In this send: The piercing studio built on “we’re all ears” just added noses, and CEO Anna Harman told me the customers helped guide the decision. Plus: the packing list that was an A+ for me this week, shoes with socks attached (yes, really), J.Crew Friends & Family, and Danielle Bernstein’s apology post on Substack. What’s your nose piercing status?
Open To Buy
Field Notes — Sézane & Louise Carmen pop-ups and Rixo outerwear is hot
Easiest Way to Pack — one and done
Weekend Shoppies — socks attached to shoes and everything I’m eyeing
Studs Knows Noses — the piercing studio that is “all ears” adds the nose
What Premium Subscribers Read This Week — Danielle Bernstein’s apology Substack post and Spring Summer 2027 runway trends can be merchandised now
In My Feed — the new Chanel runway model explodes on Instagram and all the links you are shopping
Field Notes
About a year ago these journals from French boutique Louise Carmen started popping up on social media for me. Tourists were making special trips to the small boutique to customize their own journal with charms and colored leather folios. Over the next few weeks the brand will be popping up with Sézane in Nolita (Oct. 12-13), Brooklyn (Oct. 16-17), and Austin (Oct. 20-21). I can’t speak to these journals, but I do have something similar that I use from Paper Republic which I absolutely love. It allows me to have multiple different notebooks to juggle everything all in one place and it is easy to replace notebooks as needed.
Rixo, a brand that was really well known for their dresses, has been expanding into outerwear and other apparel categories. The Rixo outerwear styles have grown 30 percent versus last year showcasing how much they are focused on the opportunity here. I highlighted this earlier in September.
I had the opportunity to speak with the brand recently and learned that the outerwear category has increased 576 percent in sales year-over-year for September. Styles like the black and white embroidered jacket with faux fur and the wool jacket with frog closures and fringe have been shared frequently by creators via ShopMy.
I wish when I was in college more brands came to campus like what the “kids these days” are experiencing. Especially since online shopping wasn’t the thing it is now. This week I noticed ERLY, a derm founded skincare brand focused on a younger demographic, is partnering with Ulta Beauty for campus tours around Texas universities.
I’ll keep researching, but the Ganni x Lululemon collab at least feels fresh. I like that a fashion brand is partnering up with Lululemon and the designs offer something different by using Ganni’s signature animal print. Plus Jennifer Beals dancing!!
Easiest Way To Pack
Sorry for the fake out, but the easiest way to pack is actually when it is only for one night. Otherwise I do some sort of Tetris gymnastics to get all my clothings, toiletries, shoes, and other miscellaneous stuff into my suitcase for a week away. Carry-on only! I’m too impatient to wait for baggage claim. For my quick 24 hours in NYC this week here is what worked well:
I usually prefer this suitcase* for my carry-on. I like the soft sided Away because it expands and can keep it open on a luggage rack. But, for this trip I took the opportunity to use my small Away carry-on. Wow! What a dream a tiny suitcase is.
Plane Departure Outfit: I wore these easiest of easy pants, a white t-shirt, black sweater, New Balance sneakers and ridiculous looking compression socks**. I was able to carry just my every day work handbag (this purchase was inspired by Sogole Kane OG post on the Hermès Victoria) with the mini Attersee bag tucked inside for when I just need a small handbag to run out. I brought my leather jacket* too — this is my third season with this one. I love the deep pockets, especially for travel days.
Ad Week Panel Outfit: For this panel I wore my go-to High Sport pants (at this point my CPW1 is probably negative dollars), a silk button-up* from The Park, and my Jamie Haller Trap Pumps (sadly my Fire shade is no longer available).
Balenciaga CMO Drieke Leenknegt, myself (hi), Substack Head of Brand Partnerships Dan Robbins. Image courtesy of Sarah Merians Photography for Advertising Week Quick change for the plane: For post panel meal, window shop Channel Checks, and the flight home I switched into ballet flats, another white t-shirt, and a High Sport cotton sweater.
Other items I packed, my PJs, and I didn’t trick myself into thinking I would exercise because the trip was so short I knew I wouldn’t! I did my hair before I left with the L’ange heat styler* and used this Gloss Spray* and so I didn’t need to bring anything else with me. This iron has been great for my hair. The smoothest touch and no frizz. My toiletry bag stays packed and I just throw in my make-up. This time I used the new Westman Atelier foundation*, Ilia sensitive eyeliner*, Merit Mascara, my favorite Westman Atelier blush, and this Violette_fr lipstick.
So there you go, the trick to packing well is stick to one night. Packing content and Airplane Style is my absolute favorite genre, so hope you enjoy this peek into how I business travel too.
Weekend Shoppies
I love my Savette clutch and this new splashy blue shade is gorgeous.
