Forget Getting Rid of Bags: The Row Got Rid of Shoes
The Row doesn't do gimmicks. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's inimitable imprint is so singular that people had to come up with the term "quiet luxury" to describe it, because "no-nonsense stylishness priced steep enough to keep out the riff-raff" is just a tad too wordy.
And yet, at its Fall/Winter 2025 presentation, The Row sent out models wearing nothing on their feet but... well, nothing. Just bare tights, without a single shoe to be found.
Inspired styling? An attempt at a trend? A visual manifestation of effortlessness? A rare, ahem, misstep?
A few The Row observers suggested online that the shoe-free runway wasn't intentional. Perhaps it was a last-minute call made in light of something as simple as the shoe samples' sizing being off.
True or not, how very The Row to play off a potential problem as an intentional DGAF affect.
It certainly didn't look like a goof, either way.
Models clad in hairy wool coats and draped knitwear padded down the runway as the picture of polished effortlessness. If anything, the lack of shoes only highlighted the intentional use of tights in place of pants and several stylish sets of tall, ribbed socks. And it only felt that much more austerely elegant.
Real clothes styled really well. Yep, it's The Row. Barefoot, yes, but definitely The Row.
And if there was some sort of footwear mix-up, don't expect the matter to ever be cleared up.
The Row famously keeps to itself, scarcely offering any insights into its world save for a modest Instagram feed that focuses as much on mood-board art as saleable clothing.
Just another The Row mystery to add to the collection.
The last tidbit filed away was recent gossip about The Row's red-hot handbag, the Margaux. Buzzed about not so long ago as the next-gen Birkin, much ado has been made about The Row potentially ceasing production of its sleeper hit bag, which would be a terribly The Row thing to do.
Interestingly, the Margaux bag didn't appear in the FW25 runway show but, then again, very few of The Row's past-season and evergreen styles make appearances in new-season presentations.
But you used to be able to count on shoes.
