Nancy MacDonell

1 month ago | wsj.com | Nancy MacDonell

‘It’s genderless and seasonless. In the right fabrics, it looks very rich.’ How brown, historically the color of peasant garb, now signals wealth. We’re currently in a brown “study,” an outmoded term for self-absorption, a condition the fashion world regularly succumbs to. But in this case, the term is literal: The industry has taken a deep dive into the color of coffee, chocolate and protein-rich meals. From the resurgence of the suntan to the revival of mahogany furniture, brown is ascendant.

2 months ago | wsj.com | Nancy MacDonell

Super-light and sturdy, the elegant luggage from British brand Globe-Trotter has a distinctive fan base: world leaders, supermodels and royals. Here’s why they’re committed to it. Modern travel is filled with indignities—endless delays, sullen service and unruly passengers. Each time I head to the airport, I hope for a more elegant experience.

Mar 27, 2025 | wsj.com | Nancy MacDonell

When Oprah Winfrey appeared at the Oscars this month wearing a tie, a historically masculine accessory that women have been enthusiastically co-opting, a subtle yet meaningful Rubicon was crossed. It’s one thing for influencers and actresses in search of attention and clicks to claim one of the last truly male sartorial signifiers.

Sep 12, 2024 | wmagazine.com | Nancy MacDonell |Miranda Barnes

Designer Colleen Allen in a look from her debut collection. Looking back on her initial resistance to creating clothes for women, former menswear designer Colleen Allen laughs. When she was working at The Row, she says, “they asked me to design women’s, and I was like, ‘No, I don’t want to do that!’ I was very rigid. I felt like everything had been said in women’s and there was more to say in men’s. But, eventually, there was an itch at the back of my brain.

Dec 5, 2023 | wsj.com | Nancy MacDonell

IN 1942, Claire McCardell, America’s most American designer, created her best-known dress, the denim Pop-over, so named because you could pop it on over other clothes to protect them during housework. Department-store buyers were so enamored of the Pop-over that they persuaded McCardell’s employer, Adolph Klein, to commit to a huge 75,000-yard denim order, assuring him the garment would be a sell-out hit. At the time, denim was a workingman’s textile that women rarely wore.