“It’s not fashionable, it’s not trendy, it’s not basic,” Nili Lotan said while standing in front of a board with the Pre-Fall 2025 lookbook in her showroom. “It’s sexy and minimal,” she said, concluding her description of the season.
Lotan had some updates since we last spoke. In addition to Le Bon Marche in Paris, she opened a men’s store in New York, which she says is “doing well.” The lookbook, the first time Lotan has photographed both men’s and women’s looks, features the arrival of the weekender bag, which Lotan is betting will begin a handbag style rollout he’s been working on for more than a year. But back to Paris. “There are two other stores with American names in Le Bon Marche: The Row and Kite. They call us American Row,” she said. ”
Lotan believes that the sexiness within her minimalist style is what sets her collections apart. That, and friendlier, and arguably sexier, pricing positions her brand in the space between “for everyone” and “for some.” It’s this sexiness that Lottan has put at the heart of its pre-fall efforts. She swapped navy for a tasteful, more flattering shade of burgundy and ditched shirts for sheer silk blouses and second-skin structured knits. Some of it was made as a sultier halter alternative to the traditional crewneck.
Lotan also trimmed the hems of women’s jackets to make them more suitable for changing seasons. Double-breasted styles in pinstripe wool and diamond-quilted leather stand out. Men’s wear is just as popular as women’s wear in terms of quality and price, but the designs are less special. Lotan seems to understand that men, especially the stylish but not fashion-forward adult men she targets, aren’t all that keen on changing their wardrobes every season. What they really want are solid, core items.
On this point, Lotan concluded: Men and women don’t need to go anywhere else. ” Unless, of course, where weekend travelers take us.
