Dry Clean Only: Conversations on Fashion + Style

In this episode, fashion-insider, host ⁠⁠Kristen Cole⁠⁠ catches up with In-Seam founder Ann Wehren on building the private marketplace platform and the future of luxury shopping. They touch on: Ann's fashion background in NY, why the wholesale-retail model is broken and how In-Seam is addressing it, the connectors (stylists, personal shoppers) powering behind-the-scenes luxury retail sales, new brands she's excited about, what's hot/ what's selling, why next-gen social commerce just may be the future, holiday shopping, differentiating core luxury customers vs. aspirational, and her venture capital fundraising. Kristen also shares what she's reading (Zadie Smith) and eating now in SoHo (bon jour, Revelie Luncheonette), the docs everyone's talking about, fashion news (Phoebe Philo's drop and NYC store openings), luxury campaigns she's loving (Bottega... ) and the feature editorial she's... not-so-much loving (yes, that one). 

In this episode, fashion-insider, host ⁠Kristen Cole⁠ catches up with vintage expert and ARCHIVE VINTAGE founder, Kerry Bonnell, to talk all things designer vintage because vintage is more relevant now than ever. They touch on: ARCHIVE’s killer designer vintage curation, what’s hot in vintage right now (ahem, Jean Paul Gaultier mesh), the circular economy, who’s buying (who’s not), vintage sourcing (then and now), tips on styling vintage, best online shops today and where to find specific vintage pieces, Kerry’s path to the wonderful world of vintage, her recent trip to Japan, sourcing for stylists, seeing her pieces on EmRata and Rihanna, their favorite IRL vintage shops from Resurrection in LA to Feathers in Austin and 9th St. Vintage in NYC, the best vintage shows and what Kerry’s on the hunt for (hint: it’s a ‘80s Vivienne Westwood piece). Kristen also touches on what she's reading now (novels + fashion news), docs (hello, Victoria Beckham’s husband!), some URGENT luxury fashion news (major luxury sample sale), when collaborations get it right (Laura Ashley x BATSHEVA, anyone?), new innovative and sustainable products at Another Tomorrow... and more. 

In this episode, Dry Clean Only is back! After a brief August hiatus... that bled into September... Kristen is back talking Autumn in New York, sweater weather, and all things S24 Collections in New York, London, and Milan (as Paris kicks off), including the new Gucci by Sabato de Sarno, the new Helmut Lang by Peter Do, Jil Sander, Khaite, Simone Rocha, Batsheva, Conner Ives, J.W. Anderson... among others. She talks non-trends, NY Climate Week, The Fashion Workers Act and The Fabric Act, and the incredible, must-see docs Donyale Luna: Supermodel and The Super Models. Also, the questions on everyone's lips: Has fashion lost its luster? Why are swans everywhere?

In this episode, fashion-insider, host Kristen Cole sits with Belgian designer Genevieve Andre de la Porte, founder of sustainable swimwear line ZONARCH based in Southern California. They touch on: Genevieve's commitment to sustainable materials, LA production standards and relaxed price point, designing for real value, her European roots, sensibility and move to California, her love of surfing, favorite beaches in California and the South of France, spicy mango margaritas, SoCal shopping destination A'Maree's, resilience, experimentation and more. Kristen also talks summer movies, Barbiecore, the swimwear landscape, designer summer sales, pre-fall '23 deliveries, her favorite ZONARCH styles (Yoko, Jane, Paradis) and the only outfit she wants to wear right now (hint: it involves a maillot).

In this episode, fashion-insider, host Kristen Cole sits with designer Bliss Lau, at her jewelry design studio downtown NYC, to discuss Bliss' evolution as a designer, serious supply chain transparency, intentional design practice and supporting other women. They touch on: Bliss Lau's custom fine jewelry, new collections, coming up at Parsons School of Design, the LES, #Hypewoman, minimalism and volume, duality, her Chinese/ Caucasian identity, The Noguchi Museum, Alex Katz, Richard Avedon, working with women, motherhood, her certified sustainable materials, fair-mined gold, and what to look out for with Greenwashing. Kristen also touches on what she's beach-reading now, Men's Spring '24 Paris shows and Resort '24 (including Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Jacquemus, Marine Serre, and more), store openings, favorite fashion follows (like TheFrontlash) for climate justice and fair-pay activism, and the biggest villain of fast-fashion striking yet again.

