Brands

Retail roundup: beyond transaction



Selfridges Pangaia Corner Shop 2021

I can’t wait to go to shops. While lockdown news has focused on the e-commerce successes, the UK high street is doubling down on getting punters back through the doors. For me, shopping is not only about buying, but also about socialising and seeing what’s new. The best stores have always been more than transactional destinations; from Topshop, Oxford Circus (R.I.P) to Dover Street Market, they’re discovery zones and temples of worship to community and culture. (more…)



Buy it now: Birkenstock x Toogood lifestyle collection



Birkenstock X Toogood

The Birkenstock X Toogood collab has landed and it’s a good indication of the way the newly luxed-up Birkenstock could go, following its acquisition by L Catterton.

It’s a full fashion and lifestyle collection, featuring an oversize split-side hoodie*, jumbo shorts*, some great quilted separates* and these felted Forager sandals. Homeware launches in the summer, including the Birkenstock cork-based bed which is available to order from 1774.com. (more…)



Hermes AW21 – a dance of toughness and tenderness



Hermes aw21

The three-part Hermès AW21 ‘show’ started in New York with a dance performance choreographed by Madeline Hollander. Impeccably scheduled, the live stream began with dancers sporting identical uniforms of turtleneck, pleated midi skirt and tall boots, performing elegantly rhythmic sequences and gestures expressing the heartbeat of “how New Yorkers move through the city”.

The live broadcast switched seamlessly to Paris, where we watched a runway show of models weaving amongst towers of orange cylindrical boxes, followed by a third act, live from Shanghai, choreographed by Gu Jiani. (more…)



Italian romance from Zanini AW21



Zanini AW21

I’ve never experienced Zanini’s clothes IRL, but you just know they’re the kind of clothes that improve with age. The Zanini AW21 collection illustrates this so well, even when viewed, as I have, through a three-inch Instagram square.

The fabrics are just lush. The slate black double-breasted coat (above) is a linen-and-wool herringbone lined in quilted cotton-linen, giving it slouchy dressing gown vibes in keeping with the at-home comfort mood of the moment. (more…)