Photo: Courtesy of Zara.Thursday's The New York Times fashion and style section contains a rather fascinating scoop: Zara is a store. And, fashion people shop there.
You see, "It wasn't always so," writes the NYT. "Only a couple of years ago, Zara, with its mid-price interpretations of runway trends, was a leading purveyor of cheap chic to the budget-conscious crowd, offering well-constructed, moderately stylish wares that, for the most part, steered clear of the cutting edge." Slowly but surely — the same phrase we plebeians chant under our breaths while waiting on the interminable lines to use the chain's fitting rooms — bloggers, street-style stars, and glossy editors took note. The company satiated its new clientele with minimalist wares. It perhaps even called on consultants, as the Times speculates, to "in a word, copy...the most heat-generating runway looks for its increasingly savvy audience."
This new fashion-forward customer base includes a pair of employees at the Albright Fashion Library. When asked by guests about their presumably designer ensembles, they respond, "No, we're wearing Zalenciaga, or we're wearing Zéline." Zalenciaga? Zéline? This, friends, is the stuff of Zoolander 2. (The New York Times)