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Visiting the newly opened Fashionphile showroom and authentication headquarters at the scenic Starrett-Lehigh building in West Chelsea is an experience on its own. But visiting the consignor of designer pieces with the luminous Katie Holmes—who is wearing a Marina Moscone pleated black dress, a Bottega Veneta bag, and Brother Vellies heeled sandals—is on another level. Holmes is a fashion plate known for her easy-luxe looks, and of course, the epic oatmeal cardigan and bra set by Khaite that artfully slid down her shoulders while she hailed a taxi in 2019. (The gallery-worthy image legendary lives on, and I had the pleasure of asking her about the look at the spring 2020 Elie Tahari show). Fast-forward years later, we are receiving a Brittanica-worthy tour of the space, courtesy of Sarah Davis, founder and president of Fashionphile, who takes us through the hyper-secure rows of bags, shoes, and accessories.
I follow Holmes, who boasts a hoop nose piercing and perpetually glowing skin, and Davis through the rows and rows of accessories. Being in the showroom, whose size is comparable to a large suburban home, is no less than fantastic. There is “the cage” which boasts over 15,000 luxury handbags and accessories and over 400 pristine Hermès Birkin bags. In the front, there is a sushi-style conveyor belt of red-hot accessories where guests can pluck a Gucci bum bag or a Balenciaga City bag at their leisure. Fresh Tom Ford-era Gucci bag coming right up–monogram included!
A few things catch Holmes’s eye, including a Mickey Mouse print Gucci bag and a Hello Kitty-themed Balenciaga bag, which she takes a photo of and sends off. “I’ve always loved Mickey Mouse. I remember when that Disney store opened in the mall [when I was little],” she says.
Of course, shopping at Fashionphile is amazing because of the product, but the experience is more ecologically friendly than traditional resale because it doesn’t create as much waste as making a new product. “We’re not at a time where [sustainability] sounds good, but at a time where we have to [care],” says Holmes. “It is scary, we don’t have a choice anymore.” Holmes also notes that she just directed two films back to back, and takes time to re-use the costumes. “I’m very detail-oriented. I love costumes so much, and I love that it reveals so much about the character,” she says. “I save a lot of costumes and the idea is to use it for the next thing.”
Holmes has a way of assigning a story to each piece, too, crafting a character for each accessory. When we see a large rich brown crocodile Gucci bag with a chain strap on a top shelf, she says, “I like the fantasy of the woman who can hold that bag; who has the sophistication to hold it. I admire that,” says Holmes. “I want to meet her!” At one point, her eyes dart to a bottom shelf where there is a plump little Bottega Veneta bag crafted completely out of verdant green rubber bands used for braces. “This is that downtown person who knows where every event and party is. I want to be friends with them,” says Holmes, who then turns to our photographer Aidan Doyle: a true It girl. “You’d have that bag!” Doyle agrees.
As we pass by a row of vintage shoes–all scuff-free thanks to Fashionphile’s cleaning system–Holmes quips, “This is what the Vogue closets must be like 20 years ago!” The potential for fantasy and storytelling is one of the main reasons why Holmes gravitates towards the idea of resale and vintage. (She still has her first thrifted item, a sweater with beads on it that she bought when she was 16.) Over the past year, she directed, wrote, and starred in two films: Alone Together, premiering at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival and Rare Objects, a film about an antique store and the stories behind the item. After all, the draw towards a special piece is the story and history around it. “I find it to be very thrilling to find something long ago that has the story attached to it,” says Holmes. We couldn’t agree more.
