TOP SECRETS Signature styles from insider-favorite indie brands Kallmeyer (left) and Goodfight (right).
EVERYONE KNOWS and wears clothing from big-name brands, but when savvy fashion insiders like WSJ’s style editors want something unique—like playfully printed pants, a sturdy chore coat or a retro gold chain that you won’t see on every Dick and Jane—they turn to small, independent labels you likely haven’t heard of. Though such brands are often secret weapons carefully guarded by chic shoppers, we’re cracking open the vault to introduce you to five labels that make fashion know-it-alls salivate. Here, you’ll meet Kallmeyer (known for sublime, Katharine Hepburn-ish suiting), Evan Kinori (master of understated workwear staples), Goodfight (a California brand making cool menswear), Sherman Field 1967 (a jewelry line with vintage appeal) and Holiday (an American travel magazine turned French basics brand), as well as the men and women who design them. Discover their rich trove of inspirations, unexpected quirks, must-have starter pieces and where to buy it all, below.
Evan Kinori: Uncomplicated Menswear with an Austere Attitude
CALIFORNIA DREAMER A heady portrait of San Francisco-based menswear designer Evan Kinori.
Illustration: Efi ChalikopoulouWhy We’re Obsessed: Evan Kinori’s clothes—blessedly unadorned with logos or patterns—are nearly all made by hand in California from sturdy natural fibers. Three-pocket chore coats and straight-legged canvas trousers are as scrupulously considered and crafted as bespoke suits. The designs are consistent. “If I spend a year-and-a-half to two years making the pattern for the Two Pocket Shirt,” said Mr. Kinori, “I’m not going to try to sell you a different shape pocket and a club collar in the next season.”
For Fans Of: French workwear jackets like those worn by the late street-style lensman Bill Cunningham; minimalist plywood furniture by the artist Donald Judd; eating oysters and drinking Muscadet unselfconsciously on a remote, windswept beach.
Origin Story: A Connecticut native, Mr. Kinori relocated to San Francisco in the late aughts for college. Unsatisfied with his majors—the ever-practical French and Philosophy—he enrolled in introductory fashion classes at a community college. “They were really goofy, but I liked them and it seemed freeing to me,” he remembered. Next: design trade school for intensive six-hour classes on pattern-making and sewing. In 2015, he launched his eponymous brand with one style each of a jacket, shirt and pants. Priced in the accessible-yet-fancy range of just under $100 to just over $1,000, they took off.
AU NATURALE Clockwise from top left: Mr. Kinori’s San Francisco studio; the bestselling two-pocket Field Shirt; a prototypically moody lookbook shot; layered pieces from the brand; denim jeans, made with a tailor’s touch; a Gras lamp; the Bay Area’s redwood forests.
Starter Piece: The two-pocket Field Shirt. “People can wear it over a T-shirt or they can layer it as a jacket...it works in a million different scenarios for different people.”
Forest Dweller: “Being around trees is the best thing I can do,” said Mr. Kinori, who frequently drives or bikes to the forests outside San Francisco. It’s no surprise he favors a natural color palette for his clothes, heavy on greens and browns.
Going Lamping: Mr. Kinori is a would-be furniture collector. His present infatuation is Gras lamps, designed by French engineer Bernard-Albin Gras in the 1920s. Only problem: limited space in his apartment. “Most of the time,” he admitted, “I collect tabs open on my Safari or Chrome.”
Find it at: evankinori.com
—Jacob Gallagher
Kallmeyer: Easy Womenswear with a Cool Confidence
STRONG SUIT Daniella Kallmeyer illustrated in her pared-back, American-made womenswear.
Illustration: Efi ChalikopoulouWhy We’re Obsessed: Daniella Kallmeyer’s namesake brand exudes a polished calm a la the Row but without the ungodly price tag. Her well-edited collections, suitable for lazy ladies and type-A strivers alike, comprise pieces like pink pantsuits and light knits—all made in the U.S. “I like to say that you should look like you’re in a suit and feel like you’re in pajamas,” said the designer.
For Fans Of: Katharine Hepburn’s brazen, menswear-inspired style; rewiring 1960s ceramic lamps; hopping upstate with a single satchel; calling olives and wine “dinner.”
