The Mood is Autumn in Paris.

A mood board, a playlist, and some notes on Paris Fashion Week.

Sep 29, 2024

Moro Dabron candle, Cy Twombly *Untitled No. 4* of the series: *Carnations*, 1989, Casamidy Ojai Hunting saddle blanket, vintage silver plated brass Hermes 1970’s vide-poche, La Marzocco conceptual espresso machine, Carven RTW Spring 20204, a Jean Prouvé door at The Row’s Paris store, *Jean Prouvé: 1901-1984: the Dynamics of Creation* book, Victor Courtray lounge chair, CO belted double-breasted coat in virgin wool, the Alpine hideaway of Charlotte Perriand, vintage gold plated Ligne 2 ST Dupont lighter, verdigris brass and alabaster lamp by Kalin Asenov, Joan Didion’s packing list, Khaite double-faced wool coat, Kismet Olfactive Tuberose Tantra Eau de Parfum, Maria McManus shirt.

Instagram would have you believe everyone is in Paris right now, but I’m heading to California. Estée Lauder is bringing me to learn about a new top-secret product — ooh la la! But Paris is still on my mind. I’ve been gobbling up the rain-soaked flash photography from the city of lights, from Kendall Jenner’s blonde hair and overcommitment to skirt suits to Daniel Roseberry’s declaration of “future vintage” at the Schiaparelli show (the mismatched earrings are a styling trick I’m stealing immediately) and The Row’s new store (and cafè!) at 1 Rude du Mont Thabor.

In that spirit, this month's mood is a little Parisian, a little louche, but still warm and swathe. It’s the ease of a perfect gray sweater and the nose of an expensive perfume lingering on cashmere. It’s blush velvet upholstery that beckons you to sink in. It’s precisely one-half of a delicious cigarette after two martinis. It’s as quiet as winter but as optimistic as the first spring buds.

If you want to tap into the vibe with your wardrobe, look at AFLALO, the new line from Yael Aflalo (formerly of Reformation) — mainly, her outerwear is something to behold. The Obelisk coat, in its wool/cashmere blend and charcoal pinstripe, is at the top of my wish list. If your sensibilities lean more casual, thumb through the offering from Literary Sport, a… well, sporty line of well-styled active basics, like sturdy bike shorts that beg for a vintage walkman and a high-octane playlist.

Playlists are powerful. They can dictate a workout's success, the crowd's mood, bias a diner’s food perception, or set the tone for an important day. That’s why we have a 10-plus-year-old playlist library to which we’re constantly adding. Throwing a dinner party? Famed decorator Miles Redd has you set. New York walking vibes? Head for Annabelle Dexter-Jones’ curation. Something for warm weather? Try High Sport designer Alissa Zachary’s playlist. We even have golden time capsules, like Billy Reid’s runway playlist from a 2014 NYFW, back when he did such a thing.

I asked my friend (and manager) Sophie Krakoff to curate this month’s tracks. For someone I’ve known only a year, I cannot imagine my life without her. She embodies this spirit to me — cool but not aloof, warm but not effusive, chic but in an inherited way like it seeped in via osmosis. And maybe it did; she comes from stylish stock.

The downbeat tempo of Grace Ives, Little Dragon, and Chet Faker is the music you want to light a candle (or a fireplace) to and have an old friend (or lover) over. It’s a perfect soundtrack to play against the backdrop of fall’s arrival. A little bitchy, but expensive.