“September is the January of fashion. This is when I change. This is when I, you know, try to get back on those high heels, because that's the look.” — Candy Pratts Price
I will not be in high heels, I’m still wearing the flat-est of flats*. But September really is so exciting in fashion and retail.
In this send: Channel Checks from the West Village to the Upper East Side. Plus after Macy’s quarterly earnings last week I check in on Bloomingdale’s and the department store landscape. Plus: Leset, TWP x Commbi, Negative, spaghetti handbag, a fold-up Prada handbag, the jacket the UES seems to be getting rid of, ShopMy is hiring a personal shopper, Steven Kolb, remembering the original “naked dress” designer, and goodbye NYFW and cheerio to LFW.
The Rundown
Fresh Receipts — Shoes a trend, Negative’s new game, and I’ve got handbag fever
Field Notes — Channel Checks from NYC
Checking in to Bloomingdale’s — Hotel Bloomingdale’s and how the department store is stacking up to competitors
In My Feed — ShopMy is hiring, Steven Kolb thoughts, and what else is in my inbox
Fresh Receipts:
Sole Searching
Leset launched a shoe assortment!: The shoes have a point of view and that makes me very excited when I see a brand expand into a new category. I don’t want to see styles that already exist, show me your brand and how it is different. For Leset I’m seeing relaxed, comfort, thoughtful use of color, and something interesting — like the cutouts on the mary jane or a printed slipper. Check out the mary jane, a slipper, a sock boot, and a relaxed slip-on — the Leset take on a sneaker.
TWP Steps Forward: After wondering when TWP would be launching shoes, Jess Graves tagged me in a shot with her perfectly casual-yet-elevated outdoor-friendly house shoes. These are like a fancy Birkenstock Boston. TWP x Commbi that was debuted backstage during NYFW. A pony hair calf clog that comes in Rosen (a deep green) and Blonde (a light tan shade). These shoes are available both in store and online.
Repetto x Yohji Yamamoto: Repetto’s Bolchoï, a ballet flat, is re-imagined into a loafer by Yohji Yamamoto. This is their third collaboration together, the first one dating back to 2002. You’ll see this ballet loafer on Yamamoto’s runway during Paris Fashion Week. It is interesting to see it released prior to the runway show.
And Everything Else Fresh
Yes, new Phoebe Philo is in and looks good. Like really, really good.
Don’t forget, the Lingua Franca preorder for Spring 2027 are only open for a few more days and using code FITZ20 you will receive an additional 20 percent off your preorder. Why are preorders helpful for retailers? Get an early indication of sales to buy into for inventory, sweaters are hand-knit in Peru making it hard to reorder in-season, a very very small way to fund the order — generally not enough to make an impact but at least it is something, a great marketing opportunity especially for your most loyal shoppers. All orders will ship in February 2027.
Negative’s Sports Capsule: Negative is known for the comfy loungewear (this material practically has a cult following) and underwear, so it makes sense for the brand to expand into the performance category. The lines on the tops/sports bras look like you would expect from Negative’s clean and simple bras.
J.Crew x Eckhaus Latta is live.
I’m actually surprised I haven’t seen more red denim this fall. But Agolde has these red corduroy pants and they look fantastic.
Looking for a new handbag? Fresh Receipts worth checking out:
Valesque’s two new shades in the spaghetti handbag. This handbag is my absolute favorite for everyday use. It is the easiest handbag ever and has a zip closure. I love the skinny leather straps. I already own two so I can’t justify another at the moment, but at $230 they are easy to collect. My favorite new color is this blue and I’ll keep thinking about it but I think I’m waiting for a red in this style to be my third. Haven’t seen/heard of it yet but I’m holding out hope.
Kallmeyer’s new “Magazine” handbag, named after Magazine Street in New Orleans, debuted on the S/S 2027 runway and is already available online and in stores. It currently comes in two patent finishes — a black and a burgundy. Here is why I think it is interesting and will do well at retail: the slightly east-west shape still holds enough to be used everyday, no extreme logos but still easily identifiable, the price is sharp for a designer handbag at $1,590, and Kallmeyer’s show received rave reviews which will put the handbag front and center and in more social feeds. The handbag was cleverly seeded to some key attendees at the show.
