Open Tabs #63
Week of 1/12: Influencer Happenings across the Internet
Alix Earle announced a new YouTube series under Hot Mess Media, Get Real With Me. It’s a monthly format where she invites guests to chat while getting ready. Her first guest this week was Jake Shane. There were a lot of comments from fans noting that the episode felt more produced than her usual content. While the feedback is valid, it also feels like a natural growing pain as her career expands and the show evolves into a more structured, TV-style format—especially as future episodes likely bring on brand partnerships.
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Ralph Lauren returned to Milan for their men’s show for the first time in two decades, with influencers across categories in attendance. From private chef Tejas Ke’alohi Jhaveri, to comedian Benito Skinner, to menswear creator Georges Coupet, the casting continues to prove they know how to stay culturally relevant across generations. Their team truly feels everywhere right now—major kudos for consistently getting the right influencers on the ground at every moment. Excited to see what they have in store in Milan for the Winter Olympics in just a few weeks.
Also, I now need to style my camo polo pants with a ruby shirt.
J.Crew continues to host pop-ups around their U.S. Ski & Snowboard merch. After Aspen last week, they popped up in Park City this week, with influencers stopping by to drive awareness.
One standout guest was Heather Gay—definitely not J.Crew’s typical target demo, but as a Real Housewives obsessive, I kind of love it.
The RealReal partners with Fohr on their influencer work, and for their recent holiday campaign, they used Fohr’s predictive tool to forecast creator performance ahead of casting—ensuring the right talent from the start. The campaign featured a range of creators showcasing pieces they are selling from their own closets, including Becca Bloom, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Eli Rallo. That same predictive technology is now being used across Fohr’s broader client roster, consistently outperforming benchmarks from before its release.
Summer Fridays had a big week. Their second Summer Fridays x Gap drop officially launched, with influencer seeding going out ahead of the release. Founders Lauren Ireland and Marianna Hewitt hosted an event at the NYC Gap store, followed by a more intimate dinner at Corner Store with core NYC influencer partners.
In parallel, their College Campus Tour launched at USC with sisters Brett Chody and Hannah Chody. A meet-and-greet plus a “first 100 students get a free gift” mechanic drove lines, buzz, and genuine excitement.
Madewell ran an influencer campaign spotlighting winter staples—denim and stripes front and center. Separately, I recently stumbled on their TikTok and was genuinely impressed. After praising their Substack strategy (Well Said By Madewell) for being creator-first, it’s nice to see the same ethos translate here: clear briefs, trusted partners, and content that feels cohesive without being over-controlled.
Personally a big fan of Donni and their taffatta pants (still need to get my hands on the gingham collection from last summer). For their latest Janaury Edit, they seeded the polka-dot pants to influencers and provided personal discount codes to share with their audience.
Beyond Yoga hosted a workout class at Soto Method to celebrate their Finesse Capsule. Influencers wore the collection during class, letting the performance fabric speak for itself in real time.
The Sezane x Sea New York collaboration appears to be exclusive to Sézane’s site. Similar to the Donni rollout, influencers are rounding up favorites via broadcast channels and Stories. Instead of a single high-impact push, they’re leaning on their community to shape how the collection shows up across audiences.
Other Things I Saw This Week: Paige Lorenze and Tommy Paul announced their new foundation, Kids Outdoors, Hermès launched a new foundation and invited influencers to try ahead of launch, Banana Republic invited their community to Spencer’s Spa in NYC for a massage + cashmere treat, and Weezie Towels is hosting a customer brand trip in Atlanta through an application process.
Things I’ve Been Influenced by this Week: I screenshotted these pants MALLY K. GOLDMAN styled months ago and they fully live up to the hype. They are the perfect travel pant. These are also the softest sweats that can be dressed up a bit for travel.
I also went down a The RealReal rabbit hole after reading Sofia’s latest newsletter on the YSL Arty Ring.
So impressed with you Clare!! Perfect digest
My fav Sunday reading!!