There are closet clean-outs, and then there is getting access to the closet of someone whose actual job is knowing what looks good. As New York Fashion Week begins its biannual takeover of the city, stylist and tastemaker Gabriella Karefa-Johnson is giving fashion lovers the opportunity to shop directly from her wardrobe with “For the Girls,” a curated Depop dropping on Depop. And considering Karefa-Johnson’s ability to make getting dressed feel less like following a trend report and more like developing a point of view, this is one closet sale worth setting an alarm for.
The selection pulls together pieces Karefa-Johnson has collected over the years, spanning designer names, contemporary labels and the kind of slightly offbeat finds that make a wardrobe feel personal. Jean Paul Gaultier, Bottega Veneta, Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Versace, Altuzarra, Kiko Kostadinov, Puppets and Puppets, Tory Burch and Staud are among the labels included, but the real surprise is the price. Everything lands between $20 and $100, turning what could easily have been positioned as an inaccessible fashion-insider archive sale into something considerably more democratic.
From the pieces previewed ahead of the launch, Karefa-Johnson’s eye is immediately recognizable. There is a deep teal Bottega Veneta sleeveless knitted mini dress alongside a shimmering Clio Peppiatt mini, a printed Staud Le Sable Tidal Wave dress and a green Farm Rio number that practically demands a vacation. Denim gets plenty of attention too, including a Y2K pleated mini skirt, a reconstructed Free People midi, jeans and the sort of distressed Guess skirt that would have been right at home on a 2000s mood board. A Miaou x Paloma Elsesser dress brings another dose of print and color, while zebra and leopard pieces make the case that the animal-print revival isn’t disappearing anytime soon. Even the accessories get in on the fun, with metallic pink Versace totes offering exactly the kind of slightly ridiculous, completely fabulous bag Fashion Week dressing requires.
But “For the Girls” becomes more interesting when you look beyond the labels. The drop places size inclusivity at its center, with a substantial selection of plus-size clothing spanning sizes 14 through 22, XL and XXL. That distinction matters in a resale market where finding archival or designer fashion in larger sizes can still feel like searching through 15 pages of clothes only to discover that everything good stops at a medium.
It also makes Karefa-Johnson a particularly fitting person to approach resale this way. Her styling has long championed an expansive idea of fashion, one where bodies, color, print, proportion and personality don’t have to be edited down to participate. “For the Girls” translates that sensibility into commerce. Instead of treating plus-size shoppers as an afterthought, they are part of the intended audience from the beginning.
The timing also feels appropriate. Fashion Week is built around the promise of what’s next, yet some of the most interesting conversations happening in fashion right now are about what already exists. Resale has increasingly made personal archives, past-season designer pieces and forgotten Y2K finds part of contemporary dressing. Karefa-Johnson’s shop sits squarely within that shift, reminding shoppers that personal style doesn’t require wearing whatever arrived in stores three weeks ago.
And perhaps that’s the best part. At a moment when designer prices can make participating in fashion feel increasingly reserved for those with the budget to do so, “For the Girls” offers another route in. You may not have Karefa-Johnson’s access to fashion’s front rows, sample closets or designer showrooms, but for somewhere between $20 and $100, you can at least get a piece of her closet. The girls deserve nice things too.