5 More Things to ‘See Now, Buy Now’

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Editors and It-girls may continue to peacock for street style photographers outside runway show venues, but Fashion Week has never been more about the shopper. “See now, buy now” presentations started taking root last February, with designers like Rebecca Minkoff and Michael Kors making portions of their collections available for customers to purchase minutes after their shows wrapped. That trend has only gained speed this week; Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford, Thakoon, and Ralph Lauren are just a few brands that went the “see now, buy now” route for September’s shows.

As Lauren put it in a press release that landed in our inboxes this week, “With the Internet, social media, you have to change.” Yes, with that, we do. Yet while everybody loves a healthy dose of “futurism” in retail, Britt made a very good point about “see now, buy now” the other day in Slack: “Isn’t that just shopping?”

On that note — the sound of a thousand publicists vigorously shaking their heads and mouthing the word “No” — here are some more items that you can “see now, buy now,” some of which I saw then, bought then during Fashion Week, and would 10/10 see again, buy again.

Scone, $3, at Joe Coffee

On Tuesday, I had some time to kill before the Mansur Gavriel presentation, so I went to a coffee place called Joe in Chelsea. I was really thrilled to see that they had sugar-free cherry scones, so I bought one. When they’re made without sugar, scones’ saltiness becomes more pronounced and they border on biscuit territory, which I love. This one was almost too salty, actually, but the sweet dried cherries in it held their own.

The tricky thing about “see now, buy now” scones is that their universally tough exteriors make it difficult to know on sight alone whether they’re going to lean toward dry and crumbly or moist and dense on the inside, which might pose an issue if you have a strong opinion either way. Fortunately, I like both. (This scone wound up being enjoyably soft.)

Loeffler Randall Isla Embroidered Boot, $550

Oooooh, a splurge, but a beauty. From what I can see right now, and I’m wearing these contact lenses a few days past when I should be, these boots would be great to buy for the onset of fall — which is now, if you’ve noticed the eerie way leaves have been dropping from their branches in 90 degree heat.

Sully, $15-ish, at your local cinema

Your parents have probably already caught Sully, the new movie starring Tom Hanks as real-life American hero Chesley Sullenberger, who successfully made an emergency airplane landing on the Hudson River in 2009. You might want to see it, too, because it’s a pretty incredible story! The crazy thing, though, is that you’ve got to buy it before you can see it.

Salad, $12.90, at Sweetgreen

I’m going to mix it up here with one thing that I would not recommend “seeing now, buying now”: Sweetgreen salads. If you go for a “Hello Portobello” or “OMG Omega” at noon on a weekday in Manhattan, you’re likely to encounter a line out the door. Instead, preorder online, and pick up in-store.

I guess preordering is another form of “see now, buy now,” though you have to accept that photography is a mediated way of seeing an object and that the “Guacamole Greens” pictured online is not the exact medley of avocado and leaves you’re going to receive. But then again, is seeing all the ingredients in their individual tubs behind the counter even the same thing as seeing them tossed in a bowl together? Think about it.

Nehera turtleneck, $790, at Maryam Nassir Zadeh

I was going to suggest you purchase this gorgeous turtleneck listed in Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s New Arrivals section but “this item is no longer in stock,” so ne-ver-mind. Since you can’t buy it, pretend like you never saw it.

Update: I have been alerted to the fact that the scones at Joe are from Ovenly in Greenpoint. Another mystery of the universe, solved.