The HALO Report 4.10.25: Hippie Aspirations
- Em Seely-Katz
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Thoughts on the perpetual shopping cycle, wardrobe revivals, and a sale on Bottega Veneta.
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, we ask if buying stuff is ever enough, Godard raincoats have a moment, Studio Nicholson is the ghost of Muji’s past, SC103 invents a new form of torture, Tove creates a speculative season of White Lotus, folksy future heirlooms have arrived in stores for spring, and more.
The latest long-ish reads from the brightest minds in fashion.
Far less disparaging than its title suggests, “I Would NEVER Wear That” by Lakyn Carlton for True Style is a fan letter to a heaping handful of fashion plates who don’t dress like she would but inspire her nonetheless.
“Buying stuff is never enough” by Catherine Shannon is an audio post (are audio posts on Substack considered podcasts?) about how we justify making big purchases, with the thesis that we “will never find [ourselves] through a series of rational choices and consumptive experiences.” Good reminder.
“The Free Version Of Things I'm Being Advertised” from Totally Recommend is a cheeky look at the mildly ridiculous way we fetishize items that might not perform better than, say, an ice cube from our freezer.
If you’re looking for a good, old-fashioned, vibey source of style inspiration, Katie Merchant’s “Spring Wardrobes” for her newsletter Thank You, OK delves into Godard raincoats, eulogizes Mansur Gavriel’s RTW line, makes a case for polka-dot scarves, and more.
Street Night Live’s “How to revive your wardrobe” makes salient points about the compulsive-feeling “spring refresh” that might save you time, money, and sanity.
What to keep in mind — and look forward to — in the past and coming weeks.
Studio Nicholson’s newly-launched SS25 takes a bite from Bottega Veneta’s SS25 menswear runway looks with clothes designed to look tousled, wrinkled, even, at all times, or “crinkly, crunchy and a tad tumbled looking” in the words of Creative Director Nick Wakeman. Remember how Muji used to sell gorgeous-quality basics meant to be chucked into suitcases and taken on adventures (now they just make plasticky monstrosities)? This collection begins to fill that all-too-important niche.
SC103 continues to update its website sporadically with some of the best SS25 pieces I’ve seen thus far. It’s agony every time one is marked “Sold Out”—the biggest blow was the label’s flawless “Prince Top” with its navy ruffled collar and royal red button details.
With a bit of neo-Grace Kelly flair and light hippie aspirations, Tove’s SS25 collection looks like it could outfit an entire season of White Lotus, maybe one that took place at the only estate rented by straight people on Fire Island all summer.
A new season from Filipino label Jos Mundo is available at 100% Silk, including marshy-green stone necklaces, folksy embroidered platform heels, and statement belts sprouted with realistic-looking orchids.
The underrated label Nikki Chasin has outdone itself this spring season with neo-folksy embroidered frocks in thick, hardy 100% cotton, new colorways of its famous chunky cardigans, unexpectedly sexy (but demure) going-out tops, and more finds that feel more like heirlooms-to-be than seasonal scores.
Less about impulse buys — and more about tracking discounts on the pieces already on your wishlist.
Get an automatic 25% off all the new arrivals from labels like Acne, Bottega Veneta, Dries Van Noten, and Jacquemus in the TONS Shop spring pre-sale.
A large selection of Pact’s carbon-neutral dresses hewn in organic cotton are now on sale for prices that dip below the $60 mark.
Uniqlo’s spring sale offers tons of transitional-weather staples like trench coats and bomber jackets for up to 50% off.
With HAPPY20SF, take 20% off your Saks purchase of $250 or more—a ton of perfect wedding guest and bridal party dresses number among the steep discounts.
SPRING will get you an extra 10% off the already-on-sale stock at Gap, with plenty of steadfast spring basics to pad out your warmer-weather wardrobe. 🌀
Em Seely-Katz is the creator of the fashion blog Esque, the News Editor of HALOSCOPE, and a writer, stylist, and anime-watcher about town. You can usually find them writing copy for niche perfume houses or making awful collages at @that.esque on Instagram.