral.

1. Elle Fanning in the Dior Dioriviera Mid-Length Shirt Dress. Pastel color-block shirting. Fanning wore this dress to Wimbledon.

2. Quiet Town x Alex Mill pastel color-block collab. 100 percent cotton and made out of Quiet Town’s shower curtain scraps. Announced on Wednesday via Alex Mill’s Instagram.

3. With Nothing Underneath colorful seersucker patchwork. I’ve been talking about how much I love this brand, so my algorithm knows and keeps surfacing more looks.

4. BONUS, I found some more once I started to 🌀: Try resale: Lands End, J.Crew shirt or J.Crew dress, for Elle Fanning feel try this Staud dress from .

5. Double Bonus 🌀 🌀: Go back to the OG. I knew Ralph Lauren had plenty of this too. In Big & Tall, adorable for the kiddos, and yes to vintage western Polo Ralph Lauren.

Here's the part context: this isn't just “prep is back” on its usual cycle. This specific, softer version has a traceable origin point. Jonathan Anderson's Dior turned toward a

Read more

I’m also paying attention to Josimar Dias aka Vozinha, the Cabo Verde goal keeper who is at 27.5 million Instagram followers and gained 6.7 million on Saturday.

If you’ve got 6 minutes, I’m into Nike’s Rip the Script commercial for the soccer skills and players.

In this send: I checked in with a few boutiques, multi-brand retailers and brands with their own stores to find out what is selling across the U.S. and Canada. Litchfield County, St. Louis, Dallas, Vancouver, Nolita, Montecito and more. Plus: Dries Van Noten, Marisa Klass, big stone necklaces, Pinnacle, the Lodge Cardigan, American Flag sweaters, Prounis, bermuda shorts, Labo.Art, balloon pants, fanny bag, alligator boots, Best Apparel, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, XL Lola Blanket, and what I’ve been reading.

🛍️ Quick note: I write a lot (too much good stuff to share!) If you’re reading via email only, you may need to click through to the web version or read on the Substack app. I promise it will be worth it. 🛍️

Fresh Receipts & Forecasts

• Forecasting big beads: The statement necklace means something very different now than it did in the early aughts. Like this flat colorful option from Dries Van Noten. Marisa Klass jewelry, a Toronto based designer, has a new collaboration with and fresh receipts at Net that quickly sold out. Klass has been designing jewelry since she was a young girl and uses organic stones and shells in her designs. Worth noting that with the more designer and luxury pricing of the jewelry the sell-outs are likely due to buyers only bringing in one unit each. These big stone necklaces have been a fun statement piece. A few others worth noting from Notte, Lizzie Fortunato, Julietta has beautiful options like this one, and the under $75 options from Evereve.

• The Silly-er the better: Silly little bags are not going anywhere. When a bit of joy goes right for the brain it is easy to justify the purchase. For the ultimate in silly, J.W. Anderson’s Pigeon clutch has a new feathered friend. The Canary clutch and a little Hedgehog too.

• New Donni in 3..2..1: Summer III from Donni releases at 10am PST Tuesday. Check out their polka dots and summer bandanas. New items include a pinstripe poplin, the summer shift dress in a polka dot taffeta (the solid sold out quickly!) and new styles of the baby rib and silk. I’ve owned these pants and both of these pants for multiple years and still wear regularly. Part of my uniform.

• Forecast — It’s summer schmatta season: at The Love List launched a special collab with Gigi Burris. Love their take on second day hair. A need. There is also a no tie version from Lele Sadoughi and of course Pucci.

• Freshly squeezed: New Orange Crush from Negative, a favorite for lounge and jammies. I wear Negative for those in-between moments. But you can wear as basics or to sleep in.

• Striped Sets sell: This boxy stripe t-shirt and midi skirt launched this week. Another striped set from Renggli — this stripe t-shirt already sold out but the matching mini skirt is still available.

• Magazine + Tote: Combining my two favorite things, Magazines and Totes. Parker Thatch launched the new suede and broken-in leather versions of a perfectly slim work bag.

Field Notes

This week I reached out to the inside sources for details on what is actually selling in retail pockets across the U.S. (and hi Toronto and Vancouver!) From the boutiques you love, ones that should be on your radar when you travel, and the direct-to-consumer brands that see different items pop in various cities.

Pinnacle — Litchfield County, CT

Shoppers are looking for the special items and are willing to spend more for pieces they love. The lodge cardigan from The Great, Ulla Johnson’s knit sets. Leading up to 4th of July these sweaters and Polo Ralph Lauren hoodies were selling well to shoppers of all ages.

Hero Shop — Larkspur, CA

I love Emily Holt’s boutique at Marin Country Mart. She mixes up the brands, selects the best pieces for each assortment, and the stylist are super knowledgable. The merchandise is also a great mix for the micro-climates in the Bay Area.

On a recent visit to Hero Shop in Larkspur, Emily Holt’s Dries Van Noten display up front was such a fun mix of pre-fall, short-sleeve knits and silk skirts in fall colors, but light enough to still wear now. Emily told me the weight is exactly right for how her clients actually dress across the Bay Area’s micro-climates. The silks are moving, and this skirt is under $500 for a special ready-to-wear designer item that usually cost twice that amount. Bermuda-length shorts are selling well from denim with Agolde and dressier options from By Malene Birger and Proenza Schouler White Label.

I’ve mentioned before that Hero Shop has the best in-store assortment of Flore Flore I’ve seen. If you’re in the Bay Area, it’s worth the drive just to try the range of styles and colors on in person. Pair it with denim: Khaite’s Finley in ecru and the Clara in dark indigo are both top sellers right now. Labo.Art, designed and made in Milan, has become a sleeper hit too.

The Row bags, from the 90s bag, the Marlo in both the 12 and 14, and the Alma in raffia, sell well in store. Prounis gemstone pendants and bead necklaces are an easy, everyday-luxury pickup. And it’s never too early in Northern California to think about outerwear: early reads on fall jackets already lean toward Khaite’s Cordelia and Nili Lotan’s Ophelia shorter, more fitted silhouettes that are the best fit for the Bay Area client.

Evereve — Multiple Locations

For my full analysis of Evereve and how they approach retail you can check out my reporting here. Evereve adjusts their buy by location to make sure they are bringing in items that local shoppers are looking for. I was curious to hear what was selling with their customers across the U.S. so we can get an understanding of more regional trends.

Minneapolis, MN: Colorful items, especially the accessories, are driving purchases here. This beaded bracelet, a bubble tank top, carpenter pants (hello easy pants!), another “sleek-er” tank from LNA, and a bubble gum style necklace.

Birmingham, AL: Classic, casual pieces and work ready summer dresses. See this longer denim short, a lace camisole, tube tops, midi shirt-dress and the mini version of the same dress.

St. Louis, MO: shoppers wear patterns. Like this short-sleeve top and this scarf style tank. And a styling trick — looks like a sweater but it’s just a “scarf”.

