Cart Curator #50 - Up on the High Fashion High Horse
A recap on the state of luxury fashion, some very comfy footwear, and an SA One to Try.
Hi CC friends,
We hope everyone had a lovely long weekend filled with friends, family, and of course chocolate.
Jess spent a couple of days on the Gold Coast with her family consuming a silly amount of hot cross buns. Whereas Nic made the most of NSW zipping around all over; from wine tasting and pizzas in the vineyards of Bowral, to morning swims at Freshwater Beach, to demolishing her pile of reading books at her local swim spot Wylies.
We also wanted to flag that we have finally made a dedicated CC Instagram after spamming friends and family on our personal IGs. We would be so grateful if you could give us a follow over at @cartcuratornewsletter as we will be posting a lot of extra (and fun) content over there!
Enjoy,
The Edit
VRG GRL is an AUS-based brand that has been around forever but continues to pump out beautiful styles that are unique compared to other brands in the same price bracket. Their newest launches are filled with linen, terry towelling and some stunning special occasion options that we had to share.
Starting with the Anya Mini Dress Splice whose style reminds us a lot of Lucy Folk featuring similar colours and a terry towelling fabrication. This piece, as well as the Anya Midi Dress Splice, is the perfect piece to add to a holiday wardrobe as it can be styled over a swimsuit for the perfect throw-on item to see you through sun-drenched and swimming-filled days while still leaving you looking chic and put together.
Next up are a couple of linen options which is a category VRG GRL always does particularly well. The Olympia Linen Top Cream is ultra feminine with puff sleeves and a cross-over detail perfect for pairing with a slip skirt or linen pants. The Aria Vest Black is a style on my (Jess) personal wish list and is a different (thank god) take on the vest trend. I love the cut of this which tapers in at the waist giving a bit more shape whilst still being longer line making it able to be styled with jorts.
This next style, the Lenni Maxi Dress Olive, is just screaming ideal wedding guest dress. I love the olive tone and the sheen of the fabric and this style is super effortless and can easily be dressed up even further with a big earring and sleek bun. Lastly leaning back into the holiday dressing we have the Art Of Bloom Bias Cut Maxi Dress Dune and Kara Linen Midi Dress White which are both super easy throw on options for holiday dressing making getting dressed before heading out for the day super easy.
Popshop
Our favourite pop culture or industry moment of the week.
There have been some very fun moments, excellent campaigns, and big news coming out of the world of luxury fashion recently, so we wanted to dedicate this week’s Popshop to our thoughts on the state of high fashion currently.
First up HAD to be this incredible campaign from Loewe.
You may have seen clips of this doing the rounds on social media last week, but the latest act of genius from the brand’s Creative Director Jonathon Anderson is the digital campaign staring CC favourite Aubrey Plaza and Dan Levy. Spanning four decades, the series of mini-films aims to clarify a “Decade of Confusion” by getting us all to finally spell and pronounce Loewe correctly.
Now, do we feel a superiority complex because we know how to pronounce Loewe? 100%. Welcome to the club everyone.
Whilst we are on the topic of star-studded campaigns, Chanel has tapped Brad Pitt and Penelope Cruz for their own digital film “The Iconic Handbag”. They honestly couldn’t have pulled in bigger Hollywood stars, particularly for the French cinema aesthetic they are emulating in the clips.
Whilst not as witty or fun as Loewe’s film, the cost of Chanel’s handbags has been the point of contention within the luxury fashion world for a while, so this campaign continues their PR moves to highlight just how iconic, classic and sophisticated their pieces are.
Over at Valentino, after serving 25 years at the helm of the brand, Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli announced that he is leaving. Support quickly flooded the pages of the fashion world, with many devasted that the man who was behind so many iconic collections for the brand was departing.
His last collection created by Piccioli, “Le Noir”, now takes on an entirely different feeling. Was this his fashion funeral?
The predecessor of Piccioli was questioned until last Thursday when it was announced that Alessandro Michele would be taking the role.
If this name sounds familiar, that’s because Michele spent 20 years at Gucci, including seven years as Creative Director, where he reimagined the brand through his iconic maximalist aesthetic which helped triple sales during his tenure according to BOF.
Clearly, the move is both a creative and strategic decision by Kering (the luxury conglomerate that owns both Gucci and Valentino), who would be welcoming back Michele with open arms (and ambitious sales budgets we think…).
Kering purchased a 30% stake in Valentino last year, and it sounds like they’re betting on the brand’s growth by placing Alessandro at the reins.
We’re now eagerly awaiting to see what he creates for Valentino at PFW in September this year.
Speaking of big moves, Dries Van Noten, from Dries Van Noten, announced that he would be stepping down as Creative Director of his brand from June 2024.
As sad as this is, at 65 years of age, perhaps he just wants to take things a little easier? He’s still staying with his namesake company, being involved in other ways, with a successor set to be revealed later this year.
There are also talks that Michael Kors, again from Michael Kors, is starting to put the wheels in motion for his own exit from his brand.
An article on Vogue posed the question - Is fashion entering a vibe shift? They go into depth about the high turnover we’re currently witnessing in the fashion industry, highlighting that “since 2023 the industry has experienced massive turnover, with new creative directors being named—or about to be named—at more than 10 labels. This includes the aforementioned, alongside Chemena Kamali at Chloé (which we spoke about previously here) and Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton.
Is this a sign of the times? Perhaps these founders are ready to welcome some fresh blood and these brands need a shake-up? Or do we think that it will be tricky for these brands to fill the voids when their founders leave?
