Jan 9, 2026

Hi, and welcome back to Line Sheet. It seems like everyone was asking for the same thing this past Christmas: Diamonds! Sarah “SShapiro@puck.news” Shapiro is here with ShopMy’s bestselling products list for December, which proves that lab-grown diamonds are no longer viewed as icky. (Once Leandra Medine Cohen endorses something, there’s really no going back.)

Up top, the latest on Saks Global, which is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as Sunday, according to Debtwire, Bloomberg, Reuters, etcetera, and my own reporting. Plus, Sarah has some intel on the dangerous allure of Saint Laurent’s super-pointy pumps, and why Uniqlo and Aritzia are doing so brilliantly in America right now.

Plus, I’ve shared some of the more hilarious, if still insightful, feedback regarding the search for the next editor of GQ. Number one Emily in Paris fan Peter Hamby and I also discuss who may replace Will Welch—as well as Saks, and Peter’s newfound interest in All Saints (?!)—on today’s episode of The Powers That Be. Listen here and here.

Mentioned in this issue: Saks Global, Richard Baker, Hailey Bieber, Morgan Stewart, Saint Laurent, Gab Waller, Leandra Medine Cohen, Aflalo, Ring Concierge, Aurate, Nour Hammour, La Ligne, Uniqlo, Aritzia, and more…

Three Things You Should Know…

The latest-latest on Saks Global: As of this afternoon, there are multiple reports that Richard Baker, the chairman and now C.E.O. of Saks Global, is in the final stages of securing a debtor-in-possession loan, and that the company could file for bankruptcy in Texas as soon as Sunday. (I’ve heard that one bondholder group offered $1.25 billion in financing, and another offered $1.5 billion.) The industry is hoping for the best, but there’s speculation that Saks Global would close dozens of stores, significantly reducing the amount of inventory the company buys from brands. A rep for Saks Global had no comment.

But at least the channel, which provides a material share of revenue for many fashion brands, would still be open. If the company has to liquidate (increasingly unlikely, I’m told), it would be catastrophic for the fashion industry. Even the reliably distant Europeans are sounding a little skittish. If the creditors don’t support reviving Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman, it’ll be a disaster—not only for brands, but for a not-insignificant portion of the U.S. economy. How it all plays out will depend, in large part, on who is tasked with running the new, debt-relieved version of Saks Global. In all likelihood, it won’t be Baker.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Sarah Shapiro

Saint Laurent’s cruel, beautiful shoes: You’ve probably noticed that the pointy toe pump has gone from sharp to extremely pointy, with an elongated toe box, resulting in a look that borders on the surgical—and they are selling, thanks to people like Hailey Bieber and Morgan Stewart adopting the style. For the uninitiated, these shoes are deliberately difficult to wear and almost aggressively impractical.

No matter. Demand for Saint Laurent’s slingback Deroche pump was up 160 percent month over month for December, according to shopping platform Lyst, and Saint Laurent’s number one trending heel, the Vendome, is selling out at Net-a-Porter, Mytheresa, and Italist, according to Edited. “Saint Laurent not only started the trend, but is dominating it,” said personal shopper Gab Waller. “No other brand is creating this much demand.” Be safe out there! (For the record: At least one Friend of Line Sheet swears they are actually comfortable.)
Mall survival skills: Uniqlo and Aritzia, two international retailers with very similar playbooks—strong storytelling, merchandised collections, disciplined inventory management—continue to crack the U.S. market, as reflected in earnings reported this week. After pulling back on stores to reset its American strategy, Uniqlo on Thursday reported double-digit North American growth in its first quarter, with 11 new stores planned for this year. Also on Thursday, Canadian-based Aritzia said it saw U.S. revenue surge 54 percent in its third quarter, now representing 60 percent of its global business. Fast Retailing, the Japanese group that owns Uniqlo, credited “efficient inventory management and lower discounting” for margin expansion. Aritzia, similarly, improved markdowns while maintaining pricing power, despite tariff pressure.

Last week, as I walked through a Uniqlo in Santa Clara, the store bustled with post-holiday shoppers—more than others in the Westfield Valley Fair mall—across every category, yet remained cleanly merchandised. While many American retailers are struggling with promotional dependency and margin compression, Aritzia and Uniqlo prove that there’s a reliable playbook for reassuring shoppers that their money is well spent: good product; new, clean, easy-to-shop flagships; a lot of markdown discipline; and simple stories, like Uniqlo’s Heattech or Aritzia’s Super Puff and Effortless Pant.

And now, on to the main event…

This Week in Shopping: Diamonds Aren’t Forever?

The latest holiday sales data from ShopMy highlights the rise of lab-grown gems, $325 pants, and the return of fur.