Dallas, TX: is all about the prints! From tops, a rodeo red-y handbag, and a head-to-toe print set (top, skort).

Newport Beach, CA: these balloon pants, which are a more directional easy pant, pointelle t-shirts from Evereve’s private label and this ruched ribbed tank from LNA.

Seattle, WA: back to the simple white tops and classic stripes. Silk-ish available in cream and navy as a shell and a similar tank version. A cotton boho Evereve private label top. Navy and white stripe set — top and shorts.

Clare V — Multiple Locations

Nolita, NYC: pieces that stand-alone and work well for the city. A messenger bag in olive, a fashion forward but classic fanny bag, I love the ‘70s heritage feel of this blue suede bag. This Clare V top with the French-American classic twist.

Chicago, IL: these pieces are more travel ready and show the functional taste of the shopper at this location. An oversized fanny bag, a petit messenger bag, a clutch that travels flat, a not-too-oversized tote, and this backpack that can be carried in multiple ways.

Montecito, CA: at the Montecito Country Mart location, Clare V’s top styles show off the casual-cool California style. A smaller woven leather handbag that you can switch up with straps, a large casual tote, a sweatshirt for cool summer evenings, and sunglasses for Southern CA.

Tecovas — Multiple Locations

Tecovas has stores in 27 states. The brand’s top selling boot in the Tecovas stores are the Annie — consider this your gateway boot. Cowboy hat sales have doubled year-over-year for the past two years. Alligator boots are driving sales in Florida. In New York, 20 percent of all purchases are in this color. Not surprising.

Left on Friday — L.A., Toronto, Vancouver

L.A. and Toronto are seeing more two piece sales while Vancouver has a more even split between one pieces (there are 9 new shades of this best selling one piece) and two pieces. The Layup Short, a cover-up/ready to wear item, is the biggest new style — top shades are Sweet Chili Heat and First Place. The Wear to Bottom is a top 10 item in all three locations.

L.A. — shoppers are going for low-rise and a skimpier bottom.

Toronto and Vancouver — shoppers are pairing the Hi Hi Bottom (a higher rise) and Hi Line Shortie with a lower coverage top.

In My Feed

• On the Podcast last week Sara Foster shared that Favorite Daughter is launching handbags this fall.

• Love ’s content and how to make a look your own with pieces you already have. The oversized t-shirts I’ve been wearing this summer for layering indoors: this, this light as air cashmere version, and I always stock up on these with a white and black 2 pack.

• It’s short season and I love both take on longer lengths and no one does a round-up like does.

• This Thursday 200 pieces from Martin Margiela’s personal archive are going up for auction in Paris. Margiela selected the items and documented each item himself. [NY Times gift link]

125 Years In, How Nordstrom Celebrates

Nordstrom Anniversary sale kicks off for card members on Tuesday, July 14th. I'll be honest, I've been a little underwhelmed by the Anniversary Sale the past few years. I want to review the history, what's happened with Nordstrom since they've gone private (with Mexican retail group El Puerto de Liverpool, they took the department store private in May 2025), and the impact of brands having direct-to-consumer channels.

Read more

In this send: As a merchant I see a lot of products and visit plenty of stores. In this post I’m talking about a few items I love and recommend, especially for summer time. Plus: Mecca Australia, highlight milk, Uniqlo round mini shoulder bag, Margaux, high vamp ballet shoes, the Linen Set, Mimétique, A’maree’s, Bill Cunningham, The Wallach Project, drindl dress, mood boards, Taylor Swift, Dior Couture, and much more.

• Field Notes — Rhode, Sephora, and Mecca

• Recommendations From a Merchant

• Retail Reads

• In My Feed

Field Notes

I visited Sephora this week and was finally impressed with the inventory planning for Rhode’s display. Either that or it just isn’t selling. The Pocket Blush and Lip Peptides were mostly in stock and they had all the new Bronzers and Highlight Milk fully stocked. At Rhode’s website many shades are still out of stock.

Rhode has had a lot of backlash on their own Instagram from commenters who were frustrated about the orders and deliveries. June 9th Rhode launched the summer capsule — the bronzers and highlighting luminizers — but the first adopters who ordered online, the most engaged shoppers, didn’t receive until late June. At that point they could have just held out to pick up from Sephora which launched 6/25 and earned their loyalty points.

Back to Sephora, the display itself was standard with a small table for the new items at the front. Then I saw Mecca's Rhode display in Australia — playful, Rhode branded, impossible to miss, and easy to shop. Sephora doesn't have the footprint to allow brands to build that kind of display and the Sephora model tends to be Sephora first versus brand first. It was fun to see how Rhode can show up when they have more flexibility but it is often a push and pull between retailers and brands in regards to branded display fixtures.

Recommendations from a Merchant

As someone who is always evaluating and researching brands and trends, these are the items I’ve been sending to friends.

• For the friend who is traveling to Europe with her kids I mentioned she definitely needed this handbag. It’s my favorite for travel and kids activities on the weekends. I love that it will hold a small water bottle and my kindle.

• The items that are always in my summer beach bag: my favorite swimsuit that I love for the material. This is my fourth summer wearing the same one. It holds up that well. The facial sunscreen I always use year round, the body sunscreen I’ve repurchased 3 times because the subtle tint is a win and it is easy to apply, I’m also loving this sunscreen lip balm and this one too. My pool slides (on sale here) that work from pool/beach to post dinner with a dress. This dress works for everything from a cover-up to shopping to dinner out.

• These Margaux ballet flats* are the perfect alternative to sandals when you want more of your foot covered and something that feels a bit dressier. The best hybrid between a ballet flat and a sandal. If I was traveling to a city over the summer for exploring these would be the shoes to pack because you can also walk over 15,000 steps and still be comfortable. I’ve owned these for two summers, wore them into the ground, and they were a bit big. The brand recently sent me a half size down and the fit is much better. Hint is to order a half-size down.

• My favorite car lip balm for the summer has been this one, which is currently on sale. It doesn’t melt in the heat since it is a lip oil.

• Valesque is the new discovery that has made me so happy. A brand that feels priced well, simple but joyful, so easy, and nostalgic of the Prada ‘90s bags and early days Kate Spade. I own the Thea bag but this would be my next pick from the brand. I’m waiting for the fall delivery though instead of buying another one now. But I could be convinced…

• This* is my repeat wear this summer. Loving the set and I rarely wear shorts but I’m comfortable in these. There was a question recently about fit for petites, and I think if you take your regular size the top won’t overwhelm you.

• A bit of a Forecast of a Trend, I’m noticing vamps much more covered on ballet flats like this pair. This is the direction we’ve been going. From round toes, an extreme point on this Khaite pair, and all the versions of the higher vamp moccasin. I found my favorite moccasin on The RealReal. I own and love.

• Violette_fr sent me some items to test out and my favorites so far are:

  • This unbelievably simple blush*. I love how easy it is to apply and how subtle the blush is. It feels perfectly light. I love makeup I can easily apply (quickly) without a mirror and this fits the bill.