Origin Story: Born in Johannesburg and raised near Washington, D.C., Ms. Kallmeyer credits her devastatingly chic, New York-based granny with introducing her to fashion. “She was so elegant...we would do little sewing projects,” she recalled. After graduating from the London College of Fashion, Ms. Kallmeyer worked for dark genius Alexander McQueen and a few indie New York brands before launching hers in 2012.
CASUALLY CLASSIC Clockwise from far left: Kallmeyer’s bestselling Belle Gown; Ricardo Bofill’s cement factory; a tuxedoed take on the brand’s boxy blazer; Katharine Hepburn in 1952; a bench by Ms. Kallmeyer.
Starter Piece: The $575 double-breasted blazer, which Ms. Kallmeyer says is “easy and un-precious,” and we firmly agree. Start with the black before nabbing the emerald.
Street Vendor: Last year, Ms. Kallmeyer opened a pop-up shop on New York’s Orchard Street, which she likes for its “magical” neighborhood charm. Inspired by the cement factory near Barcelona that Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill converted into his Escher-esque headquarters, it has since reopened as a permanent location.
Occasional Carpenter: Ms. Kallmeyer worships midcentury furniture. Using found wood and objects, she crafts her own pieces, like a beloved cherry-wood bench that sits in her store. Clients have tried convincing her to sell the bench to no avail (yet).
Find it at: kallmeyer.nyc
—Laura Nielson
Holiday Boileau: Elevated Basics Imbued with Sunny Nostalgia
DESIGNING DUO An illustrated portrait of the brand’s style director Gauthier Borsarello (left) and owner Franck Durand.
Illustration: Efi ChalikopoulouWhy We’re Obsessed: Holiday Boileau’s clothes are a stylish trip through time. A breezy rayon camp shirt evokes midcentury vacationers in Capri, a firetruck red nylon jacket looks like it was snatched off a Grand Prix driver at Le Mans in 1966 and a pink floral skirt calls to mind hippie-fied Haight-Ashbury. “I am obsessed about the ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s,” said Franck Durand, Holiday’s owner. Since launching the Paris brand’s men’s and women’s lines in 2018, he’s focused on time-tested staples. Holiday, he said, is “about fabric, about cuts, but not about trend.”
For Fans Of: Sifting happily through racks of vintage clothes; snarfing down a burger and a glass of Bordeaux in (where else?) Paris; daydreaming with yellowed Brooks Brothers catalogs from the Kennedy era.
Origin Story: “Holiday” was a lush, literary American travel magazine published from 1946 to 1977 with contributors like Joan Didion and Truman Capote. Long infatuated by the periodical, Mr. Durand bought its name and relaunched the magazine in 2014. Two years later in Paris, he opened Holiday Cafe (now Holiday Vegan Diner to reflect his diet). There, he met Gauthier Borsarello, a vintage clothing dealer. They hit it off and launched Holiday Boileau (named for the street behind the cafe) as a wearable extension of the magazine, with Mr. Borsarello as style director.
BON VOYAGE Clockwise from far left: The brand’s retro floral dress; Holiday Vegan Diner; a typically laid-back look; the cover of Holiday’s latest issue; Prince Charles and Lady Diana wearing sweaters in 1981; a beachy tote.
Starter Pieces: Many fans gravitate toward Holiday’s Italian cotton oxford shirts, but the brand’s website also showcases styled outfits—say, a camel-colored patch-pocket blazer paired with cornflower-blue jeans—that men and women alike buy as full looks.
Regal References: Mr. Durand finds inspiration in Prince Charles’s penchant for aged clothes. “We can see a picture of Prince Charles in the ’60s with a pair of shoes, and today he still uses this pair of shoes,” he said. “It’s the same thing with [his] sweater or a jacket.” Mr. Durand hopes that in 60 years, someone will still be pulling on a Holiday sweater from 2020.
Find it at: holiday-paris.fr
—J.G.
Goodfight: Wearable Staples with a Cheeky Twist
A FEW GOOD MEN AND WOMEN A rendering of (from left) Julia Chu, Calvin Nguyen, Christina Chou and Caleb Lin, the creative quartet behind the brand.
Illustration: Efi ChalikopoulouWhy We’re Obsessed: This California label makes clothes that fall between wearable and winky. Plaid trousers come in an extremely wide cut; a blazer looks conservative until you realize the front pockets are angled like a windbreaker’s; and a genteel polo shirt packs three pockets. We also like the brand’s philanthropic bent. Net profits from a T-shirt it sells benefit an organization that’s rebuilding Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Okla.