And lastly, finishing off with some feel good news from Miu Miu, who sent one of their biggest fans - a 70-year-old Doctor from Shanghai - down the runway at Paris Fashion Week last month. ADORABLE.
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Add to Cart
What’s sitting in carts, or what’s been checked out.
Jess
WeWoreWhat Ruched Cup Button Tank and Rose Eyelet Straight Leg Pant
I feel like you never know where my mind is going to be with my Add to Cart selects - weeks ago while it was still 30+ degrees in Brisbane I was sharing Winter picks and now that we are in autumn and it is starting to cool down I’m sharing the perfect summer set from WeWoreWhat.
The second I saw this on socials I fell in love with the cut of the tank and how feminine it feels but love that the matching piece is pants which I feel we haven’t seen much of. Seriously considering purchasing this before it sells out.
At the moment all forms of jewellery are currently consuming my mind as I continue to build out my Pinterest boards in the quest to identify my personal style. One thing that has stood out to me throughout this process is how much I gravitate towards all forms of jewellery, particularly rings, earrings, and anklets.
Jenny Bird has a huge range of incredible staple pieces in plated gold and silver including this magnificent anklet. Currently, I have a plain chain anklet however this sold bangle-like piece is so chic and I love the idea of styling this with loafers or to be honest, anything. Available in multiple sizes as well as a thicker style this anklet is currently at the very very top of my wish list.
Nicole
Every year I put off buying a pair of slippers, and I’ve decided that I’m going to get in early before the temps drop and get myself a comfy pair of house shoes for the winter months.
These teddy slippers from Cotton On are both affordable (less than $30) and look soooooo soft and snug, ideal for something easy to pop on when you are working from home (or making an emergency run to the Petrol Station for choccie after dinner).
Nude Lucy is a brand that I’ve mentioned before here, but not one that I would necessarily go to for uber-chic pieces. That being said, their recent capsule and April drop has a very excellent edit of tailoring and classic wardrobe staples as we move into Autumn.
In particular, I’ve got my eye on the Marlon blazer. I will say that I think the price point is a little steep for the brand at $220 (and maybe given its fabrication breakdown) but given how versatile this piece is, I’m giving it a little leeway.
The tie waist is perfect to create shape, and I love the “raisin” colour. It has a matching skirt (not yet online) and trousers, but this would look just as good paired with dark blue denim.
Beauty Counter
Prod of the week.
Jess
O&M Atonic Thickening Spritz
Even though I have had a bob for some months now I’m still working out the best way to style it and the products I can use to enhance how I’m wearing it (which luckily for my bleached hair is sans heat styling.
While on a night out I stole this product from my housemate and spritzed it into my roots for some added volume and love the volume it gave to my tousled and undone look. I’ve linked the full size version above but the mini is perfect for keeping in your bag for the perfect touch up at any time.
Nicole
I recently rediscovered this Perfume Oil from Australian brand Ayu, which was hiding in the back of bathroom medicine cabinet behind my many (many, many) perfume bottles. After adding this back in to the rotation, I instantly remembered just why I love this so much.
I have the 15ml, which is like a travel size and is perfect for your handbag, and can easily be reapplied subtlety without washing the air with the fragrance if you’re at work/dinner etc. In terms of the actual smell, the website describes it as below:
An intoxicating tale of the realms beyond, this wanderlust aroma of saffron and honey dance in a feverish melange of desert spices.
For me, and in layman's terms, it's a musky, earthy but sexily feminine scent. Divine.
One to Try
Recent openings and discoveries.
This might be our first ever South Australian One to Try - about time!
Not entirely new, Aces moves into a new era with a complete reimagining of the previous restaurant with the same name. Within the two-story restaurant, Broadsheet describes it as “New York-Italian vibes upstairs and a sexy Italo insouciance below”.
An Italian dining join at heart, the menu also takes inspiration from its Chinatown location and you can expect items on the menu like Spag Vongole à la Golden Century, Salt & Pepper Pork Ribs and White Choc & Sour Plum Zuccotto.
Lottery Win
A girl can dream.
The Row Idaho XL leather-trimmed cotton-twill tote
At this point, The Row could release a hessian sack and I (Jess) would no doubt be obsessed. This week’s lottery win is a nearly $3k cotton twill tote bag which putting it like that sounds absolutely ridiculous but I am in love. The silhouette of this bag (longer vs deeper) is very on trend and when styled this casual tote instantly elevates an outfit and I will never not be a fan of anything green.
You can see the medium sized version of this baby in the TikTok below.
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Consumables
What we can’t stop binging.
3 Body Problem on Netflix
Let’s preface this by saying that I (Nic) absolutely know that this show won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but give it a try. It’s based on a sci-fi book, and starts with several leading scientists around the world dying by suicide. This is so far from the type of show I typically like, but it has the right mix of intrigue and cliffhangers that you’ll also want to binge it in a day.
Two out of the three creators were behind Game of Thrones, so that should give you enough confidence to give it a watch.
IYKYK
Super specific recs and niche hyper-fixations.
We’ve almost definitely mentioned how much I (Nic) love cleaning, and this is one of my favourite things to use. Yes, weird I know.
If you’ve never used Gumption honestly you’re missing out. Use this to scrub up scratches on walls and surfaces, clean your bathroom, freshen up stainless steel appliances, bring your stove top looking sparkly again and my personal hack - bring your sneakers back to life.
You can thank me later.
If you’re new to Cart Curator, take a read of some of our recent editions.
Cart Curator #49 - In collaboration with Isobel Larkin
Cart Curator #48 - #justiceforkate
Cart Curator #47 - Death to the Champagne Carpet
Cart Curator #46 - What in the Willy Wonka?