  • Balm Amour* — this lip balm has a hint of color and the tip of the wand is cooling for these hot days. You can save 15 percent on sets.

• After returning from a trip with such dry skin, I knew I needed to keep it simple and moisturized. Thankfully Mimétique sent me a few items to try. After using this cleanser*, the moisturizer and eye cream* my skin is much happier. The brand first launched in the U.S. at Printemps NY, online at FWRD and Moda Operandi, recently launched at Goop and Violet Grey. All very discerning retailers who know what they are adding to the assortment. The packaging is an elevated pharmacy feel. The brand was founded by a cosmetic chemist who grew up surrounded by dermatologist. In other words, trust those in the know.

Americana Retail Reads

All the content this week is celebrating American fashion and retail.

• The United States of Luxury from Vogue Business covers the growing fashion cities for luxury across the U.S. Big wins in Austin, Nashville, Charleston, Miami.

• Some of the biggest and best names in American retail — from Andrew Rosen, Pete Nordstrom, Tony Spring, Sherri McMullen, Fran Horowitz, Lori Hirshleifer, and Lauren Santo-Domingo — told Vogue Business what needs to happen for retail to be successful.

• covered the history of American style from Ballet Flats, Baseball Hats, Cowboy Boots, Hoodies, Jeans, and Leather Fringe for InStyle.

• Are there any bigger names in American fashion than Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan? Airmail published this article by about our fashion Mt. Rushmore.

• I loved visiting A’maree’s in April and exploring the specialty store that was absolutely filled to the brim with discoveries. It is the type of store you could visit every day and always be surprised by something you haven’t seen before. Leah Faye Cooper wrote this fantastic piece for Bazaar about the shop and the mother and three daughters who have built and managed the store for the last 50 years.

In My Feed

• I am so excited for the Bill Cunningham exhibit at the New York Historical Society in 2027. I will absolutely plan a visit, rewatch this, and rock a jacket like this. [NYTimes gift link]

• I absolutely love and am completely inspired by this pop-up at the Jewish Museum between Audrey Gelman and the Wallach Project (The Wallach Folk Art Museum) on bringing back the historical items like the Drindl Dress into the Work Dress. The Wallach’s family store was seized by the Nazis in 1937.

• Thank you to .@checkthetag on Instagram for the Taylor & Travis wedding guest dress IDs. And the bride wore Jonathan Anderson for Dior Couture! [NYTimes gift link]. Interesting because I was just served this Instagram Reel shortly before the wedding of another bride unboxing her Dior Couture wedding gown, which was then included in the NYTimes article. The algorithm was completely plugged in which makes you wonder. As soon as there is Taylor Swift news I’m tracking down what writes. Her latest in Marie Claire on the dress.

• Lisa Yamner, Co-founder and Chief Brands Officer at Daydream, is helping the fashion shopping platform launch The Fashion Stack podcast.

• Staycation idea, make a mood board with tips from Art Life Practice and .

• Top links of the week: everyone is checking out bright print brand CIBYN new sets, the sneakers that Celine just collab’ed with, and the bitchy little heels I personally pre-ordered in red. Readers are buying this towel cover-up and checking out Net-a-Porter for this dress and buying from NAP.

Catching Up:

• Chanel bought Charvet and you can read my take here.

• Readers had a lot of thoughts on Gap’s mesh stripe set. Read the comments from this post.

• More on the brand With Nothing Underneath here.

• ShopMy is disrupting more than just affiliate links.

Made just for you — always. See you Tuesday

xx, Sarah Shapiro

Private Label Issue 15

Quick note: some links here are affiliate links — I may earn a small commission if you shop through them, at no cost to you. It helps keep this newsletter going. Gifted items are marked with an *. All opinions are my own, and everything I share, I’d tell my best friend about and probably already have.

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Had to get right to the point, now on to everything else. More on the Chanel Charvet Conversation below in the Business Section.

I’m writing this Deep Dive on Wednesday as the US Men’s Soccer Team won their game versus Bosnia and Herzegovina and of course I had to check Google trends. As soon as the game was over search volume for “USA soccer jersey” increased +600 percent in one hour. I’m sure we’ll be seeing lots of these being worn for the July 4th holiday weekend. USA next plays Belgium on Monday July 6th extending the holiday celebration. I wonder how soccer jersey sales have impacted Old Navy’s 4th of July business? Of course the price point is a huge swing, but I’m always gaming the impacts out. If you are selling patriotic merch this year make sure you note between the World Cup and the 250th celebration sales might be down next year and designers will need to think of a fresh look to drive interest and revenue.

In this send: Chanel just bought the one brand that made staying small its entire business model and part of the charm. And I have theories on how this could all play out. Plus: Luv AJ, lab grown diamonds, Maria McManus, easy pants, sexy wedges, Sofia Coppola, Charvet slippers, Eres, Panda Dunks, Under Armour, Rebel Daughter, Feng Chen Wang, Reformation’s S-1, J. Crew’s scrunchie swimwear, Hunza G’s added support, Carhartt, lip jelly and whoa that’s a lot.

• New Collabs

• New Launches

• The Business Section — Chanel Buys Charvet, Nike & Under Armour’s China status, & everything else.

• New Store Openings & Pop-Ups

• People in the News

• What Else I Loved

New Collabs

• Luv AJ x Target launched as a lower priced (opening price point) product. The original line has also spun out to have the costume jewelry, mostly more accessibly priced between $75 to $200, and Luv AJ Fine jewelry starting at $55 for simple hoops but going up to 4 figures and including lab grown diamonds in addition to natural diamonds.

New Launches

• Call It By Your Name, the french colorful bandana printed cotton accessories brand, launched sets this week in bandana prints mixed with stripes.

• New delivery from Maria McManus for her Summer/Pre-Fall collection caught my eye. A pair of more structured easy pants available in 3 shades and a stripe. I love this stripe cardigan too.

• Herbert Levine launched on Net-a-Porter. These fall boots have beautiful details and a nice, low, block heel makes them super walkable.

• Polka dot party: A fun ruffle-y polka dot-y mini skirt (or the same piece as an easy dress here). Or a longer dress from Alessandra Rich.

• Sexy wedges three ways from Le Monde Beryl. Black wide straps, thin and strappy red, and a lower silver thongs. P.S. a wedge is the perfect shoe for outdoor weddings and events.

• La Ligne’s Molly tee is now available in a scoop neck. (use code PRIVATELABEL10 for 10% off.) Nicole Richie shared on Bazaar’s podcast The Good Buy that she buys the Molly t-shirt in bulk.

  

The Business Section

Chanel bought Charvet

What became of the conversation: Chanel just bought Charvet, the 188-year-old Place Vendôme shirtmaker that has been family-run since 1965, has no e-commerce, and until yesterday was so anti-private equity in terms of their playbook. The irony is hard to miss: it was Chanel's own collaboration (they called it a conversation — ha!) with Charvet last October when new Creative Director Matthieu Blazy sent embroidered shirts down his debut runway (that shirt retails for $4,350), that sent search interest through the roof.