Sarah Shapiro

Did everybody stay home on New Year’s Eve? The latest monthly data from ShopMy, shared exclusively with Line Sheet, revealed that neither cocktail dresses nor stilettos were among the top 10 items discovered online via influencers and gift guides. Instead, it appears that shoppers were mostly focused on creating looks that merge everyday luxury—lab-grown stones, fur-lined coats—with elastic-waist pants and functional boots. Put simply, people were shopping for the lives they actually live. (As always, ShopMy’s monthly top 10 reflects the affiliate links that brought shoppers to a site where they bought something—but not necessarily the items that they ultimately purchased.)

Everyday Diamonds & Furs

Lab-grown stones dominated the list, representing nearly a third of the top 10—more evidence that consumers care less and less about the distinction between natural and lab-grown stones, despite media efforts to portray the choice as somehow consequential. Lab-grown diamonds now account for 45 percent of engagement ring purchases, according to BriteCo research, as the market has bifurcated into “accessible” and “exclusive” categories.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Among the top items for shoppers were Ring Concierge’s lab-grown diamond studs; Dorsey’s Maxwell earrings, featuring lab-grown moissanite drops; and Aurate’s lab-grown 3-carat sapphire tennis bracelet—all in the $500-ish range, perfect for zhuzhing up lunches with friends without impacting your credit score. “What appealed to me most was how I’d style them with the bare-bones basics—crew neck knits, wool trousers, rigid cotton tees, jersey cotton shorts—of a casual wardrobe,” said Leandra Medine Cohen, who launched a lab-grown diamond collection with Aflalo, featuring stones of 4 to 5 carats.

The bifurcation of the market was also evident in the jacket category. December’s top 10 included two fur coats: Nour Hammour’s $3,500 Sima shearling, on one end, and Tuckernuck’s $378 Carmella faux fur on the other. Yes, the CFDA recently voted to ban fur on runways—with exemptions for leather, shearling, and “animal fur obtained by Indigenous communities through traditional subsistence hunting practices.” But the stigma around glamorizing fur, or even what looks like fur, has mostly passed out of fashion. These are both wrap coats being merchandised and styled with jeans or any everyday look.

Basic Instincts

The remainder of the top 10 reads like the checklist of a shopper building out a wardrobe with basics who still wants to have some fun. Influencers have been pushing La Ligne’s Colby pants, which walk the nausea-triggering tightrope between sweatpants and “hard pants,” as an essential airport fit, mom-pant, or even back-to-office hybrid. Still Here’s Sport Jean offers another minimal-to-no-waistband option—a novelty when everyone already owns multiple pairs of straight legs. (It’s not a Levi’s 501 “essential” style, but it isn’t so far out of left field that it can’t be worn regularly.) Meanwhile, Almina Concept’s wrap cardigan—a toned-down version of popular Alanui and Polo Ralph Lauren cardigans at the sub-designer price point—is the kind of piece that doesn’t require a stylist to understand how to wear.

Likewise, ShopMy’s top boot last month, Frēda Salvador’s Brooke boot, can be dressed up or down without much fuss. The silhouette sold out back in November 2024, so the company restocked heavily for 2025, while putting 20 to 25 percent of their marketing budget into ShopMy influencer partnerships to incentivize affiliate marketing links. (Of the brands that made the top 10 list, all but Almina Concept offered gifting through ShopMy.)

The lone piece of luggage on ShopMy’s top 10 list, Away’s Bigger Carry-On, also fits in with these everyday life essentials. This isn’t aspirational vacation luggage. It’s the workhorse suitcase for business travel, family visits, and those carry-on-only enthusiasts—or anyone who doesn’t want to check their fake diamonds.

The Week in Feedback… About the GQ Job Noms

“Willa Bennett? God help us all… just let magazines die.” —A writer

“I’m sure it will be Sam [Hine]. Chris Black couldn’t edit a magazine—even if he could, he would hate it—stop suggesting him for things like that.” —An ex-magazine editor

“I mean, if we are just floating names out there, maybe John Mayer should take it over. He is the Eva Chen–style spirit animal. He’s not up to much. Made a great internet show. Allegedly dating a New Yorker.” —An ex-Condé Nast employee

“Kevin Sintumuang! Ghosts of GQ past all coming to haunt. That dude couldn’t even hack it at Jim Nelson’s GQ, where fat was plentiful and bros were barely required to show up for meetings.” —An ex-GQ staffer, obviously

Until tomorrow,
Lauren

P.S.: We use affiliate links because we are a business. We may make a couple bucks off them.

Puck fashion correspondent Lauren Sherman and a rotating cast of industry insiders take you deep behind the scenes of this multitrillion-dollar biz, from creative director switcheroos to M&A drama, D.T.C. downfalls, and magazine mishaps. Fashion People is an extension of Line Sheet, Lauren’s private email for Puck, where she tracks what’s happening beyond the press releases in fashion, beauty, and media. New episodes publish every Tuesday and Friday.

Puck’s daily art market email, anchored by industry expert Marion Maneker, offers unparalleled access to the mega-auctions and galleries, elite buyers and sellers, and the power players who run this opaque world.

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