Thoughts on Vaquera, the Walmart Birkin, and a super-secret sale on frayed-hem camisoles.
Welcome to The HALO Report — HALOSCOPE’s new weekly digest, an of-the-moment mix of news items, opinion pieces, and sale announcements designed to keep you posted on the nitty-gritty of the fashion world and all of its tangents without having to keep a constant eye on your feed.
This week, our thoughts (and, apparently, the thoughts of many beloved brands) are with those affected by the fires in Los Angeles, the Walmart Birkin wreaks socioeconomic havoc (or not?), Gaultier and Vaquera play chicken and egg, the Puppets and Puppets cookie bag is on sale, and more.
The latest long-ish reads from the brightest minds in fashion.
As those who have built robust platforms on TikTok reconfigure their lives and livelihoods ahead of the seemingly inevitable ban, video creators like Remy Solomon increasingly flock to Substack — Solomon recently published, via her newsletter Immaculate Taste, a comprehensive, but not doomer-y, guide on “How to Prepare for Disaster,” proving that even the creation of a go-bag can adhere to one’s standards of style (function is a given). Given the devastating fires in Los Angeles this week, not to mention the ongoing climate crisis and myriad genocides, wars, and natural disasters that define our era, expect many more such pieces on chic survival gear in the coming months.
It seems our first HALO Report’s positive forecast on the bright color front is a sentiment shared by the New York Times, where Sarah Bahr writes that with “‘Wicked’ Green, ‘Room Next Door’ Red and ‘Substance’ Yellow: It’s a Bold Season.” Funnily, Viv Chen, the color-coordination whiz cited in our Playmobil-core blurb, also wrote a piece on the bold costuming in The Substance late last year.
As a notoriously clumsy person who is just as notorious for hating clothing stains, Vogue’s “How to Get Ink Stains Out of Clothes” by Christina Pérez provides timely advice for those of us who may have washed the nifty new pen (these really are great) we got for the holidays in a load of laundry that included most of our favorite garments.
The Substack Links I would GChat You if We Were Friends published a sprawling list of “Your favorite newsletter’s favorite newsletters,” for which writer Caitlin Dewey asked her favorite newsletters’ writers to recommend a few of their favorite newsletters, and so on, and so on. The list is comprehensive, devoid of the usual strains of nepotism and brown-nosing that such round-ups often elicit due to its diffuse nature, and contains many suggestions for fashion-oriented reads among a slew of publications focusing on everything from the Rhode Island food scene to gaming culture.
“The Walmart Birkin: Fashion’s Ultimate Status Symbol Undone?” by Maximilian Migowski for Highsnobiety explores the implications of the “Wirkin,” an $80 dupe of the typically-over-$30k purse, wondering what it says about our culture that accessibility is seen as a threat to value and, ultimately, doubting that the Wirkin will affect much lasting change in our fetishistic herd mentality.
What to keep in mind — and look forward to — in the past and coming weeks.
We send our support to all those affected by the past week’s fires in Los Angeles, as do brands like Kule, Belle the Label, Mr. Larkin, Collina Strada, and many other fashion and beauty brands who have donated, offered special deals, or sent out free clothing to those impacted by the tragedy. Fashionista has compiled a short list of some of these labels, but Instagram has been the premier resource for brands looking to assist Angelinos in need.
On the liturgical side of fashion, The Episcopal Mission in Sunnyside, Queens apparently listened to an episode of the fashion history podcast by Avery Trufelman, Articles of Interest, on the style of clergy and used it as a jumping-off point from which to design their new chausables. Religion has often reverberated into secular fashion — think of crucifix jewelry, cardinal red, and most obviously, 2018’s “Heavenly Bodies” Met Gala — but now it seems the influence flows both ways.
Gimaguas’ latest arrivals showcase the beachy brand’s cheeky takes on sporty style — unlike athleisure, the stripe-sided trousers and capris with cashmere “knee pads” are defiantly designed in service of aesthetics, not function.
Beloved (and always-experimental) Oakland boutique Two Two will host a Lunar New Year art pop-up with cybernetic artist Jeremy Leung from January 23-25, in which the artist will give live demonstrations, speak on his work, and as per the invite, “demonstrate his approach to making the invisible visible.” Despite this mysterious wording, knowing Two Two, it’s sure to be an inspiring time.
Jean Paul Gaultier’s SS25 has arrived in its e-shop. Haters may note that the plethora of leather sailor hats and ultra-cropped denim jackets on offer eerily resemble the past few seasons’ showings by much younger brand Vaquera, but to be fair, JPG has been riding the nautical wave since at least the ‘90s (though the ribbed leather does feel a bit on-the-nose).
Less about impulse buys — and more about tracking discounts on the pieces already on your wishlist.
Romance is nowhere near dead when it comes to Ludovic de Saint Sernin — even its sale section is chock full of deep-V organdy blouses embellished with subtle florals, slinky velvet tanks, and leather halters studded with erotic eyelets, all discounted up to 40% and all proudly gender-agnostic.
While Puppets and Puppets decides its next step after leaving the NYC scene last year, a small but mighty selection of its infamous purses is on sale for 30% off — even a few of its iconic cookie totes, though the newer hobo bags featuring smashed segments of pipe as handles are potentially even more compelling.
Beloved Toronto boutique 100% Silk offers 30% off pieces from its clever curation of indie labels — here, you’ll find J.Kim, Mozhdeh Matin, Julia Heuer, and five more pages of fan favorites.
In a rare sale, under-the-radar brand Edward Cuming discounts even the top-selling pieces from its past seasons: frayed-hem camisoles, well-heeled boots, tweed totes, and piecemeal belts, plus many more “greatest hits,” are up for grabs.
Both the womenswear and menswear sections of the Studio Nicholson sale brim with up to 50% off the high-quality casual wear that made the brand blow up in the past three years.
If your winter gear hasn’t been up to snuff this season, Stutterheim offers 50% off a bevy of water-resistant, insulated, and always sleek coats, boots, bags, and more for a mid-season restock.
For those who would rather focus on the aspirationally summery dresses that live under the dutiful layers, Sea NY takes up to half off the lace and ruffles that will emerge from under our overcoats in just a few short months. 🌀