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In this send: A fragrance founder turned a Hailey Bieber pop-up line into a modern day fragrance counter. I also follow-up on the data on the Umbro mall-brand collabs. The winner isn't who my algorithm told me it would be, but the numbers show exactly who's punching above their weight. Plus: Nour Hammour’s handbags, happy stripes, Celine x Reebok, Jazzercize, Rachel Green, L’epoque, Reformation x Umbro (I know I said I wouldn’t keep writing about it! sorry not sorry), Launchmetrics, Rebecca Hessel Cohen (aka LoveShackFancy), Vans, Exemplar Luxury Group, and yes, even more!!

Fresh Receipts

• Nour Hammour Has a New Thing to Carry: Nour Hammour is launching a new category — Handbags and belts! The brand, founded by Nour Hammour and Erin Webb, dominated the leather, suede, and shearling outerwear category this past fall/winter. Repeatedly landing in the ShopMy Top 10 as reported in Puck’s Line Sheet, selling out consistently, and generating real demand. They occupied a sweet spot that's hard to find: an of-the-moment design with a real point-of-view, at a price point that made it actually accessible (below most high-end designer brands). Now they're expanding into handbags, which is about as natural a next step as you can make when leather craftsmanship is already your superpower and likely what their customer was asking for. Three silhouettes, available mid-July on their site, at their Paris showroom, on Mytheresa, and FWRD. The Amal shoulder bag and Lou clutch are already live to shop. I think the absence of a logo is a real plus, many shoppers do not like the gold foil logos or even simple embossed ones. However, the challenge of not making an easily identifiable logo treatment can make it difficult to have brand awareness. Another brand, Liffner, handles this with mis-matched organic shapes at the end of the straps and an easily identifiable button on the clutches. Savette has handled the no logo treatment with their own distinct shapes and clasps.

• A Happy Stripe Synergy: The timing of this launch lined up well. Kudos to Gap Studio on this one. Zac Posen helped re-imagine the iconic late ‘90s sweater stripe into mesh for summer. Chase Infiniti wore to the BET Awards this past Sunday evening. Then on Monday shared a Substack post about it and that pairing made complete sense since she has written about her love for this exact sweater for Vogue back in 2022. My favorite part is that this was on the runway Sunday evening and by Monday morning it was available for preorder in four wearable silhouettes: a maxi dress, maxi skirt, t-shirt, and tank top. Now we watch to see if the mesh items become as ubiquitous as the sweater. The pre-orders ship in early August, so that timing is still summer appropriate. The stripes are selling, will you wear this summer mesh version?

• More stripes!: Comme Si launched new striped silk sets. In four new colorful combos — red, green, mint, and brown. With short sleeve, long sleeve, pants and a boxer. Plenty of options and can wear a head to toe look or mix in with solids. The stripes at Comme Si are custom designed and make for great travel sets, especially for in-between moments when you aren’t ready to get fully dressed yet.

• Cou Cou intimates just launched new raglan t-shirts (long and short sleeve) and these pantaloons. I’ve spotted bloomers and capri pants all over, so maybe we’ll see pantaloons as a regular part of our lexicon soon.

  

Forecasting

• Sacai’s Men’s fashion show had two noteworthy collabs. Birkenstock and Brook’s Brothers. [Vogue Runway] Also check out Luke Meagher’s instagram .@hautelemode for a great recap.

• Celine made Reebok interesting: Michael Rider’s first standalone menswear show closed Paris Fashion Week last week and while there were a lot of great items, what I kept thinking about wasn’t the skinny versus balloon trousers, but the Reebok sneakers. Rider chose the Reebok Freestyle, an archival silhouette first introduced in the early ‘80s and reworked it in a collab with lambskin leather and completely distressed them before the runway looks. The shoes will come pristine, but it is the worn look that made them look interesting and relaxed. Plus, Reebok Freestyle will always make me think of Jazzersize and that feels so fun.

  Miles Socha wrote in WWD that Rider’s Celine is “not quite preppy, not quite bohemian, not quite rocker, not quite nerd” and the Reebok fits that styling and probably 90 percent of people’s style. Most people are more than one thing. It’s not the flat low-profile sneaker we’ve been seeing (the Dries Van Noten sneaker, the Onitsuka Tiger). And it isn’t crossing into full dad-sneaker territory. This collab is not a one-and-done. The first drop lands in September with more coming in 2027. Try finding a used pair now and start wearing so you get them dirty and roughed-up.

  Know someone with great sneaker taste? This one is for them so please share.

  Share

Business Stories:

Meet Me at the new Perfume Counter

After seeing L’epoque Parfums’ Instagram post about passing out samples in the Dallas Rhode beauty pop-up line, I had to talk to founder Rachel Green about it. I wanted to know how she came up with the guerrilla marketing campaign and what the experience was like.

She told me she’d done something similar for the Comic Con of fragrance, ScentXplore. She’d recently launched L’epoque just before the consumer-facing fragrance event but didn’t have the time or budget for a booth, so instead she passed out samples and cards to attendees outside and ran out super quickly because everyone was thrilled to try. So when she and her intern realized the Rhode pop-up would be in Dallas, where they’re based, they had a “should we go hand out samples??” conversation.

Read more

Heads up: Posting may be lighter over the next few weeks with the holiday. I…

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In this send: A fashion retailer known for their preppy clothes adds Beauty into the mix. I explore retailers who have done this before and dream up what products I’d merchandise. Plus: Poppi soda lip gloss, Kylie Jenner Meta Glasses “designer”, Tove Studio’s date night top, men’s belts, track shorts, Blonzer, Lela Rose, The Post Montecito, Set Active, Roz, Vuori, Tight End University, Miramar denim and lots of other goodies.

• New Collabs

• New Launches

• New Store Openings & Pop-Ups

• The Business Section: Tuckernuck Prep-y Clothes now with Skincare Prep

• People in the News

• What Else I Loved

New Collabs

• Lingua Franca x Malbon on a cheeky, sweet, country club golf collab.

• Poppi Soda inspired flavors for the Bubble x Poppi lip balms.

• Banana Republic x James Roland Shop (Amy Blanchard) on some fantastic ‘90s and ‘00s vintage sourced items. Of course has the best overview on her Neverworns Substack. I was shocked that Wednesday afternoon this and this was still available. While I love that BR did this (and tapped Blanchard to source) it is more about customer experience and marketing versus revenue. What I’d like to see is if they capture the clicks on the back-end to see where most of the interest is and consider relaunching those items for a future collection.

• Wardrobe.NYC x H&M is coming August 6th.

• The latest in the Coco Gauff x Miu Miu x New Balance.

