WCME: On Thursdays, Taxi Drivers Wear Ties in Paris
Plus: 5 trench coats under $360 (check out the denim one!) and the breaking news on Prada buying Versace.
What Caught My Eye is a new daily column about pushback.
Hi everyone, and thank you so much for following along this week as I put WCME to market. Your support has been overwhelming, and I’m excited to keep breaking the news—simply, and on a daily basis. WCME runs Monday through Thursday, so today’s letter wraps up the week.
The ink was still wet yesterday when the President reversed course on tariffs, “sending the stock market skyrocketing”, wrote the headline in the New York Times. Today the volatility was back.
I figured it was the perfect time to ground us—with five great trench coats, all under $360. Although I don’t make money off the links I send you, I still want to offer you tailored and curated advice on shopping essentials. A trench is a good basic to have. It’ll last you well into November, and has a little more length than a sweater come a dressy summer evening.
Then, since I’m hosting a friend for dinner tonight, and needed one very specific ingredient from one very specific store, I took a quick trip over to the Marais to the Marché des Enfants Rouges. If you’re ever in Paris I recommend a visit, it’s absolutely a hidden gem. Let’s get to it.
WCME: In Paris, Taxi Drivers Wear Ties on Thursdays
As I took some time to slow down today, I noticed something curious on my walk to the market. Taxi drivers were wearing ties. Some drivers wore their knot loosened after lunch. Other taxi drivers remained in their suits and full Windsor’s from the morning rush hour.
It’s not just happening in Paris. Reportedly, the meaty knot has become standard in the new administration. The thinking is that they convey authority, writes Jacob Gallagher. It’s all pretty Freudian, a mine’s bigger than yours sort of thing.
Still, there is something special about dressing up for the job. That first decision in the morning on how one shows up, in a world that feels constantly on edge, feels more important than ever.
Breaking News: Prada to buy Versace from Capri Holdings
Despite economic uncertainty, The Prada Group is charging forward with the purchase of Versace for nearly $1.4 Billion, expanding a portfolio of Italian savoir-faire. Versace is known for it’s high glam approach to fashion and sex appeal, often exploring the male gaze through clothes. It gained major notoriety when Donatella Versace walked into the Met Gala in 1993 wearing the bondage dress with her brother, Gianni. Consider the winds crossing between the 80s and 90s in fashion.
It’s a pretty cool move on the side of Prada—a powerhouse woman-owned company whose designer, Miuccia, explores the meaning of femininity, gender politics, and ugly chic. After a Prada show, attendees are known for leaving the show sort of repulsed and confused, only to find days later that something just clicks about Prada, a feeling often coming full circle to Paris by the time Miu Miu shows on the last day.
I think it’s a good time to bridge the two together. It’s uncomfortable. And maybe that’s just the recipe we need to shake things up. In fashion, that is.
5 Trenches Under $360:
From left:
Have a good day!
Share, like, show some love by upgrading to paid.
That denim trench is GOOD.