WWD

By Emily Mercer on October 17, 2018

St. John presented a more streamlined and sleek collection during an intimate cocktail presentation in place of a showroom appointment for spring 2019. The brand felt even more elevated with mostly mannequins dressed in neutrals at the forefront of the floor-to-ceiling walls of the Glass Houses penthouse venue.

“We thought highlighting black, navy and white just sort of synthesized and streamlined it to the silhouette and form — to highlight slacks, jackets, dresses. There’s tons more color as well though,” explained Tom Jarrold, the brand’s senior vice president of marketing, branding and communications.

The silhouettes were light and easy: a long caftan continued from resort was updated in white, but also offered short and in fiery red. Transparencies made for important details in the collection on dresses and blazers. The brand is making due diligence to keep new collections close to its core DNA — continuing long line and tweed jackets, a wide array of “New Standard” basics, and dresses — while maintaining a less embellished, tightly edited and focused approach going forward.