• LoveShackFancy back to school at Target — with all of these partners it really feels more like licensing versus a collab. The Wet Brush, Casemate, Yoobi, Goody Hair, Wild Refill. Launching on July 5th.

New Launches

• Meta launched their newest smart glasses with a Kylie Jenner (and her 382 million followers on Instagram) partnership. The glasses have a great shape, especially compared to other bulky designs. I think the smartest move Meta made was partnering with Essilor Luxottica on the program. They still have the uphill battle of getting the glasses to be a must-wear device.

• Le Bon Marché launched an exclusive personalization set-up with Spanish brand Toral Shoes. Between this and Auralee’s fashion show with Charlotte Colett’s styling I think we will be charming up more boat shoes, sneakers, jazz shoes etc this Fall.

• TWP now has hand painted bags in their Soho store.

• Tove Studio’s pre-fall collection launched online. Date night tops, gorgeous lace skirt, and the coziest cardigan.

• Déhanche, the belt brand that helped make the accessory like a piece of jewelry, now has Men’s belts.

• Benjamin Talley Smith, the brains and creative genius behind all the denim you love, has launched two handbag styles made from vintage denim and found materials. Available in a smaller crossbody and larger tote, these are one-of-a-kind pieces that feel like art.

• After the Burberry x Hunza G collab, it seems like Hunza G is playing with patterns more. The latest, this polka dot collection also has UPF performance fabrics.

• A track short for everyone! Horse’s red Japanese cotton terry, Donni’s taffeta track short, and Reformation x Umbro’s Scottie short all launched this week. It was time I created a Forecast: Track Shorts to keep track of them all. Zoe Kravitz x Danielle Goldberg image was on a lot of inspiration boards.

• Fara Homidi’s Blonzer Compact is launching soon. The brand has built its reputation on an intentionally edited assortment: a lip palette, an eye palette, the Essential Face Compact, beautifully weighted brushes (they need to add a SKU of all the brushes as a set), and most recently, the Arenal sunglasses (a smart move for a beauty brand thinking about skin and eye protection, not just color). Every product feels considered. The packaging is weighty and feels luxurious. The word "blonzer" (blush + bronzer) started circulating in beauty media in 2024, which means the product development brainstorms of that year are now hitting shelves. There is also this Bareminerals Gen Nude Blonzer product in the category.

New Store Openings & Pop-Ups

I enjoy covering store openings and pop-ups for a few reasons:

1. shows us where people are investing in retail — location wise

2. shows us which brands and retailers are investing in physical retail

3. outside of the fashion capitals, it is great to get outside and experience brands and retail IRL

• Lela Rose opens today at The Post in Montecito, their 5th location. Which is also how I discovered that they have a Ranch collection (given the Texas roots, Lela Rose is from Dallas, is brilliant.) How gorgeous are these boots in collaboration with Lucchese?

• Hill House Home’s permanent Palm Beach location.

• Xirena is opening in the Palisades Village in Los Angeles. The local spot to purchase your drawstring pants in-person.

• Sézane opened a new store in Seattle. I’ve been hearing murmurs of a rebrand coming for Sézane and by the updated looks of this store it feels like something is around the corner. (Love this embroidered linen top as an alternative to a t-shirt for summer’s heat.)

• Anya Hindmarch’s store experiences are so whimsical and make functional items playful. A++ work on the travel shop. Turbulence ball cap (ha), this is my in-flight companion to stay organized, and I love this as a gift with a handwritten message.

• For Rhode’s pop-up June 26-29 in Dallas, Texas they will be testing out timed entry to minimize wait time and they are reminding people to wear SPF. (Rhode doesn’t have SPF - yet. But I would suggest a SPF brand find a way to pop-up or pass out samples nearby.)

• Me + Em is back in Nantucket for the summer.

• MyTheresa has a mobile pop-up in the Hamptons for the summer.

• Set Active’s Austin pop-up is open for summer. For the opening they hosted a one-night Cowboy Carnival complete with a ferris wheel, fried treats and games along with the branded moments.

  

The Business Section

Tuckernuck: Prep-y Clothes now with Skincare Prep

I’ve done a fair bit of reporting on Tuckernuck — I’m impressed with their warm, small brick-and-mortar stores, with intentional spaces around categories. It’s like shopping in someone’s oversized closet and living spaces. In a good way. What you should know about the brand, they are doing an estimated over $100 million annually

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Share this send with your friend who has too many canvas totes in the closet. No judging.

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In this send: How might a brand be thinking about retail pricing and positioning? Plus: terry towel dressing, Claire Dane’s t-shirt dress, a Nap Apron, Zucca Baguette, L.L. Bean Boat and Tote, canvas tote bag pricing matrix, Reformation’s IPO, Dua Lipa’s Chanel Couture wedding dress, Parker & Thatch, etc. etc. etc.

• Fresh Receipts

• Forecasting

• Canvas Tote Pricing Hierarchy

• In My Feed

• What’s Next

Fresh Receipts

• Will the Suede Prada pouch be as popular as the green silk or nylon versions?

  

• I don’t like to play the dupe game, but if you are looking for a good quarter-zip I think this one would scratch the itch.

• Left on Friday launched a collection of terry ready to wear, think towel cover-ups, that are made for casual wear from the beach or pool to either be in transit, lounge, or pop in for last minute essentials. The items worth checking out are the towel to go dress (forget the towel and just throw this on for super hot days post pool), and the jogger and hoodie combo for the cooler temps. Left on Friday really nails the colors, so if you already have a bathing suit from them it is the perfect layering item.

• The Reformation x Umbro collab launched (I promise I’ll stop posting about it soon, but it is so good!) and while this dress and this t-shirt mostly sold out, plenty of other styles still have inventory. I think they knew it would do well and forecasted inventory appropriately.

• Donni’s part 2 of summer launches today at 10am PST. The track shorts are available now and the polka dot shorts were part of summer 1.

• Loeffler Randall’s jelly sandals with the crystals are available for pre-order.

• Zac Posen’s Gap Studio launched a t-shirt dress inspired by Claire Danes Golden Globe dress. I really liked the Claire Danes dress, and it is smart to do a t-shirt dress available to purchase, but a bit of a head scratcher why they are launching now. I feel like everyone moved on from the moment since it was in January, although of course this is the season to sell it. So I can argue either way.

• Crown Affair x Ilia collab on an out-the-door ritual kit (hair care and Ilia’s popular mascara) and a special hair towel (my favorite hair towel is from Crown Affair.) They partnered with Sephora to do an in app exclusive for launch – meaning you had to shop in the Sephora mobile app on 6/22 to get it first.

• Saie did this too with their new SuperSuede Powder Blush, which already has 517 five star reviews. As you can see many “received free product for review” since it was disclosed.

