Fashion
You can shop vintage Celine and Saint Laurent at Madewell — but only for a limited time
What pairs well with denim? Vintage Saint Laurent —or Celine, by way of Phoebe Philo. Now for a limited time, you can shop your Madewell jeans at the same time as a vintage Celine blouse. Building on its commitment of circularity, Madewell has partnered with luxury resale platform Reluxe Fashion for a capsule collection of coveted, hard-to-find pieces that will be available to shop in-store and online.
For Reluxe Fashion founder and stylist Clare Richardson, the partnership is a testament to the brand’s decision to forgo trends in favour of a more sustainable approach to fashion. “We have a saying: ‘No season is old season.’ So if it’s five years old, or if it’s 10 years old, if the piece is good, it should last and sit in your wardrobe.”
As such, the 550-piece collection — being rolled out in phases — isn’t tied together by a catchy theme but rather by the modern woman’s everyday needs: a tasseled suede jacket that can easily layer over a chunky sweater, a pleated skirt that will pair just as well with an over-the-knee boot as it will a low-heeled flat, and so many good belts. “What we’re trying to do is curate and make it easier for women to shop pre-loved vintage,” says Richardson. “So they’re not trawling through for hours or looking at things and it’s got stains or it doesn’t fit.” The first drop will include 30 pieces, including both apparel and accessories, followed by consecutive drops over the next year.
One of Richardson’s favourites is a piece she took years to source: “There is a pair of Chloé high-waisted braided jeans, which, I actually had a pair, and then I stupidly sold them, and it’s one of my biggest regrets, and I haven’t been able to find them anywhere. And for the first drop, they’re in the campaign. We’ve got them.”
As any vintage enthusiast knows, shopping secondhand usually has its limits when it comes to sizing. “In the Reluxe Fashion office, our team is all different sizes, and it’s something we discuss a lot, because it can be a real blocker,” says Richardson. For the collection, she and her team were mindful of making sure the options available would be inclusive of a range of body types. She also enlisted trendsetters and close friends Paloma Elsesser and Dree Hemingway to contribute pieces from their personal wardrobes.
This month, Madewell will be hosting local trunk shows across the US where customers can shop the collaboration and book one-on-one styling appointments with Richardson. “That’s my natural habitat, so I’m really happy doing that,” she says. In a time when retail feels increasingly isolated, Richardson hopes the individual personal time will help customers love not only their re-loved pieces, but also how they look in them. “What you want is someone to feel confident. I want them to also feel comfortable in what they’re wearing. There’s nothing worse for me than someone who looks stiff and is not comfortable or is in pain wearing an outfit.”
Shop the Madewell × Reluxe Fashion Collaboration below (everything ships to the UK) and visit Madewell.com for more information.