THE LIST: The $4350 Shirt of It All
Chanel, Charvet, and fashion democracy.
Today’s letter is in partnership with my friends at Lola Blankets, with additional consideration provided by J.Crew. If you're interested in working with us, please email lauren@aire-nyc.com.
“He has a very democratic and egalitarian approach to design, which I think will be enormously helpful to Chanel. I always felt with Karl that there was a sense of the sublime in his work achieved through luxury. Matthieu’s sublime is a bit quieter. He’s very much engaged with an aesthetics of the everyday.”
This is a quote from a recent Vogue profile of newly minted Chanel grand poo-bah Matthieu Blazy. It is from Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge of The Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. I read it right after I saw in Puck that Blazy’s first bleat of virality in his new tenure — a collaborative button-down white tuxedo shirt with Paris’ infamous Charvet — would retail for $4350. While a button-down shirt is egalitarian in sensibility, does precious red “Chanel” embroidery at the waist justify such a price?
I mentioned earlier this week that I was having a similar oversized tux shirt made by my friend Olivia Villanti at Chava Studio. Where Blazy placed “Chanel” on his, mine will have my new, soon-to-be-married last name.
chimed in the comments and said she’d had the same idea, and ordered from Chava minutes after she saw Chanel’s stomp down the runway in Paris.What’s particularly funny about this is that Charvet sources their most top-tier cotton from a Swiss mill called ALUMO. It’s on their made-to-measure floor in the fabric bolts. And if you order a shirt from Chava, guess what? You’re getting that exact same fabric from that exact same mill. (The Row also used to use ALUMO, but now uses Canclini Italian cotton). So the quality argument can’t really be made here — it’s strictly Chanel markup.
texted me not long after asking about Olivia’s shirting, which led to a group thread where Olivia cut something custom for Carole. (I met Olivia years ago via , who had “Dorsey” —both her brand and grandmother’s name —monogrammed on the cuff of one of Olivia’s perfect shirts.) That morning, I’d woken up to a similar text from Cassandra Grey asking me to weigh in on a custom bag she was ordering from her friend’s shop.
So what is luxury now? Is the story the luxury? Is connection the luxury? Or is it just pricing 99.9% of humanity out so that your clothes can only be attained by a precious few?
Luxury used to mean exceptional craftsmanship. Now it often just means exceptional access. The new luxury isn’t owning something rare; it’s being invited to care about it before everyone else. If Blazy’s version of luxury is meant to feel democratic, maybe it’s because the real exclusivity has migrated elsewhere, to who texts whom, who knows the designer, who gets the wink.
When you pay $4,350 for a shirt that you have to get through a Chanel sales associate, probably via pre-order, what are you saying? Yes, it’s that same need for access, but you have to debate where the line is between being fashionable and connected or just a chump with too much money to burn.
I was at a preview for Maria McManus’ forthcoming collaboration with Citizens of Humanity yesterday morning. Maria is a designer whose clothes are crafted with a high level of integrity, which often comes at a higher price, since you’re not cutting corners — sustainably or ethically. Even she was surprised when I told her the price of the Charvet x Chanel shirt.
What used to separate luxury houses from the rest of us often wasn’t entirely quality; it was also secrecy. Now, the secret is the relationship. And what is it saying that something as deliberately egalitarian (so declared in reference to Blazy) as a white shirt is going for such an eye-watering price? Both the Chava and Chanel shirts say something about belonging—but one wraps it in meaning, and the other shouts it in price. Where is the line between having good taste and valuing quality, and just being tacky and flashy?
I’m just asking questions here. I openly shop at The Row, and I worship Phoebe Philo. The very same argument can be made for their clothes—democratized-looking “basics” in fits and fabrications that you either get, or you don’t. And a $550 Chava shirt is by no means inexpensive! I acknowledge this. Hell, there are plenty of purchases I’ve made that have made me feel like a chump, but as I’ve said before, for the pieces and brands you really love, if you can afford it and you’re very into clothes, it might be worth it to you.
Can a $4,350 shirt buy you the sublime? Probably not. But it can buy the illusion that you’re invited to it. If Matthieu Blazy’s “aesthetics of the everyday” is where fashion is headed, maybe the real luxury isn’t the shirt at all. But when do you stop paying for the fantasy?
I don’t have the answers. I’m wondering what you think—no wrong answers.
“All The Cool Girls Get Fired” is, well, what all the cool girls are reading this week. I have an excerpt in the book from my own learnings after being unceremoniously ousted. This book needed to exist, and I’m glad it does now, thank you very much
and Kristina O’Neil! We sometimes let too much of our identity become wrapped up in our careers — it was a personally major unlearning process for me earlier in my life. Shame can trap you in some vicious situations, and this book helps destigmatize how we may feel when we’re forced out of something that no longer wants us. For me, it was a great reminder: it’s just a job!I’m going to a Halloween party this year, and the theme is American Psycho. Sounds like an entire room of blood-spattered dudes in plastic coats, no? When I told my fiancée that I’d go as one of Patrick Bateman’s victims, he said, “But he didn’t kill any brunettes, did he?” How did he know that? What is it with men and American Psycho? Anyway, Fleur du Mal sent me some lace bunny ears, and this seems like a good use for those, maybe with a coordinating bodysuit or something. Does anyone have a lead on some fake blood? Think we need a lot of it.
Speaking of makeup, Versed launched a new skin tint that I really like. And in the spirit of the egalitarianism mentioned above, you can get it at Target. I suggest getting the companion application brush, which makes it easier to apply than finger-painting. Good shade range, too.
More clothes for the people: J.Crew! Alex Eagle’s collab with the retailer is generating a lot of fashion-people buzz, including a cheeky hat that says “Who the f*ck is Alex Eagle?” But whether you know who the f*ck she is or not, the clothes are good! The collection’s reversible trench is the key piece, but I also like the pragmatism of the nylon tote. (And of course, there’s a tuxedo shirt.)
Am I the last person in the world to try a Lola Blanket? I know a handful of people who won’t shut up about them, and now I get it! It’s the best blanket I have ever had. Wildly soft. Perfectly heavy. Big enough to wrap up in it with both dogs. I take it with me from room to room like I’m Linus from Peanuts. I’m buying more of them for holiday gifts. To quote Miranda Priestly, “Everybody wants this.” Use code TLL35 for 35% off.
More discount codes available here. Always check our page before making a purchase - we have tons, and they’re constantly being added to and updated.
This new leather jacket from Ruadh is delicious.
Here’s an early access link to the FWRD sale.
Hermes made a perfect red lipstick.
Esha Soni made a perfect (poppy) red haircalf bag.
‘Tis the season, and the holiday collections are landing.
The Vintage Marché’s new drop just hit — this is where your girls Hailey and Kendall score a lot of their good designer vintage, btw.
Bad bitch black top coat? Look no further than 6397.
Alex Mill x. J.Press: pure joy.
Luxury is the ability to say, No. No to a $4,350 cotton shirt. No to a job you'd hate. No to an overpriced rental. No to a guy you're just not that into....the ability to walk away content & happy is true luxury. I'm so excited to get my custom monogrammed Chava shirt!! 💃💃💃
I’m a doctor, taking care of very sick people (of all kinds) in one of the largest academic medical centers in the US. My husband is a successful corporate lawyer. We are very fortunately in the 1% and I am not “luxury shy”. That said, I would have to see over 60 patients in the hospital to make enough money after tax to buy this shirt. 60 sick people -> one shirt. Complete madness.