Hi — I can tell it is holiday season because I have the longest list of new collabs and launches. BUT I’m saving those for our Thursday Deep Dive. For today’s send I heard Margaux had more than doubled its boot styles, from 7 last year to 16 this year. With an expansion like that, my first thought is what goes away? So I went right to the source and got the latest details on how a brand that was known for their flats and sandals is trying to do the same with boots.
In this send: Alexa Buckley and Sarah Pierson from Margaux tell me all about their boot season — from the planning and execution to how they’ll decide what comes next. Plus: tassel belts and cummerbunds, Wonder Woman wrist cuffs, the Kitty Point in a new shade, a 100 percent wool Rollneck™, the tiniest Rothy’s, jeweled gifts for the jewelry obsessive, Manolo Blahnik invites you to try on Chan Luu, Indress, and Mariah Carey, defrosted by Gucci.
The Rundown
Fresh Receipts — it’s officially holiday season
Feeling Gift-y — gift guide season: jewelry affinity gifts
Pop-Up — Chan Luu at Manolo Blahnik this Wednesday
Sales Alert — get a head start on personalized gifts now
Margaux’s Boot Playbook — How Margaux expanded their boot category from 7 styles last year to 16 (!!) this year.
In My Feed — private shopping events and Mariah Carey defrosted by Gucci
Fresh Receipts
There are so many new collabs! But I’ll be holding those for the Thursday Deep Dive. See you then. You are a subscriber, yes?
Kallmeyer exclusives arrived at Net-a-Porter and the pieces are so elegant and holiday-ready. I’m also always impressed with the price-value equation for the brand. The items worth taking a look at: an on-trend, vintage-inspired ornate jacket, tassel belts everywhere keep selling out — so don’t wait if you want this one, the “velvet jacket is the top” with more sizes coming soon, and this evening-ready top with the cummerbund basically attached. For a more demure look, wear a blazer over it.
New from Don’t Let Disco, the Alma Cuff is designed to look like the open collar of a dress shirt. I think one on each wrist would give Wonder Woman vibes in the best way.
Holiday arrived at TWP! The collection includes a cummerbund, if you want to try the trend, start here. (Remember, we’ve been tracking the cummerbund trend this season.)
Jamie Haller — be still my heart. Great pieces for holiday travel, when I want to look nice and be comfortable:
the Slim Track Pants are already sold out in grey, but still available in black.
the Daily Sweatshirt has a tailored, almost slim fit. Or go for extreme puff sleeves. And a Henley Sweater! So many excellent tops.
the Kitty Point Heel is like a flat with just the tiniest lift. I own it and love it. Now in a fun chartreuse.
if you’re a size 36 grab these High Vamp Ballet Flats in pewter. Most sizes still left in canary, pretty bird.
J.Crew launched a new Rollneck™. I wasn’t very positive about the tiny Rollneck™ (it didn’t feel like J.Crew had this customer, and it wasn’t expansive enough to bring a new shopper in and keep her). But I do think the wool Rollneck™ is an investment that could work. It is priced $128-$178. Pros: same style that shoppers love but an upgraded material (100 percent wool) and higher price point. The shopper who loved the 100 percent cotton Rollneck™ in 1988 might be excited for this addition. Cons: you are trading the customer up or down — you aren’t giving her a reason to add another to cart. Perhaps changing the name of the 2025 Rollneck™ to the “Vintage cotton Rollneck™” would help by keeping it consistent and clear what the different materials are. I wonder: could they edit this assortment a little to make it easier to shop? It is starting to feel a little assorted.
Parker Thatch added zebra hair calf to the Arc bag. It’s a nice sized crossbody with a curved shape (not tiny, not massive: it won’t hold a laptop, but it fits a Kindle or iPad).
Soldout.nyc launched the Everything Shirt in a black-and-white plaid. I suggest ordering your regular size if you like oversized, otherwise size down one.
With Nothing Underneath launched a boiled wool jacket and it is such a classic. It works with everything and is the lighter-weight jacket to start the season. More new arrivals, like trousers, blazers, and sweaters from WNU here.
Adorable! The tiniest pair of Rothy’s. For babies. If you’re ordering those, throw in the Teddy Slippers (and the men’s version) for the parents too.
Rent the Runway added designer handbags, and honestly I’m just surprised it took this long. Vivrelle launched in 2018 as an option for borrowing designer/luxury accessories like handbags and jewelry and other rental players got there early too. RTR has always had an assortment of handbags but this doubles down on designer. With Nuuly as the in-demand rental platform of late I’m curious whether the customer to go after wants designer goods, or whether it’s a younger Gen Z shopper looking for everyday looks.
Feeling Gift-y
You can find all my Private Label Gift Guides in my ShopMy. I’ll keep highlighting different ideas here in each send.
J.Crew’s alternative to the triangle scarf is the tie-on collar. Here is the full Good — Better — Best pricing guide. So many brands have triangle scarves this year. Over 50 (and counting). I ranked by pricing, with the material and composition factored in. Expect triangle scarves to be massed out for gifting this holiday season. My breakdown of why we are seeing everywhere and why this is a bigger item this year:
Today’s new gift guide: what to get the jewelry obsessive, without actually gifting jewelry. It is tricky to give someone an item they collect and love and that’s where affinity SKUs come in. An affinity SKU in retail is an item that goes with another item without being the same thing. They are more likely to be purchased together. Think milk & cookies. Coat & gloves. Loafers & socks. The full Gift Guide for Jewelry Obsessives (that isn’t jewelry).
Pop-Up
Chan Luu pop-up at Manolo Blahnik: Wednesday, November 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Manolo Blahnik boutique at 717 Madison Avenue. This scarf reminds me of the popular skinny scarf styles from the early aughts. The back snap pants are the freshest receipt from Chan Luu and a new direction. These pants would be perfect to dress-up for Thanksgiving and the Holiday season. And the latest addition to the Techno Taffeta is this fancy trench coat.
Sales Alert
To encourage early shopping for personalized and custom gifts, Bauble Bar is running its 25 percent off customization sale now. For the schlepper, for the teen and all her besties, for the littles, and for the tweens.
Another great tween and teen pick, Electric Picks, has an early Black Friday sale of 25 percent off plus a GWP1 of hoop earrings. Keep the earrings for yourself or stash them away for another gift.
Margaux’s Boot Playbook
Let’s break down the strategy for expanding a category.
When I spoke to Sarah Pierson and Alexa Buckley, co-founders and co-CEOs of Margaux, about their boot season bet this year, I really appreciated how they approached it. They routinely have had both flats and sandals in the ShopMy x Line Sheet top 10. Their goal this season was to have the boot category stand-alone just like their flats do. For fall 2026 they have 16 boot styles, up from 7 last year. Boot sales are planned up 109 percent. The goal is for boots to be over a quarter of their business. Pierson and Buckley see it as a test: “We’re treating this as a learning season more than a selling season,” Pierson told me. The real prize will come in the 2027 boot season.
Boot Highlights:
Downtown Boot in chocolate suede — last fall’s best seller
West Chelsea — top style and leading in sales. Cocoa suede. #1 in NYC, Chicago, Dallas.
Phoebe Boot — inspired by the best selling Phoebe Flat. #1 in L.A. (molasses suede) and Marin (black calf)
What’s new and worth checking out: Wells Shearling Cuff Boot. And later this season, the Augusta Glove Boot (not out yet, check the Augusta Pump instead).
Here’s how the brand that has owned one category goes after the next.
