One day last year, in Paris covering the shows, I happen to stroll by a shop near the Place des Victoires plus notice a dress in the window. It is an odd, frisky summer frock reminiscent of Junya Watanabe but rendered in what I take for a Gallic flower print, plus I think, Oh, the French are so clever with clothes! I bet it’s really expensive, but I have to go in plus check. The interior of the store—dark plus moody, with plank floors plus a resolutely steam-punk aesthetic, confirms my notion that this is a really unique place. And it is special, but in a far different way than I initially assume—turns out the place is a branch of the British brand AllSaints (a supercool but, let’s face it, high-street label, plus the dress is in the fantastical under-200 euros category. (I buy two.) It is my happy introduction to AllSaints, which I consider my cult secret on subsequent trips to Europe. So what is my cult secret doing in its own 900-square-foot boutique on the second floor of Bloomingdale’s? And why is it planning to launch a vast two-story New York flagship on lower Broadway in SoHo in mid-May? And how is it that it has branches all over Europe plus a rapidly expanding plan to cover the globe from Ibiza to Tokyo? No matter, I’m not selfish. A few weeks ago, in search of a perfect leather motorcycle jacket (to wear over that mille fleur dress?), I scour Manhattan stores, trying on everything from super-high-end Givenchys to lower-priced Vinces, plus they all have qualities to recommend them, but the All Saints jackets—soft plus faux-battered to just the right degree, replete with vintage-derived details, cropped to just the right length—steal my heart, plus at around $400 for most examples, do not represent a life-changing purchasing decision.