Last month, Rachel Comey hosted an evening of readings at her SoHo shop. It was a dismal January night, cold and rainy, but you wouldn’t have known it from the crowd of authors, readers, and Comey customers that packed inside. Among them was the 87-year-old feminist critic Vivian Gornick, not the kind of celebrity other brands stuff their front rows with, but a star nonetheless. That’s the difference between Comey and so many of her designer peers: She rejects the fashionable—as in the accepted—way of doing things, and finds her own success.
Fall, Comey says, is when her clients make big purchases. “It’s the time they invest, so they’re more thoughtful about what they’re buying. If you’re spending money, you make sure it works for you.” That means Comey was thinking more about versatility and longevity here, and less about impulse buys. It translated into easy tailoring separates in mix-and-match plaids, including a reversible car coat, and layerable sets like the Milano stitch alpaca knit tunic, tee, and pants that can be worn together or broken apart several different ways.
A nipped waist denim button-down paired with matching jeans confirms that Comey gets something fundamental about how we dress now that none of the more formal pantsuits on the runways seem to understand: Pulled together is a big yes, but constricting uptight clothes are a no. This season’s gotta-have-it floral dress follows the same comfort-first rule. It’s made of printed mesh and draped through the waist and hips to flatter.
Comey shot this lookbook during New York Fashion Week. She has a take it or leave it approach to runway shows; sometimes she’s on the schedule, other times not. At the moment, she’s more interested in building her retail network. Authors, readers, and Comey customers in San Francisco and Chicago should keep their eyes peeled; she mentioned those two cities as prime locations for RC stores.
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