October 23, 2026

Photo:  Nico Geyer

On Monday around lunchtime, Emily Dawn Long hopped in an elevator to leave her Lower East Side studio juggling a phone, a bright plastic vape, two pairs of sunglasses, a bottle of Essentia, and a clear plastic bag containing a large dead fish. “Just another day at the office,” she said before bolting into an Uber that took her a few blocks away to Little Italy, where she was overseeing a short film that she’ll premiere on September 12 during New York Fashion Week. 

On set, which is really a street corner — no permits were secured, the crowd is just a small group of curious tourists — Dawn Long gave the fish, a prop, to the actor Luca Apple, a client and friend who wore pieces from her spring 2027 collection, including a Hawaiian-style silk shirt and low-rise fatigue pants. “Everyone here is one of my people, and everyone's doing it because they want to,” she said, pointing to another actor on set, Meadow Walker, and the director, Mayan Toledano. 

Every once in a while, a small, independent designer comes along who lights the world of menswear enthusiasts on fire. I’m thinking of Online Ceramics, which set off a wider tie-dye craze back in 2017. A couple of years after that, everyone was wearing Bode’s artisanal embroidered shirts and jackets, and more recently, Jacques Marie Mage has put a pair of chunky acetate sunglasses on every tanned and wrinkle-free face between here and Malibu. Now, it’s Dawn Long, a 36-year-old designer without a boutique who sells retro plaid button-up shirts, embroidered ball caps, and $200 vintage T-shirts screenprinted with cheeky slogans across the front (“Spoiled Boys,” “Take Off Your Clothes,” and “Bug Me!”) out of her showroom on Chrystie Street. 

Dawn Long sells women’s clothing, too, but she credits men with fueling her business, starting with her appearance on the Throwing Fits podcast in early 2025. Highsnobiety editor Noah Johnson and Nordstrom men’s fashion director Jian DeLeon both regularly wear EDL ball caps, and French fashion editors swarmed her pop-up shop during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in June. Celebrities have followed, including Justin Bieber, who was recently seen wearing one of her tees in Los Angeles. Pedro Pascal and Jeremy Allen White are also members of her growing famous-guy fan club. 

“JAW has like five of my shirts,” said Dawn Long, referring to White. “Like, he will not take them off.”

I’ve been a loyal customer since 2019. That was when Dawn Long, an ex-stylist who once helped source vintage clothing for Elon Musk (before he was crazy), began selling colorful crochet bucket hats from her small downtown studio. Her process was simple: Make one product that sells, then fold the earnings into the next piece. The hats funded a line of men’s button-ups with French cuffs and square hems (based on her father’s favorite shirt), which funded a series of beachy, Mr. Ripley–esque knit polos. 

“Honestly, I haven’t had any misses. Every single thing sells out,” she told me. “I've just been doing the same thing for the past seven years. People are catching on to what the OGs always knew, which is that I’m actually a very good designer.” Dawn Long is nothing if not confident, but she admits the hype has made her slightly self-conscious. “Now I’m like, Do people like the stuff that I’m making or is it just because I put my name on it?” 

At its core, menswear is about problem-solving, and Dawn Long’s ideas tend to come from the customers — she refers to them as “my boys” — who visit her by-appointment-only showroom. The last time I was there, I mentioned how difficult it was to find a workaday tote bag that fit a laptop and that I could take from the office to the gym to a nice dinner. The next day she texted me to ask if I wanted a zipper and an internal pocket. 

“The first time I walked into her showroom, I was like, Fuck this. Here’s all of my money,” said Apple, wearing a shirt that was inspired by one Leonardo DiCaprio wore in Romeo + Juliet. It features a cobra-snake motif Dawn Long found on a vintage Shelby Cobra car tee. Among the other pieces in the new collection are a pair of supple suede jeans and a handsome yellow cotton-linen mechanic jacket, as well as a turquoise hat Dawn Long wore embroidered with the phrase “The Crack of Dawn.” “It came to me when I was stoned,” she said. 

In the past, Dawn Long has thrown casual dance parties to introduce a new collection. The short film, which will screen at Bridges, is her most formal effort during Fashion Week and comes on the heels of a nomination for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, which awards the winner $300,000. “It’s a fun way to get my point across rather than a traditional presentation or show. It’s world-building,” she said. There will be an after-party, too, of course. 

Dawn Long’s world will soon be filled with a wider array of products. On a rail in her office, I caught a turquoise garment-dyed herringbone barn coat and a gossamer V-neck knit in a matching shade. She is also preparing to launch a line of “EDL Classics” that will include what she describes as “the perfect jeans,” which will be stocked in a brick-and-mortar store she’s opening in Echo Park. And she’s also already plotting what she’ll do if she wins the CFDA/Vogue prize in November. Tacked on a wall of her office are loose sketches under the heading “Paris runway show.” She tells me it’s a placeholder for now, but the ambition is clear. “It’s very much ‘Go big or go home,’” she said.

