September landed the way it always does — Fall 2015 collections finally on the floors after seven months of waiting, and the Spring 2016 runways unfolding in real time over a single concentrated week in New York. We have spent the last few weeks moving between Bergdorf, Saks, and the front rows, and the picture for the season is clear. The big-name brands are pulling in different directions, the editor consensus is shifting toward a quieter aesthetic, and the most interesting story of the September buy is what is happening to the contemporary tier. Five brands earned our attention this fall.
Marc Jacobs Fall 2015 Was a Western Reset
The Fall 2015 collection from Marc Jacobs was the deliberate pivot the September show had hinted at — a 1970s western framework, with embroidered jackets, prairie hems, and a stiffer kind of glamour. The collection landed on the floor in mid-August and the embroidered velvet pieces have been the breakout sellers. The sequined trouser suits are the editor pick for any party in the back half of the year. The thing we keep noticing is the styling — the runway show paired everything with hard-soled western boots and the in-store buy is encouraging the same combination.
What is interesting is the contrast with what the brand showed for Spring 2016 last week. The runway has gone harder-edged, more architectural, less reliant on print. We will be watching whether the in-store buy for spring carries through the same vocabulary or whether something quieter wins.
Céline Under Phoebe Philo Stays the Quiet Winner
Phoebe Philo’s Fall 2015 collection for Céline is the season’s quiet luxury anchor. The cocoon coat in pale grey, the slim-cut wool trouser, the loafers that have been the editor pick all year — this is the brand at its sharpest. The wholesale numbers tell the story. The pieces are selling through the prestige floor at full price faster than the brand has done in three seasons. The new bag — the small Belt Bag in a softer leather — is the carryover piece that the resale market has already started pricing above retail.
What we keep telling people is the smart strategy on this brand. Buy the carryover, not the seasonal. The Phantom, the Belt, the wool coats — these are the pieces that will be wearable in four years. The seasonal embellished pieces will date faster. Save the wallet for the carryover and you have something that will sit in the closet for a decade.
The Row Is the Other Quiet-Luxury Answer
The Row Fall 2015 is the cleanest collection the Olsens have shown. Cashmere knits with deliberate weight, trousers cut to sit on the natural waist, the kind of column dress that looks expensive because it actually is. The brand has hit the prestige stride that everyone expected three years ago and the buy this fall reflects it — Bergdorf has expanded the floor footprint, Net-a-Porter has built out a dedicated landing page, and the price ceiling has crept up another ten percent without any pushback.
The standout for us is the wide-leg wool trouser. The cut is exactly the proportions everyone has been trying to find — high waist, sharp break, soft drape. The cashmere turtleneck is the carry-over essential. If you are buying one piece from the brand this season, the trouser is the answer.
Madewell Is the Year’s Contemporary Story
2015 has been a quiet breakout year for Madewell, and the fall buy is the moment the brand earned its place at the contemporary tier. The denim has always been the spine, but the fall offering — the mid-waist Perfect Vintage Jean, the suede ankle boot, the high-neck silk blouse — reads like a brand that has finally figured out a coherent design language. The ankle boot in particular has been the breakout product of the season. We have seen three editors wearing it on consecutive days, and the wholesale numbers reportedly justify the hype.
What is interesting is the price ladder. The brand sits between J.Crew on one side and the contemporary designer brands on the other, and the fall buy has been disciplined about staying in that lane. A pair of Madewell jeans, a Madewell silk blouse, and a Marc Jacobs blazer is the kind of mix that is reading correctly on the front rows this week. We are leaning into it.
Tory Burch Continues the Up-Market Run
The fall collection from Tory Burch continues the discipline we noticed in spring. The brand has stopped chasing the resort tourist and started competing with the contemporary tier — the suede tassel-fringed dresses are the standout look-book pieces, the higher-waisted trousers are quietly the season’s bestseller, and the bag offering has narrowed to a smaller number of better-considered pieces. The Robinson tote in pebbled leather is doing the wholesale heavy lifting; the Sammy block-heel boot is the new ankle-boot answer for anyone who has worn out a Frye and is not ready for the Acne price point.
The bigger move is the licensing. The brand has been quietly tightening the wholesale split through 2015, pulling product back from off-price channels, and the result is that the Tory Burch you see at Bergdorf and Bloomingdale’s is starting to look meaningfully different from the brand’s lower-tier presence. This will be a story we keep watching through 2016.
What We Are Watching for Spring 2016
The week ahead is going to give us answers. Calvin Klein under Francisco Costa is showing on Thursday and the early word is a harder, more architectural direction; the brand has been hinting at a transition for two seasons and Spring 2016 might be the one that delivers it. Marc Jacobs closes out the week with a show that the editors have been calling tighter and more deliberate. The Row is showing in Paris next month and the early lookbook hints at a bigger commitment to evening — a category the Olsens have stayed away from until now.
Until then, we are wearing the Madewell ankle boot with everything, easing into the cocoon coats from Céline, and quietly stockpiling the Marc Jacobs embroidered velvets before holiday party season eats the inventory. We will see you with the spring fashion picks in March.