Five Things That Look Like The Row That Aren't The Row
Or as we're going to call it, *Row-ish*.
The Row has a knack for co-opting the most humble of accessories and then charging a ransom for them. I gobble it up, too — a revival of something as basic as a thong flip-flop thrills me. Elevated jellies? Take my money.
But The Row’s prices should come with a trigger warning. Thus, I’ve seen resourceful folks across the internet unearth many clever alternatives at lower prices. I want to be clear that I’m not sharing “dupes” — in fact, I’d argue that often, these are the items from where the brand took their inspiration. They’re classics — cleverly revived.
Melanie Masarin shared these jellies that heavily hearken the viral numbers from The Row’s S/S ‘24 runway (one of my favorite presentations, if you want to revisit it). While The Row’s version has a visibly higher throat and a round toe, for $18.00 it’s a low-bar way to dip your toe (sorry) into the trend. She also surfaced these which, wow. Nailed it.
Update 5/6/24: Ancient Greek Sandals also dropped ($195) jelly flats in a variety of juicy colorways. Lower throat on the foot, tighter weave, but same vibe! Also found them on Tuckernuck.
Update 6/2/24: These Jeffrey Campell jelly numbers (49.95) verge on the d-word (dupe, yikes) but come in some interesting colorways, I particularly like the black. Anthropologie has them, too.
laura reilly found this really good tote from Japanese brand Puebco fashioned from recycled plastic. It feels referential to The Row’s Idaho tote in an IYKYK way without being too on the nose. Smart! The whole Idaho thing makes me recall Phoebe Philo swinging her enormous green old Cèline bag around back in the day.
In their pre-fall ‘23 collection, The Row famously sent flip-flops down the runway, and everyone collectively lost their shit. Leandra Medine Cohen reminded us ages ago about Havaianas in all their uncooked simplicity. But as Daniella Kallmeyer showed us last year when she styled them with her glassy, crisp Cafe Kallemeyer debut, there’s not a damn thing wrong with an Old Navy flip flop, either (unbeatably priced at $2.99!)
Finally, I still contend that the brand’s affection for white canvas sneakers can be easily adopted with a humble pair of Keds or — as a reader wisely pointed out — a classic pair of Jack Purcells à la Steve McQueen.
Have you found a killer Row-ish accessory for a song? Tell us about it in chat.
I really appreciate how you explicitly don’t call these dupes but rather say they could have inspired the Row or been inspired by similar references. I like getting away from dupe mentality.
Yes I have those jellies too! Surprisingly comfortable. It feels odd buying/wearing something again that I had when I was in elementary school but alas that’s what happens when we get old enough for the fashion trends to come around again lol