• I love seeing the Hill House Home collab with Williams-Sonoma (fun fact, I was the Buyer for Cooks’ Tools at Williams-Sonoma earlier in my career — I would have been the merchant for this) and I know how much work they put into collaborations and who they partner with. I was curious why HHH, a brand that has an assortment of housewares – and has HOME in their name – would choose to partner with a third party on this and shared with me:

“Hill House began as a home brand, and while we’ve grown significantly into fashion, home remains such an important part of our DNA. Partnering with Williams Sonoma gave us the opportunity to bring our prints and perspective into categories and rooms of the home at a scale we couldn’t have achieved on our own.”

When I asked Diamond about her favorite items, she pointed out that the bigger furniture items work back to the bedding items on their site:

“I’m also obsessed with the canopy bed and the way it pairs with the bedding. There is a particular kind of luxury that comes from climbing into a beautifully made bed at the end of the day, and that’s a feeling I always want our customers to experience.”

Another great point from Diamond:

“One thing I’m always interested in understanding is how our customer wants to live beyond what she wants to wear. We’ve spent years learning about her wardrobe, but home offers an entirely different lens into how she entertains, decorates, hosts friends, and creates traditions with her family.”

And there is a Nap Apron too!

• While not a Fresh Receipt, it is a Fresh Markdown you need to know about. This is my absolute favorite skirt. So easy to dress-up or down with a simple tank or t-shirt and I have gotten so much wear out of it. I also bought it on sale and it feels like the sale price is the right price for this item.

  

Forecasting

• Posse Pre Fall ‘26 just launched and a few trends worth noting.

  • First, the brand used butter yellow and red as the pops, which I’ve been noticing with so many brands at all price points (see the Left on Friday towel collection above too.)

  • Second, they’ve done linen sets really well (remember this?), but this season the crochet sets look fresh and well done. Eyelet too – like this little white dress which can go from cover-up to day dress seamlessly.

  • Finally, polka dots! I added a few items to the Polka Dot Forecast.

• A follow-up: After the recent Fendi Baguette campaign, I was curious about recent trends, we have insights from Kimberly Bickle at Fashionphile:

  • Fendi Baguette searches have increased 188 percent year over year.

  • A “brilliant secondhand purchase” because this style is all about the materials and variety. Vintage pieces are just as relevant. Demand for sequin baguettes have increased 89 percent year over year, but the most in demand is the Zucca Baguette in Tobacco. Logos aren’t going anywhere.

Rhyme and Reason to Canvas Tote Prices?

I’ve seen so many plain canvas totes coming out this summer and when I noticed the Toteme version at $690 and the Phoebe Philo at $650 my brain immediately started thinking of what is traditionally referred to as Good – Better – Best and trying to assort and this one had me a little confused.

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In this send: There are so many sports collabs — World Cup, Knicks excitement — but the one that broke through the buzz in my algorithm was Reformation x Umbro. Even though it isn’t the only retailer that Umbro partnered with this season. I have an idea why it broke through. I also have a few thoughts on the latest smart eyewear, but I don’t think this is something the retail and fashion industries have on their radar yet.

Behind the paywall: Asics spins off Onitsuka Tiger, the why and what it could mean. Peptides are a big business, how will retail be impacted?

Plus: Westman Atelier, Alex Mill, the Selene, Pink Palm Puff, metallic vamp, Specs, The Vineyard, Jude, toe cleavage, ShopMy and oh so much more.

• New Collabs

• New Launches

• New Store Openings & Pop-Ups

• Label Check — Jude

• The Business Section — Onitsuka Tigers & Peptides

• People in the News

• What Else I Loved

I’m sure there is someone you want to talk retail with. Or peptides. Make sure you send this to them so you can discuss.

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New Collabs

• The collab with the most buzz this week has to be Reformation x Umbro. In a season where other retailers have also collabed with Umbro (American Eagle and Urban Outfitters) why did this one get the most buzz? Original styles that have the right amount of mix of the two – from lace detail shorts (lace? Umbro!) and a fitted cotton mini dress.

• Alex Mill x Margaux latest collab (they connected in the fall as well.) The criss-cross flat sandal is versatile and the red satin is a fun pop that I noticed at Emme Parsons and Reformation too. The silhouette for the collab, the Selene, is a style that Margaux has leaned into for summer with 13 SKUs (heels and flats) and a new campaign featuring Actress/Singer Denee Benton and Substacker/Market Editor .

• Tressé x Havaianas flip-flop collab won’t ship until August and is already selling out.

• Converse x Collina Strada sold out quickly in the key colorful and whimsical styles.

• Gen Z-Alpha collab between Pottery Barn Teen x Pink Palm Puff launching on Thursday 6/18. If you aren’t familiar with PPP it’s okay, I’ve got you covered. It is one of those sweatshirt brands that the kids love (à la Dandy Worldwide, White Fox, Parke, etc.) So pre-college BTS (back to school) season and for teens this is a collab that the teens will be very excited about. PBT has previously collabed with LoveShackFancy and Roller Rabbit and this feels like the same customer. These collabs sometimes feel more like a licensing deal versus anything else.

• Williams-Sonoma x Hill House Home, but I’ll share more on this collab next week.

New Launches

• Westman Atelier Pore Refining Complex Serum, the brand’s first overnight treatment expands their skincare assortment. The launch is today. The product details shares that is it to refine pores and smooth texture. It helps to fade dark spots and control oil production. You wouldn’t use with make-up during the day but it works well with other skincare products and under a moisturizer. It’s launching first on the WA site and will launch in Sephora in August. (P.S. I’m a fan of a lot of the Westman Atelier products and created a round-up of my favorite items here.)

• Merit Beauty, the easy 5 minutes on a treadmill for busy millennial women make-up brand, is launching a mascara. It was only a matter of time after they went for the brows.

• Dries Van Noten just launched lip balms and they are chic. Fancy, and at $85, a special gift for someone who deserves an upgrade. The shades are so good. The frosted blue reminds me of Chanel’s metallic vamp.

• Line Sheet reported that Toteme is launching Men’s.

• Did you notice that Rothy’s “perfected” their loafer? What changed? An arch support insole and a “pegged” outsole. I also sent a link to this fisherman sandal as a suggestion to a friend for a summer-vacation-city-exploring sandal (is that a category??)

• Monastery, a skincare line with fewer, better ingredients and clinical level performance, launched at Violet Grey. I had such a relaxing and refreshing facial at their spa/store in Noe Valley, San Francisco. Reminder I should treat myself to another one.

• Snap Inc Specs went from this, to this. The headline about their stock isn’t great, but looking at the 5 year trend is ouch. Snap went really bold compared to Ray-ban Metas and Warby Parker x Google x Samsung. Interesting that Snap didn’t partner with an optical brand.

• New deliveries I spied: The Row Astra in canvas. Dries Van Noten sneakers get even sleeker, and here, and here panelled. And a Dries high top. And add a brooch to your laces.

New Store Openings & Pop-Ups

• Alex Mill opened on Martha’s Vineyard in Edgartown for the summer. The Vineyard is all set for a tote summer.

• Violet Grey is opening in the Palisades Village in L.A.

