NYFW Field Notes
Herbert Levine shoes are the only shoes that matter and designers want us to escape
What I’ve been wearing
This is what I wore on Wednesday. I started the day at eBay’s Endless Runway, styled by Brie Welch, featuring secondhand finds from the site. From there I headed to the East Village with my friend and Fashion Director Tchesmeni Leonard to see the new Monica Vinader collaboration with Kate Young. Then it was uptown for the CFDA Kickoff Cocktail, where I barely managed half an hour before rushing further uptown for the Jessica McCormick x Zoë Kravitz party at the Frick. Again, only a quick stop, since I had to be back in midtown for Diet Prada’s ten-year anniversary dinner at the Times Square Edition. I ended the night at the Valentino Beauty Studio 54 party (my full dispatch from that one is here).
This was my Thursday morning look. I had two fittings, then stopped by the J.Press presentation, the first under new creative director Jack Carlson. After that I ran home to change.
I wore this for the rest of the day (eventually switching into heels for the evening). My first stop was Heirlome, which was so romantic, and I’m still thinking about those precious little fringe brooches that were attached to a few of the pieces, including their version of a barn jacket rendered in silk. From there I journeyed to Brooklyn to see the first runway show of L’Enchanteur. On the subway ride back, I learned from Professor Monica Miller that the major theme of the show was Drexciya, which is part of Afrofuturism and explores the idea of a submerged aquatic civilization of Africans who were thrown overboard during the Middle Passage (she also recommended this podcast). After that subway ride back into the city, I went to 190 Bowery for a game night hosted by J.Crew and Becky Malinsky, and from there I went to the Numero launch party at The Nines.
Friday was Calvin Klein day, which for me felt like the real start of the week. After Calvin I went to Fforme, then Ashlyn, then the Ruadh presentation, which felt like a real expansion of the Ruadh universe with the introduction of leather and new ready-to-wear pieces. From there I went to Campillio, which closed out my night.
First, thank you
for snapping this photo, I didn’t manage to get a good shot of what I wore myself. I started the day with Tibi, then headed uptown to Herbert Levine, which has been my go-to answer whenever someone asks me what my favorite thing has been so far this week. The shoes there were incredible, and I’ll get into them more below. After that I went to see Presley Oldham, who unveiled not only fine jewelry but also his first home piece, a candle launching in mid-October in a limited batch. From there it was the Tory Burch x Substack party at Raf’s, which turned out to be a real who’s who of the fashion Substack space (congrats to Derek on his first round of merch!). Then I went to Todd Snyder, though at first to the wrong location since I typed in West instead of East and had to sprint four blocks to the right show. After that I went downtown for the Vowels x Waka Waka exhibition, then on to the Cultured Mag party, and I ended the night with Ralph Lauren and Usher celebrating the launch of their newest fragrance.
What I’ve been hearing, seeing, feeling, touching so far….
***I’m keeping it fairly brief today. If you want to see the full breadth of my week, make sure to check out my Instagram and follow along on Notes.***
Herbert Levine
As I’ve mentioned before, Trevor Houston’s magic lies in his ability to take a vintage silhouette and modernize it, which is exactly what he’s doing at Herbert Levine. This is his second collection for the brand. You can already buy what debuted in February at MyTheresa (the brand says that this shoe has been quite a hit for them), FWRD, Moda Operandi, Saks’s New York flagship, Harrods, Le Bon Marché, and a few other doors. The goal has been to stay selective with wholesale accounts. This Spring collection introduced newer styles like the satin sandal with a crystallized, almost thong-like strap at the front, which was actually something Beth Levine designed. There were pantaboots in lipstick red and classic black, along with updates to the Sleep On It 30 and Sitting Pretty in new colors and fabrications. As Trevor called out the names of the shoes, I asked how he came up with them. He explained that for Beth it was always about humor, and that many of the original shoes were named with wit or tied to American idioms, and he’s decided to carry on that tradition.