Forecasting sock-shoes: Do we classify these as shoes or boots? Shoes with attached socks could be a new category: see these from Chloé, Magda Butrym, and these Repetto ballet slippers. The nice benefit is you get the warmth of the socks without the extra bulk. The most sock shoe there is, this one from Brave Pudding. I first clocked this sock on the TWP Fall 2025 runway showing that TWP might be a few steps ahead.
It has not felt cool enough temp wise to consider a scarf, especially a true winter bundle-up scarf, but I like this color. Not sure if people are over these scarves yet, but the similar Vally style was a big thing in 2024 (NYTimes article by Misty White Sidell gift link) I still like this style.
Another great scarf, I won’t stop pointing out how I think Johnstons of Elgin will be really strong this holiday season. I’ve added this one to my own wishlist. I love the classic grey plaid.
J.Crew’s Friends & Family sale is happening now. Stock up on cashmere? Other items to buy in multiples: kids pjs, beaded necklaces, pendants — mirror, comb (reminds me of this from The Row Pre Fall 2023), and a whistle. And if you didn’t get a triangle scarf last winter you might as well grab an oversized one now.
Dries Van Noten sneakers in hair calf in a very fun primary shade — cobalt blue.
On the more classic side of the spectrum, a quarter zip in wool and cashmere camel.
But the favorite quarter zip might be this red one. You have to check out all of Auralee at NAP. It looks great!!
Summer Fridays launched their holiday treat — an impressive vanity vault with 18 “flavors” for $315 (would be $477 bought a la carte).
For the Rhode (and Hailey Bieber) obsessed, the on-the-go set has all the essentials and with the new carrying case, is a solid advertisement for the brand. It is also useful as a wallet to carry credit cards.
What did you buy this week?
Studs Knows Noses
When Studs first opened I was obsessed — what a brilliant idea! I live in an area where the go-to spot for getting ears pierced at the time was a tattoo parlor. Not the scene I envisioned when I was ready to get my daughter’s ears pierced. Want to get a second piercing, just pop in to Studs and get it done. Like going for a manicure. But with all the protection and expertise you would want when putting a needle through a body part.
And Studs is my kind of marketing — they love a pun!! We’re all ears has been their tagline. It made it clear. No tattoos. But also, no noses, no eyebrows, no belly buttons. Ears done well. So when I received a note to my inbox that Studs was launching nose piercing I thought “No(se) way! I’m all ears!!” and wanted the full scoop. Didn’t they say they were just ears, but also the big merchandising question — why now??? What in this current consumer climate, what data, led to needing to launch nose piercing?
Co-founder and CEO Anna Harman spoke with me and we talked all about it. Apparently their shoppers never saw Studs as ears only. Studs employees kept hearing the same question: Do you do noses? So Harman sent a regional manager to one studio for a weekend and asked them to count. She expected three inquiries. They counted 27.
I was curious about this after I saw a friend’s teenage daughter with a nose piercing. I realized I didn’t have the data for how common this was in high school these days. (Ugh, that makes me sound so old.) When I texted my mom friends, a lot of their middle and high school daughters want a nose piercing or another ear piercing. It’s the nose I keep coming back to because the multiple ear piercing wasn’t surprising and that is a trend we’ve seen for some time.
From a business strategy and merchandising angle, Studs didn’t need new stores, new staff or a new brand to do this. It added a new reason to walk into Studs — and from the regional manager’s count, the customer was already walking in expecting this! Listen to your customers and they will tell you how to grow your business!! Same stores, same business model, a low level lift to add some additional training for their piercers. But they didn’t have to build new locations or even add a new reason to come back since customers were already walking into the Studs studios looking for this service.
As of yesterday, all 43 Studs studios pierce nostrils (not septums), launching with Troye Sivan alongside his new album, She’s the Best.
The press release calls this a “high-margin customer acquisition tool” that boosts “customer lifetime value.” Translation for non-retailers: a piercing isn’t a one-time purchase. It’s a reason to come back, for the next hole, more studs. Nose piercing gives the customer who already has her ear finished a reason to return. And it gives Studs a shot at shoppers who’d otherwise end up at another mall piercing counter or back at the tattoo parlor when they would rather get pierced at Studs.
I talked with Anna about how it happened. (Condensed and edited for clarity and length.)
Sarah Shapiro: You built a brand on “we’re all ears.” What changed?
Anna Harman: If you’d asked me three or four years ago, I would have said we’d never do this. I was personally a little resistant. I liked the clarity of being experts at one thing. But customers weren’t perceiving us as ears-only. We were getting tons of inquiries: Do you do noses? Do you do noses? The customer doesn’t think we shouldn’t do this. The customer thinks we should, and that’s why they keep asking.
Sarah: Why nostrils and not septums?
Anna: We train every piercer in-house through Studs Academy, a six-week paid apprenticeship. There’s no beauty school for piercing, so we built one. Nostril piercing is very comparable to certain ear piercings from a skills perspective, so we already had the training to do it at the same level. And nostrils today are as ubiquitous as advanced ear piercing. Nobody comes to Studs expecting dermals.