In this episode, fashion-insider, host Kristen Cole (in NYC) sits with the incredibly sharp "fellow fashion veteran" Valery Demure (in London), a jewelry expert and founder of Valery Demure Consultancy, and Objet d'Emotion, to talk all things industry and fine jewelry right now. The women discuss: Greenwashing and other systemic industry issues, Sale Cadence, Fine Jewelry, the mood and trends she's seeing in her Paris showroom, the Buyers who are getting it right, Discovery shifts, Breaking through the overcrowded market as an Emerging Designer, Travel "It opens your mind."-V.D., Motherhood, Work/Life balance, Why Consignment is a Killer, what Valery dreads in a client, the highs and lows of Retail, her Objet d'Emotion extended London pop-up, Resale platforms, her favorite Fine Jewelry brands, and what's in her closet (hint: well-made, European and Japanese avant-garde). Kristen also touches on creative director shifts as seen in Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Bally, Pinkwashing in Pride Month, news on Edward Enniful at British Vogue, Rosie Assoulin's Resort '24 presentation in Brooklyn, The Row's private sale, Jonathan Cohen's pop-up, Angelina Jolie's new venture, Gabriela Hearst's big news, Metrograph tennis doc The French, tennis style at the French Open, and the perfect white canvas sneakers for summer by Keds and Vans.

“I thought there was a need to bring elegance back to travel… and so began SteamLine.” Host Kristen Cole (in NYC) sits with Sara Banks (in Mauritius) over Zoom to discuss her Dublin-based SteamLine Luggage brand and mixing business with adventure as she travels the world with her family, over the past eighteen-months. Sara shares stories from time spent in Kenya, Bali, Australia, Colombia, Mauritius, Greece, and the U.S., expert packing and travel advice, and why less is always more. They also discuss Sara's enthusiasm for specialization and getting into season-less product, the brand's refurbishment program, collaborations, and her move into more vegan and natural materials. Kristen also touches on recent fashion news Peter Do at Helmut Lang, why she loves speaking with women entrepeneurs, her fantasy old-world train trip (via Wes Anderson's designed British Pullman carriage), Derry Girls on Netflix, social media docs Social Dilemma and LIKE, and costumes at the NYC Ballet.

In this episode, fashion-insider, host Kristen Cole sits with the wildly brilliant multi-hyphenates Claudia Dey and Heidi Sopinka, founders and designers of HORSES Atelier, and accomplished authors, to indulge in some favorite fashion in fiction. Kristen gets to geek out over the fashion and prose in *must-reads* Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey and Utopia by Heidi Sopinka, and some all-time fashion moment classics in C.S. Lewis, J.D. Salinger, and Roald Dahl; while Claudia and Heidi nerd out over fashion in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels, Orlando by Virginia Woolf, James Salter's Light Years and everyone's favorite, Anne of Green Gables. The women discuss: "fashion as a form of autobiography", the role of vintage in their friendship, design and ethos and the HORSES values set around beauty, utility, wildness and endurance. They also talk about the cosmic founding of the brand, favorite spots in Toronto "like Brooklyn without Manhattan", their atelier practice, what's on their mood boards, prairie dresses, punk dressing, wildness and rebellion, Simone de Beauvoir, Judy Chicago, swans, donkeys, amazing cocktails, dressing their characters, creativity, connecting to life through observation, clothing as "soft armor", and what they are both reading now. "Fashion can be seen as frivolous, but it's also profound and emotional." -HORSES. Kristen also touches on what she's reading (and hopes to be beach-reading soon), NYC sample sales, Palm Beach retail, fashion in context, the perfect summer necklace, the dangers of working in SoHo... and more.

In this episode, fashion-insider, host Kristen Cole sits with designer and founder Tanya Taylor in NYC. The two discuss Tanya's journey with her eponymous ready-to-wear collection, as the brand enters its 10-year anniversary and embarks on its first New York, Madison Avenue flagship. They discuss Tanya's commitment to building an inclusive, joyful and inviting brand centered around empowering women to feel their best. They discuss her love for color and art, "color as a mood booster", her color therapy classes, travel and recent trips, getting in the dressing room more with clients, the brand's considered development and merchandising evolution, production practices, inclusive sizing up to size 22, her path to fashion from finance to Central Saint Martins and Parsons School of Design, her singular advice to young designers, and brand expansion beyond beautiful statement dresses into children's, swimwear, denim, tailoring and foundational wardrobe pieces. Kristen also touches on new NYC museum exhibitions, art dinners, and gallery openings, what she's buying for spring, upcoming Closely Crafted celebration, Fashion Reimagined, Succession, Barbie the movie... and more.

In this episode, fashion-insider, host Kristen Cole sits with designer Kwame Adusei in Tribeca, NYC, as he visits the city from LA. The two discuss his brand's singular look: LA sexiness merged with his African heritage, particularly silhouette, cut and design influences from his Ghana. They catch up on the latest on his one-year old label, now in its third collection, and on his career in fashion. They discuss Kwame's commitment to making clothes that last, staying present and bringing "love to the industry"; as well as his upbringing in Ghana and fashion business in Accra, his new home and store in Los Angeles, minimalist taste, celebrity clients, designing for African body shapes and strong, independent women. He also reveals the insights gained from a chance meeting with Pierpaolo Piccioli, and what's on his mood board now. Kristen also touches on Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, the book Unraveled by Maxine Bedat, Fashion Reimagined, Tech and AI in fashion, Ocurate... and more.