Behind the scenes of Emily Dawn Long’s spring 2027 short film. Photo-Illustration: New York Magazine; Photos: Nico Geyer

➼ The U.S. Open is the unofficial start of NYFW. Anna’s courtside, Ralph is serving sliders in his box, the celebrity turnout is bigger than any front row, and the major players are all dressed in designer labels. We’re not even at the quarterfinals yet, and already a few winners and losers have emerged: I’m not sure who introduced Andy Roddick to Thom Browne, but I’m still digging his broadcast-booth interpretation of the TB uniform last Friday night. I can’t say I was a fan of Naomi Osaka’s Allen Iverson–inspired bridal-hoodie moment, but her vintage 1997 U.S. Open hat and Supreme x MM6 Maison Margiela x Timberland boots are incredible archival pulls, courtesy of (who else but) her new stylist, Law Roach. Jannik Sinner pulled out of the tournament because of an injury, which means his custom Gucci tote bag is nowhere to be seen. That leaves the men’s stage to Carlos Alcaraz, whose Travis Scott x Nike kit has sadly been upstaged by his nipples. 

➼ Carlitos could stand to take a few fashion cues from Snoopy, who may just be the best-dressed pooch in New York City right now. A bunch of designers — including Emily Bode, Zac Posen, Christopher John Rogers, and Collina Strada — designed custom pieces for an immersive exhibit at 25 Little West 12th Street through September 26. Someone get EDL on the horn!

➼ Hot take: Harry Styles’s off-duty fits are better than those onstage. In fact, this might be one of the best hot-girl walk outfits of all time: On a recent lap of Brooklyn, Harry wore Prada loafers, Adidas soccer shorts, a vintage New York Philharmonic tee, and a pair of Thistles shades, and carried what sure looks like his girlfriend Zoë Kravitz’s The Row tote. Still, I’ve also been enjoying the stagewear fit photos Harry’s stylist, Harry Lambert, has been posting after every show. It’s a feast of custom Matthieu Blazy Chanel and Michael Rider Celine. I wonder if Harry’s lookalike fit model, Freddie Hoffman, will ride the hype into Fashion Week.

➼ The big fashion story of the week is John Galliano’s Met Gala self-defenestration. The news dropped just minutes before I was set to go on Lauren Sherman’s Puck podcast, Fashion People, and it occurred to me afterward that the exhibit should be replaced with a Giorgio Armani retrospective. Sure, the late master of Milanese minimalism may not pack the whiz-bang of a McQueen or Kawakubo show, but you don’t have to be a menswear nerd to enjoy looking at 50 years of tailoring history. (The label’s archive in Milan is incredible.) It would also make for a phenomenally stylish red carpet, if last year’s dandy-themed “Superfine” show gave us anything to go by. You can listen to my conversation with Lauren here.

➼ Incidentally, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who spoke out against the Met show, is getting back into the chiffon trenches: She is modeling in the third annual Style Across the Aisle show alongside Tom Suozzi, Carolyn Maloney, and Mark Levine. Something tells me she won’t be wearing Galliano.  

➼ Everyone’s getting into the merch game, it seems. Lachlan Cartwright, the fedora-wearing author of the media newsletter Breaker, is dropping a limited number of ball caps made with Small Talk Studios on September 7. The collab joins a crowded newsletter-industrial complex that includes Feed Me towels and The Hamptons Chronicle hats. What should we make for NYL? Let me know at newyorklook@nymag.com.

Photo: Samuel Hine

I first met Jack Innanen a few years ago when he was one of several handsome mustachioed influencers taking over the Fashion Week front rows. Then I blinked and he was starring in the hit FX zoomer sitcom Adults, which has turned him into the polite, Canadian “internet boyfriend” of the moment. But Innanen also has an edge, as evidenced by his viral promo-tour looks, which have included a lot of flare jeans and at least one PG-13 graphic tee. 

They say that you should dress for the job you want. Did the “Horny” tee you wore last week make you feel any different?

It made me more horny. I was listening to my sex playlist, just walking around. What’s that really sexy Rihanna song? “Woo”? I felt like the fucking man. I really did.

You were also carrying cute little leather clutches. I think one of them was Ferragamo. Was there anything in there, or was that just for the photo?

We got torn apart on Twitter for that because people were like, “It's open, the bag's open!” It's supposed to be open. I'm learning I'm not supposed to have anything in your pockets for these press things. So I keep my phone, keys, lip balm, gum, a protein bar, and a little bag of salami and cheese in there. I brought a book to pose with. 

What were you performatively reading?

Children of Ruin. I have a picture of me on the Empire State Building reading it. I was the tallest performative man in New York City that day.

Did you pick up any style tips from Dan Levy, who's a very fashionable man, when you guys were filming Big Mistakes?

He’s always in these really beautiful striped shirts, so I picked up a couple of white striped dress shirts because on set he looks so good. I jacked his shit. You can never let a friend know that they put you on.

There’s an ad for Adults at my subway stop where you’re shaving. Can you drop your actual real-life grooming routine?

I just learned recently how to shave without getting razor burn, at 27. Besides that, I just take a razor around the mustache. And also I have a team of groomers that tell me not to touch my body, which is good. I use five-in-one shampoo on my face.

Do you have any tips for aspiring internet boyfriends? 

Honestly, Malik, who plays Samir in Adults, has been giving me a run for my money this season, which is kind of unacceptable. I would say post as much as you can on your spam account, ask to be White Boy of the Month, ask to be an internet boyfriend. You really have to seek it. You really have to put yourself out there and advocate for what you want in this world. And start reading Children of Ruin in public.

Photo: Samuel Hine

Suit: Saman Amel / T-Shirt: Emily Dawn Long / Shoes: Morjas / Necklace: Celine / Sunglasses: Thistles

Got a question for Sam? A topic you want him to cover in the newsletter? Drop him a line at newyorklook@nymag.com. 

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