Sarah: Multiple ear piercings stopped being edgy and pretty standard. Is the nose next?
Anna: There’s a lot of crossover. Cultural norms around body modification have changed. Before we launched, I spent a lot of time looking at people’s ears and realized everyone has tons of piercings. Start doing that with noses and you’ll see the same thing. Way more people have their nose pierced than you’d think.
Sarah: How hard was the rollout?
Anna: Easier than we expected. We’d been overly precious about the ear. Most of our licensing already permitted it, and where it didn’t, we updated it. We changed signage, and our education team traveled the country training existing piercers. The team is excited. It’s something new for them to learn.
Sarah: So, have you gotten yours?
Anna: No. For me, it feels like a bridge too far. But my godmother, who’s in her late 60s, just got a nose piercing.
Let me know in the comments, do you have your nose pierced? Is this on the horizon for you personally?
What Premium Subscribers Read This Week
This week behind the paywall at Private Label I wrote about Chavie Lieber’s WSJ interview with Danielle Bernstein (gift link), her brand We Wore What, and her apology letter she was going to post to Substack. I loved reading the comments where Kelly Williams explained that buying a knockoff helps when you can’t afford the real thing, but saving up for the original adds to loving it in a way you can’t quite explain. Emmanuelle Maréchal made the point that buying from a brand that “takes inspiration” depends on what the founder means to you.
Since I posted, Danielle shared her apology letter on Substack “15 Years Online: What I Built, What I Got Wrong, and What Comes Next”. In terms of the design and the knock offs she wrote that “there were designs over the years that should never have made it through our process,” and that We Wore What has “strengthened how designs are reviewed before they reach customers.” But she doesn’t explain what happened before and what the process will be now. We can watch closely to see what shows up to see if there is a notable difference. The letter closes by introducing We Wore What Premium and the new branding.
The thing I keep thinking about is that Lieber’s WSJ article ended with her announcement about the Substack saying that she would be using AI “for ideating and coming up with structures” but does the writing herself. Out of curiosity I ran the letter through Pangram, an AI detection tool that Substack has also partnered with. It came back stating that 87 percent of the text was AI written. This is a detection score and isn’t a guarantee that AI was used in the writing but I do find this interesting. Here’s what I’m curious about, if an apology was written with AI, what is the impact and meaning?
Tuesday I covered the Spring Summer 2027 runway details that I think will be showing up in merchandising strategies. From Miu Miu’s and Chanel’s runway to brooches driving revenue — and I see that already happening this season. No reason to wait when stores can capitalize on it now. I also dug into the magic of the Dries Van Noten price points. Plus, my take as a former Williams-Sonoma buyer on its legal setback against Quince, and why Nike’s plan to make Jordans scarce again could fall flat.
In My Feed
Pretty sure we are all obsessed with Rachel Ojuromi aka .@giverachelashot on Instagram who walked the Chanel runway show this week in Paris. She has had some amazing Instagram content that led to that opportunity and Emma Childs wrote about her in The Cut. I was super curious about her rise on Instagram after the show and her story started making the rounds. In the last 14 days she has gained 160,000 new followers and 30 days ago she was at 180K followers. She currently has 358,000 followers (over the course of me writing this she added another 4,000 followers.)
I love that my Instagram feed has been filled with images and accolades celebrating Argent’s 10 year anniversary celebration! Pantsuits (and lots of pockets) for all! “Hillary Clinton, Chloe Fineman and Esther Perel Toast Argent and the Pantsuit” (gift link). I covered the brand and their recent raise last month and if you are looking for a blazer, I highly recommend this one and pair it with a denim.
Karlie Kloss started posting on Substack. Her first post is an interview with Carolina Herrera creative director Wes Gordon. Kloss is the CEO of Bedford Media which acquired i-D magazine and Life magazine and is an investor in W magazine.
Because I love digging into the data, the top September links were: Eckhaus Latta x J.Crew, Sézane’s New Balance collab and their Max button-up shirt, and these classic Margaux loafers.
It’s really early in October, but you are already loving these sneakers that a stylist spotted all over Paris, a tween pjs x GRWM collab, Gap’s CashSoft sweaters, Sarah Creal’s new eyeliner shade, and the new On workout apparel.
Made just for you — always. See you Tuesday
xx, Sarah Shapiro
Private Label Issue 60
Catching Up:
The Rundown: Sézane’s Seams Show & J.Crew’s tiny rollneck
Hi — I spent Monday morning on Fillmore Street for a quick visit in San Francisco, and Sunday afternoon on the sidelines watching a dad in a Jacquemus t-shirt cheering for the girls flag football team. I’m always observing when fashion & retail are in the mix. Thank you and hello to the new Private Label subscribers. For a bit more about what to expect here and who I am,
The Rundown: Private Label is open for business
Hi - I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce you to Private Label! I’m back on Substack and will be posting long-form content weekly. Seriously…multiple times a week.
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