Origin Story: Three of Goodfight’s founders—Caleb Lin, Julia Chu and Calvin Nguyen—met at the Los Angeles branch of bygone boutique Opening Ceremony. The fourth, Christina Chou, who’s married to Mr. Lin, is a Hollywood agent. The quartet, Mr. Lin said, founded the brand in 2017 “to offer a different perspective in menswear,” namely one with some levity. “Really fun prints, really fun colors and interesting cuts” are key to its manifesto, said Ms. Chu.
For Fans Of: DIY 1980s skate videos; the original “The Italian Job”; a kitschy commitment to afternoon tea; making your own jam.
COOL SCHOOL Clockwise from far left: A look from the brand’s upcoming collection; a translucent tote doubles as a planter; a young fan; Mr. Nguyen outside a New York pop-up shop; ‘Minor Feelings’; a splotchy camo coat; ‘Grocery Getter’ shorts.
Starter Piece: Goodfight’s roomy dress trousers, which are “flowy but at the same time don’t get stuck underneath your shoes,” said Mr. Lin of the bestsellers. The uninitiated should also consider the “Grocery Getter,” an athletic short punched up with errand-aiding pockets to hold a credit card and phone.
Homegrown: Originally, Goodfight manufactured some clothes abroad, but its recent collection was made entirely in Los Angeles. Clothing production there is a “dying art form and we love to support the local economy,” said Ms. Chu.
Extra Credit: The foursome conducts an informal book club at its office, with Ms. Chou in particular sharing choice reads. Her recent favorites include “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning” by Cathy Park Hong and “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong.
Find it at: gdfht.com
—J.G.
Sherman Field 1967: Jewelry with Vintage Charm
GOING FOR GOLD Sherman Field 1967 designer Danielle Sherman, illustrated here in her brand’s rings and bracelet.
Illustration: Efi ChalikopoulouWhy We’re Obsessed: Sherman Field 1967’s 18-karat gold jewelry could pass for heirlooms, even if the prices threaten to make us pass out. But mass retailers like Claire’s don’t spend three years perfecting the weight of their chains, as Los Angeles designer Danielle Sherman did. Her vintage-inspired styles—priced between $1,350 for earrings and $36,500 for a 25-inch chain—have the same “hue and warmth,” as she put it, of retro jewelry.
For Fans Of: 2,000-piece puzzles, Donna Tartt novels, Diane Keaton’squirky Instagram.
Origin Story: The name Sherman Field 1967 comes from a tailoring business Ms. Sherman’s grandparents ran in 1960s London. Following family tradition, Ms. Sherman used her earnings from a bit role in the 1998 remake of “The Parent Trap” to create her first jewelry collection at 16. Her designs have appeared in music videos and on the arm of Faith Hill in the country singer’s heyday, which Ms. Sherman, 37, said was “kind of bizarre.” She designed for the Row, Edun and Alexander Wang before relaunching her grandparents’ brand as a jewelry line in 2019.
THE STRONGEST LINKS Clockwise from top left: The oval chain bicolor bracelet in white and yellow gold; the cover of ‘Flora Photographica’; the bestselling cigar band ring; Ms. Sherman’s grandparents dancing in 1977; novelist Mona Simpson at the Paris Review offices in 1987; a 1984 photo by Sheila Metzner.
Starter Piece: If you want to splurge, ignore fusty advice against mixing white and yellow gold and get the labor-intensive, handmade bicolor chain bracelet ($9,000). Feeling slightly frugal? Consider the simple, $1,490 double-link earrings instead.
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Bedtime Stories: Due to Covid, Ms. Sherman has replaced inspiring museum visits and trips to Tokyo with paging through transporting tomes before bed. Her current go-tos are “Cartier: The Tank Watch” and “Flora Photographica: Masterpieces of Flower Photography from 1835 to the Present.”
It’s a Mood: Ms. Sherman also takes inspiration from creative women. Influences include Sheila Metzner, one of the first female photographers to work with Vogue (whose snaps currently dot Ms. Sherman’s mood board), Diane Keaton and novelist Mona Simpson. “At a dinner party, I’d want to sit next to the woman who writes novels,” she said.
Find It At: shermanfield.com
—Rebecca Malinsky
The Wall Street Journal is not compensated by retailers listed in its articles as outlets for products. Listed retailers frequently are not the sole retail outlets.
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