Have you seen these fold-up Prada nylon and leather bags? Really fun and a great gift idea if you are looking for the holidays already. Available to shop now here.
Field Notes: Channel Checks from NYC
I visited the new Still Here location in the West Village. The brand does an excellent job with their retail storefronts. The spaces are selling advanced contemporary denim and basics but the spaces feel like higher-end retail and part home store. I tried on the Tate and really like them. When I’m ready for my next pair of denim this is a very strong contender. I also liked the Everyday (check out that purple shade!) and Life styles but would need to size down for those unless you want to wear super loose. (Note, I have a hard time purchasing for myself when I’m in channel check mode.)
Leset’s sales associates at their West Village location were fantastic. For a bit I just observed a sales associate patiently help a customer try on this t-shirt and these wide leg pants to wear as her own le set. I hope the customer bought because she looked great. I wanted to try on this skirt, but they have been sold out. I need to just order online next time they have in stock.
Dôen in the West Village was super busy late morning/early afternoon in the middle of the week. I really appreciate the merchandising here. It isn’t by category, all denim together, all dresses together, by print. It is more of a lifestyle mix-in. So one or two denim styles hang next to silk dresses. I saw the new Bacall Denim Shirt and love the weight of it, a bit heavier. Perfect as an outer layer and can be worn as a light jacket.
J.Crew had their new product in and I observed a shopper very excited with the new fall product. She didn’t leave with anything new, was returning an item, but mentioned she was tempted by the new. With J.Crew we’ve been trained to wait until items go on sale to purchase.
At The RealReal on the Upper East Side I saw 5 of these jackets hanging on a rack. Two in light grey/green, pink, orange, and black. Curious if the UES woman is consigning this jacket to make room for her new Chanel jackets or just ready to move on to new Celine. Always interesting to see what clients are ready to consign and when you see multiples of a single style in one (small) location it really stands out.
Dries Van Noten in Soho had plenty of stock, loved all the special handbags (this was my favorite, but I like this one too) and plenty of shoppers were in the store. When I stopped by the Bergdorf Goodman Dries Van Noten space they noted that they hadn’t received their pre-fall delivery yet and were expecting it any day. Bloomingdale’s had their new delivery in but it felt like a small space, especially after I visited the Soho store.
Now that the Vivrelle x Renggli pop-up has completed (see my original reporting on the event), let’s check-in on the stats. It all started with a Wednesday evening launch party with Morgan Stewart McGraw:
I was told a few thousand attendees popped in over the launch party and through shopping days that ended 9/13/26.
Most popular brands: Chanel, Fendi, and Balenciaga. Pieces from every brand at the pop-up were borrowed or purchased according to a source.
A healthy mix of new clients and existing.
Since this was Renggli’s first IRL storefront it gave shoppers the opportunity to try on and experience before buying — removing the friction.
Checking In To Bloomingdale’s
Bloomingdale’s just posted the brand’s best second quarter results in the 154 year history. Comp store sales rose 11.3 percent versus last year and it was the second straight quarter of double digit growth. Macy’s released their second quarter earnings last week. I was in Bloomingdale’s 59th Street last week and saw and experienced some of what is working right now. My favorite sign was walking on the 4th floor and seeing a group of women relaxed in the lounge outside of the new dressing rooms. Catching up mid-shopping in the middle of the weekday. Treating the store like a third space, a place to hangout. The brands have also been upgraded — Phoebe Philo, Acne, Jacquemus, Dries Van Noten, Ossou, TWP and new contemporary brands like Leset and Parke. This gives us another chance to check in on the department store ecosystem which currently has a really interesting mix between Nordstrom going private and Saks Global’s bankruptcy and restructuring around Exemplar Luxury Group.
Behind the paywall: a deeper look at Bloomingdale’s performance and my questions for the retailer. Plus a deeper look at ShopMy’s disruptor status and the possible impact to Influencers and Creators that use the platform and CFDA President Steven Kolb thoughts.
