Earlier this fall, Rachel Comey’s social media manager posted videos showing off the women’s prizes at the designer’s annual sample sale. Looking at the photos on Instagram, what was striking was not only the diversity of her shoppers – young and not-so-young, up and down the city – but also their purchases. Rachel Comey has a cult following, and what it boils down to is that she has made a virtue of being the most important thing to most women. She’s the designer you go to for a unique shoe, a beautiful printed dress with a vintage feel, hard-working but easy-to-wear chinos, retro-ish bathing suits – the list goes on – and all at such prices. But those who are aspirational, but reach out to most of the professionals within. Many other brands have pushed their pricing out of the realm of possibility.
Comey’s pre-fall is organized according to this broad principle. At a showroom appointment she showed off, for example, a group of sturdy canvas apron tops and oversized tool bags and more corporate-ready monochrome knit sets “for women who work with their hands.” Of course, all of us, whether we’re indoor people or outdoorsmen, are interested in clothes with an airy, playful sensibility at the height of summer; That’s why you’ll find tiny crochet ensembles, a pair of printed harem pants and a slip dress made special by a bejeweled bodice and contrast seam piping.