I ended up spending quite a while there because, as anyone who saw my closet tour knows, I love shoes. I also learned that Trevor has a collection of 400 pairs split between here and Milan. From shoes, our conversation veered to Helmut Newton and The Eyes of Laura Mars, which then led to two film recommendations: Ms. 45 (currently on the Criterion Channel, Trevor is of course a fellow subscriber) and I’ll Cry Tomorrow.
Todd Snyder 
Todd Snyder 
Yumi Shin of BG carried a netted bag that felt perfectly aligned with the collection. Yumi herself is one of the chicest women (and longtime readers know I use that word sparingly). I’m obsessed with everything she wears, it’s always so good. I didn’t get to ask her about the bag’s brand this time, but next time I see her I will and report back. I think it’s still too early to really call out what could be considered trends (and by now, if you’re a longtime reader, you know how I feel about trends). I was asked yesterday what I’ve been seeing a lot of this week, and the first thought that came to mind was pink, which I’ve personally been craving, case in point my pink polo that I’m very much obsessed with. The other two observations so far are that yes, many of the collections have been tied to a sense of escapism. Todd Snyder’s collection imagined a man who, as the show notes put it, “just stepped off a seaplane, wearing a linen suit, a little rum in his glass, and a lot of confidence.” Michael Kors looked to his travels in Morocco, Norway, and the American West. Ralph Lauren echoed a similar looseness to Kors but steered us to the sea instead of the West. And Altuzarra transported us into winter with a heavier-than-expected spring show, sending down faux fur skirts, coats, and pelt sleeves. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why these New York designers are finding inspiration in places that feel in some way untouched, and often outside the country entirely.
One of my favorite looks from Ralph Lauren. 
It very much seems like sea themed jewelry is here to stay. 
Love the watch over the shirt sleeve. The other thing I’ve noticed, which isn’t as grand as escapism, is the drop-waist coat, often in the form of a trench. It appeared at Fforme, Altuzarra, and Tibi. For a few seasons now the 20s have been snaking their way into collections, and I think the silhouettes of that era, whether the drop-waist linear look more aligned with La Garçonne or the robe de style, are perfect fodder for designers to explore, and they have been. Erdem sent down robe de style dresses a few seasons ago, and in February Christopher John Rogers showed a dress that was more of an 80s-takes-the-20s spin on the style. I find it interesting that in a moment when rebelliousness and chaos feel like everyday conversation, the silhouettes we’re seeing on the runway reflect that energy in their own way.
Fforme 
Tibi My scene report about Studio 54 was one of my favorite pieces I wrote recently. If you haven’t read it yet, here it is. Part of it is behind the paywall (the juicy bits, in my opinion), and here’s a sampling of what you’ll find there:
I then went up to two guys, one I knew was a model because I was familiar with his TikToks where he is often quite jovial, bright-eyed, and ginger. Tonight he was buried in his phone and didn’t really look up to acknowledge me when I approached with my question. His friend, who I assume is also a model, took the lead in answering. He said that neither of them knew about Studio 54 before the event, but knew what it was before tonight. When I asked when they found out, he said they Googled it about a week ago when they got the invite.
The final group I went up to was a gaggle of girls who were dancing and smiling. They all responded with such passion that of course they knew what Studio 54 was, and as I was talking to them about how you’d be surprised some people don’t know, one of their friends cut in front of me to boot me out of the group, forming a circle and thus putting an end to my questions for the night.
Sorry today’s note was so brief. Shows wrap up on Tuesday, so Wednesday’s send will be more comprehensive.
XX
JJ
P.S. Has anyway done a deep dive of what happened with Soylent?
P.S.S. This is probably my finest work via Notes, which only proves that if you’re not following along there you’re getting just half the story. And just to be clear, this wasn’t a dig at Calvin. I actually liked the collection and, surprise surprise, I was a fan of the underwear dress.
Lots of high necklines! Like poetry for any Nora Ephron neck hating stans! 😘