  

Label Check

Label Check is a recurring series where I will break down the brands you keep seeing and want to know more about. I’m often asked “what is this brand?” Consider this your cheat sheet.

Jude is a European shoe brand with items to be conversation starters but not in a gimmicky way. The pump looks like a simple, classic style but there is something special and beautiful about the curves. It sits in a specific price point above contemporary brands but less than true luxury (most in the $600 - $1000 range.) Alongside brands like Aeyde, Le Monde Beryl, Jamie Haller, and Emme Parsons. The quality is there and the design is thoughtful.

• Behind the brand: Jude launched in late 2024 founded by Jurgita Dileviciute and Denitsa Bumbarova (the name comes from the first letters of each of their names.) Bumbarova co-founded and was the Creative Director at the label By Far. Dileviciute founded 213A, a design and production studio for home goods. They are based in Paris, the shoes are made in Portugal with Italian and French leathers.

• Where you’ve seen it: Jude is carried at The Webster, Harvey Nichols, FWRD, MyTheresa, and Net-a-Porter. On the feet of: Nicole Kidman, Kim Kardashian, Chloë Sevigny, Tracee Ellis Ross, Emma Stone, Ruth Negga…

• Hero Styles: Date Cutout Mules with a tiny bit of toe cleavage, Haze Sandal, Haze pump, flip flops exclusive to FWRD, Cave boots, and the new Yaga thong wedges.

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I’m back and ready for another week in retail.

In this send: The handbag category is right-sizing, but where is the fun headline in that? With handbags on my mind I’ve also targeted a forecast from big to mini. Plus: a graphic stripe scarf, Charo Ruiz, lax shorts, Bain-Altagamma Luxury Report, Violette_fr Bisou Balm, Chanel 2.55, totes, the yellow shade du jour and so much more.

Share this with a friend who is obsessed with handbags. I know you can think of three friends right now who fit that description.

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• Fresh Receipts

• Forecasting

• Handbag Math

• In My Feed

Fresh Receipts

• Graphic stripes and primary colors in this Loewe scarf can freshen up any outfit. The product detail page also does the heavy lifting of showing multiple ways to wear. (If you are looking for tips on how to tie a scarf, pick one of these Hermès card decks up from Poshmark or eBay. Helpful and chic.)

• Party polka dots from Charo Ruiz: maxi, mini, and top with skirt combo.

• Leset’s June drop went live and there is a bold floral print from the brand and a bright Daffodil. I’m most interested in trying a new to me style — they have been a top seller for the brand and launched before the Kyoto style — the Yoko pants. I love the Kyoto style and the Yoko is a lighter weight material so will be my heat of summer update. They’ve been around for even longer than the Kyoto, and also a best seller. Easy pants sticking around because, well, they are easy. This new drop has a lace crop style, tanks, dresses all in the Yoko collection. Plenty of easy summer options.

• Tory Burch’s Reva is updated as a mule.

• Given how quickly Lacrosse as a sport is growing, I’m not surprised at this sell out. Check out these in the meantime – the non collab version.

• The oversized bag that everyone rolls around, a highly recommended bag for schlepping that helps you from needing a back supporting sports bra, partnered with Susan Alexandra to charm it up. Charms are to have fun, give the shopper a reason to come back, and a little treat for the customer.

  

Forecasting

• Before we get into whether handbags are relevant (spoiler, they are), what I noticed in handbags recently:

  • Both [Midimalist] and [Time Less] had the same idea with their own fabulous take on Tote-ally totes Monday posts. Cementing the idea that summer is for the big canvas tote. I’ve seen a bunch of colorful totes on the market like Cahu ( carries at Earl IRL and I played around with them there), the Herve Chapielier possible return (or go directly to eBay if you don’t still have yours), and Rue de Veurneil (love the denim smaller one too). Interesting, all three French options! A mini trend in a trend.

  • And, of course on the other end of the extreme, a silly little handbag. The two pair together really well. Crochet stripe, Macrame, linen, mixed material mini. Cinch classic, cinch butter yellow at Cos, Loewe canvas under $400 cinched, or cinch mini Loewe flamenco.

• If you love the dupioni fabrication this season but would rather have a dress than shorts/pants, check out this shift dress.

• While I’m still seeing plenty of butter yellow, the yellow that is popping up more is a mustard (and here and striped here), marigold (english marigold) or daffodil shade. Deeper, more jewel tone, and brighter.

  

Designer bags aren’t over, but why do we keep hearing this?

What’s really going on in the handbag category? Rather than making a proclamation that the handbag is O-V-E-R over, let’s dig into the data and peel a layer back to see

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In this send: ThredUp announced a new launch of a peer-to-peer selling feature that will be interesting to watch. I’ll dig in to a few details I’m paying attention to. Plus: Hill House Home has multiple mentions (stores, collabs), what I think about Stoney Clover Lane, & Daughter does cotton knits, Varley returns to California, Shopbop’s Le Bop Private Label, and the tween brand opened in Sag Harbor.

Which collab pairing is your favorite this week? Let me know in the comments.

• New Collabs

• New Launches

• New Store Openings & Pop-Ups

• The Business Section - ThredUp goes direct, Shopbop leans into private label and more odds & ends

New Collabs

• The latest designer x mall brand collab is Matthew Williamson x Free People. Inspired by Mallorca, where Williamson resides. The prints are deeper rust and berry shades and beach ready with broderie anglais, crochet bikini top, and an oversize beach bag. I don’t see this as targeting the typical Gen Z-Alpha teen Free People shopper. Perhaps an older Gen Z or young Millennial. More of a Mango shopper too.

• Two French brands that have infiltrated the U.S. market with the help of influencers have collabed. La Bonne Brosse (the more instagram friendly version of a fancy hairbrush) x Call It By Your Name (the bandana print, colorful, cotton totes and accessories) for a hairbrush keychain with a mini charm. CIBYN recently collabed with Mini Coton on stroller totes and I see this as the same customer – although on Instagram they are suggesting as a designer handbag charm.

• Hill House Home x Roller Rabbit where their prints play together on pajamas and The Nap Dress. Roller Rabbit has a huge hold on Gen Z-Alpha and this collab also plays into a mother-daughter matching moment. (A friend gave me one of their pouches as a bday gift years ago and it is perfect for messy stuff and I use for toting sunscreen all summer.)

• Freda Salvador x Lorna Murphy collab. The two brands together work well — Freda Salvador’s natural materials and the raffia straw hats from Lorna Murphy.

• Target went for stripes for the summer swimwear. Target x Solid & Striped.

• Liberty of London x Adidas for a collab that is sporty, feminine, and a fun mix of two heritage brands.

• And will this be a future Liberty collab? Is Alex Mill leaving an easter egg? I’d reco this jacket with Liberty of London accents, this top in a print, and of course a must-have tote too. any hints??

