Cult of Mayle
A spectre is haunting. The cult fashion label named Mayle, created by Jane Mayle, and since disappeared, has been reappearing on consignment in surplus throughout the INA stores.
The label lended itself to warmer seasons, its fabrics reminiscent of bed sheets and linens, the dresses and blouses cut loose as if to allow for a breeze. And nowhere do they look breezier than hanging, like laundry, in the window displays of the store, shot through by daylight.
The consignment store reinvigorates older labels. Gives new life. The disembodied garments appear in the windows as a reminder that out-of-production brand names continue to haunt the fashion world, not just as relics from a time past, but as coveted pieces of clothing, each piece a rare collectible.
City Slickers
This week, the emphasis is on the waist, the cinched waist, in water-repellent raincoats.
How many times have I heard, “This jacket makes me look like a sleeping bag?” The jacket in question is the one without a drawstring waist, without a gathered waistband.
I was reminded of a time when a friend and I would “coat-watch” in public, cruising our ideal coats worn by strangers on the street, or critiquing the less-than-desirable coat. At a loss for options in a small-town department store, Jennifer and I had narrowed down our favorite imaginary coat to one that covered the body to the knees, drew-in at the waist, and had a dramatic insulated collar to be turned-up in gusts.
My adolescent past time is here restaged in INA Chelsea as a bargain hunt for shapely slickers.
This Alexander McQueen insulated coat takes the "sleeping bag aesthetic" to its advantage, devising an exaggerated waistline from surplus material.
It may be hard to find a stylish, completely water resistant raincoat but easy enough to find jackets coated in plastic protective substances to guard against a light rain, even if not an all-out downpour, like this Dries Van Noten belted olive coat.
For a cropped-top look, pair this sheer hanging parka with a top that stops short of the hips. The Parkchoonmo plastic poncho comes with its own case of the same material, like an umbrella.
And in addition to its mirror-finish, patent leather is always waterproof. This Fendi jacket has a stiff shell exterior. To match, INA had Marc Jacobs patent leather boots tucked away in the shoe section.