Retail Therapy 045: Quiet Hype & Reservation Apps
You can feel the pre-fall energy.
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else podcasts are found. Apologies for no video this week as our loyal producer, Randy, is on a well-deserved vacation.
We had several calls for an emergency pod after our muse dropped their Fall/Winter collection on us — but luckily for Retail Therapy listeners, we had to record late this week due to scheduling issue and we were all over it. More on that in a bit.
Let’s dive into this week’s listener digest.
Summer Standouts
Since our brains click into fall the second the calendar hits September 1st, I thought it would be prudent of us to offer our favorite purchases from the season that was — the most well-worn, versatile, and “hell no I don’t have any buyer’s remorse” items we could come up with.
Here are all the links you need:
Will’s Summer Favorites
Portuguese Flannel Folclore Off-White Shirt — Link
Noon Goons x Christian Fletcher Advertical Graphic T-Shirt — Link
Aime Leon Dore Overwash Crewneck Sweater — Link
Todd Snyder Shorts — Link
Barrett’s Summer Favorites
Frescobol Carioca Veluso Espadrille — Link
OAS Linen Pant — Link
Urban Outfitters Classic Ribbed Tank Top — Link
Free Samples of Le Labo fragrance from Nordstrom
*extreme George Costanza voice* I gotta focus. I’m shifting into fall mode.
The Race for Reservation App Supremacy
The way you book your table at a restaurant (six weeks out at the very least, mind you) says a lot about the restaurant itself. From The New York Times in November of last year:
Reservation systems that were once abstract, nameless algorithms for connecting with your favorite restaurants now have reputations and identities of their own. And just as many think of Tinder as an app for casual hookups and Hinge for long-term relationships, diners have strong opinions about what these reservation systems represent.
Which seems fair, right? I like to think of myself as an Tock person on an OpenTable budget.
What is Quiet Hype?
With all the shifting vibes we encounter week after week, it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with the new phrases that seem to pop up pertaining to trends. This week, we discussed the concept of “quiet hype” as described by Three Percent Rule.
Here’s a little taste:
While quiet luxury suggests, ‘you have no idea how much I paid for this shirt,’ quiet hype suggests, ‘you have no idea how quickly this shirt sold out.’ In the venn diagram of Quiet Luxury and Quiet Hype, ‘Quiet’ is obviously the commonality. Quiet refers to the understated minimalism of the product. As for the ‘luxury’ and ‘hype’ part, what separates both is the shopping experience.
But as Barrett explained, it’s far more nuanced than this leads you to believe. And yes, I completely bought in after we discussed it further.
Autumn Leon Dore
Well, we obviously had to do it with the timing of it all. While it would’ve been easier to discuss the recent FW23 drop from Aime Leon Dore on camera with visuals, we simplified the process by going through some of our favorite items — and whether or not we pulled the trigger on anything.
The splash piece I was most-gravitating to was the Unisphere Full-Zip Fleece Jacket ($295) but for reasons I explained on air, it will remain in the cart until further notice.
Hey, there’s always Drop 2. And I’m sure we’ll talk about that as well.
Of course, we closed things out with our wishlists and imminent cops.
For 2023, we’ve hit the reset button on our wishlists and made them a bit more digestible for the year ahead. To access the complete version of our 2022 wishlists, look no further than our final Listener Digest of 2022. New items in bold.
Will’s Wishlist (2023)
YSL Patent Tortoise Le Loafers ($895) — Link
AYR Sweatpants ($145) — Link
Pebble Strike Match Holder by Houseplant ($125) — Link
NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe —Link(Bought/Returned)Sangre de Fruta Garden of Earthly Delights Body Wash ($48) —Link(Purchased.)New Balance 574 Legacy (MKT) — Link
Bode Kids Lace Shirt ($198) —Link(Too ridiculous.)Aime Leon Dore Eyelet Knit Shorts (Sold Out) —Link(Tried on, too heavy.)Birkenstock Kyoto Suede Leather Gray ($220) — Link
Manresa Corn Neck Shorts ($105) —LinkAdidas Adilette 22 Slides ($60) —Link(Not into them anymore.)Football: Designing the Beautiful Game Book ($45) —Link(Bought this instead.)Stussy Heavyweight Pigment Dyed LS Tee ($65) —Link(Purchased — love it.)UTurn Turntable Weight & Cork Mat — Link
Vintage Early 90s 1/1 Grateful Dead Tee(Someone else purchased, ugh.)Custom Vans ($90) — Link
NEW: Aime Leon Dore Vinyl Slip Mat ($75) — Link
Barrett’s Wishlist (2023)
Loewe Puzzle Cardholder ($335) — Link
Bottega Veneta Credit Card Case ($420) — Link
R13 Beige Kurt Sneakers ($470) — Link
Le Labo Fragrances ($220) — The Matcha 26 | Another 13
Homme Plisse Issey Miyake “Color Pleats” ($325) — Link
Polo Country Ball Cap ($55) — Link
Moscot Yontif Sunglasses in Blonde ($340) — Link
John Elliott Patchwork Military Shirt Jacket ($998) — Link
Todd Snyder Seersucker Weekender Shirt ($118) — Link
Birkenstock EVA Arizona ($50) — Link
OAS Bohemia Swim Shorts ($90) — Link
J.Crew 6” Tech Dock Short ($70) — Link
Made In Carbon Steel Griddle + Press ($199) — Link
Uniqlo Utility Short Coat ($80) — Link
Moccamaster KBGV Select Coffee Brewer ($359) — Link
NEW: Supreme Inside Out Crewneck ($148) — Link
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube (see above), and anywhere else podcasts are found.