New Launches

• Knitwear brand &Daughter (I wear this cardigan —love!) just launched t-shirts. Fantastic campaign with Beverly Nguyen. Their first cotton knit products and from the brand they are using a compact organic cotton crepe, GOTS-certified and the purpose of this was for the feel and texture of the fabric. Hand-finished in England and the six styles in both solids and stripes were designed to be unisex. The colors are really sharp and saturated. The plan was to help make & Daughter more year-round (although in Northern California I wear my cardigans in the evening in the summer too. The prices range from $475 to $635 so be prepared for a knit price more in line with Toteme, The Row (but below Loro Piana) versus a Flore Flore, Leset or Soldout.nyc (which has a nice oversize t-shirt if that is what you are shopping for.

• Jamie Haller’s new wovens offer an easy pant if you are looking for a more tailored look but still elastic waist. To mix it up, I really like that these don’t have a drawstring. There is also a track style short (sans stripes) and a button-up oversized shirt. I am obsessed with her bitchy little heels (as categorized them) and this style in the red or pale blue is fantastic. Look at me shopping for a red heel.

• The trend of what many Millennials and Gen X attribute to Vera Bradley, the printed cloth bags, have been on the radar since:

  • The Vera Bradley brand has been attempting a rebrand to gain marketshare again. (WSJ gift link)

  • Checkout ’s collection

  • Celine’s recent ad campaign already has major buzz around the bags

  • The Call It By Your Name and Mini Coton cotton printed totes

  • But have you seen Hill House Home’s new pouches and bags? Expanding this collection now feels absolutely right.

• What Stoney Clover Lane does well, and I mean this with complete respect, is merch. They are a merch brand. They understand merchandising, marketing, and branding and they have the tools to execute quickly, understand their consumer, and tap into fandoms. And oh the details!!! The activations around the Knicks looks really well done.

• A Gucci platform slide. Who here wore the Steve Madden version popular in the early aughts?

• Alaïa mesh mary jane ballet flats got a block heel.

  

New Store Openings & Pop-Ups

• Veronica Beard is opening a new store in Paris. To celebrate the opening the brand is hosting an event with . Veronica Beard also has a new CEO, Stephanie Unwin. She’s been with the brand 13 years and was recently promoted from President into the role.

• Posse opens their first location in NYC. You can now try on their bloomers and easy summer dresses in person — which is an important step for growing the brand’s awareness.

• Jones Road Beauty has opened two new locations in Charleston and Boston’s Seaport (after Nashville earlier this year.) Rachel Strugatz’s recent reporting for Puck’s Line Sheet on Jones Road’s growth without major retail partners. Jones Road is currently at 14 stores plus 5 more coming in Atlanta and (finally) California. I’ll add the Palo Alto location at Stanford Shopping Center to my store visit list when they officially open.

• Luar pop-up on the Lower East Side June 13-14.

• Damson Madder is opening in Paris for a pop-up June 19th through the 22nd. If you are curious about the brand, has an excellent analytical survey and deep dive into the brand and a comparison with Ganni.

• Varley has three locations coming to California. Marin will be on my regular channel checks. The other two spots are Brentwood Country Mart and Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Varley is headquartered in London but the brand launched when the husband and wife founders Lara and Ben Mead were inspired by a trip to Santa Monica and the brand has roots and a connection to both LA and the UK. The brands elevated soft knits and sporty crochet pieces are sold direct to consumer and also via third party at stores like Nordstrom and Evereve.

• Also at Marin Country Mart, The Park is popping up this weekend with Marfa Stance, a brand that really understand the pop-up and trunk show model! The Park has beautiful basic knits (that certainly aren’t basic basic) to wear under the Marfa Stance jacket systems.

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I sent my daughter on channel checks over the weekend, and if you are curious about the latest on the Brandy Melville situation, she shared with me that the dressing rooms remained closed and there was still a line out the door waiting to enter the store. The absence of dressing rooms haven’t negatively impacted the shopping experience enough to abandon the store.

In this send: Further exploring the ShopMy model. Plus: flared shorts are everywhere, a hostess gift idea, Comme Si’s shirting assortment grows, Chan Luu, Renngli, Influencers, TIBAL, Urban Outfitters, Diane Keaton and more.

Fresh Receipts

• Loving the Kallmeyer pre-fall collection, the taffeta shorts and a great take on the sporty but more refined anorak. The items I’d add to cart are this stripe tee and the blue suede Brunch bag – brilliant with the cinch closure.

• After the success of the Tokyo Shopper last year, Parker Thatch followed up with a summer ready, utilitarian, oversized tote in collaboration with Big Night. I would use this as a pool or beach bag, sports-mom tote, or I really love it to fill with a big-instagram-ready-tin-of-chips, cheeky snack spreaders, a tin of olive oil, and colorful dish towels from Big Night and gift to a friend who is having me over at their beach house for the weekend.

• Donni’s summer collection launches at 10am PT Tuesday.

• A follow-up to Comme Si’s Deep V Shirts and the forever classic La Shirt Classica, Jenni Lee launched her Mandarin Collar Tunic in 4 colors (including the popular Grecian blue).

• ’s new Summer Seperates from Attersee are in line with the easy pant direction everyone is dressing (and buying) in. See the Fisherman Pant with the drawstring, the thin elastic waistband on the Slouch pant in cotton, and in a gorgeous silk nylon.

• Cesta Collective, the basket bags made by artisans (the brand landed an investment from Meghan Markle) launched a towel dress/cover-up for beach and pool side lounging.

Trend Forecasting

The preppy, slighty feminine, polished Flared Short.

• I’m seeing the flared short trickling in to new deliveries. Beyond the easy short – a longer relaxed style, I’m also seeing a fit-and-flare skort silhouette emerge — more playful but still polished.

• It is trending again because we’ve seen a return to the country club sports like tennis and golf. This fit and flare silhouette has roots in the 1970’s sportswear of the country club dress code.

• Seen here from Chan Luu, High Sport, Renngli, under $100 here, under $120 here, and in denim from Frame. Or an actual skort from Donni. The white denim from Agolde is a solid intro to the category since the flare is more subtle and the denim material in milkshake works for a variety of occasions.

  

  The New Shop Floor

  The FT’s Kate Finnigan just published a deep dive on . The affiliate platform is moving $200 million worth of merchandise every month according to the article. The headline influencers are talking about is that one curator earned $5 million last year and ten earned $1 million. But the more interesting story isn’t the number, it’s what ShopMy is actually disrupting. Let’s break it down…

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Open to Buy is a retail term for the budget a buyer has available to spend. For this newsletter, it means exactly that: what's worth your time, attention, and money right n…

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For the first week of Private Label, I’ve removed all paywalls. Starting next week, at least 50% of the Tuesday & Thursday newsletter will be behind a paywall. You can upgrade here so you …

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Private Label is a retail term referring to an in-house brand. Exclusive, not available everywhere else, designed by the insiders who know the business and made just for you. That’s what you will find here. The inside perspective.

This is the newsletter for everyone who loves to discuss retail, consumerism, fashion, beauty, shopp…

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