On the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, Selena Gomez in off-the-shoulder Saint Laurent, Priyanka Chopra in corseted Del Core and others have been working a new heightened glamour in graphic black-and-white with late 1980s nods.
For St. John resort 2025, creative director Enrico Chiarparin and creative consultant Karla Welch were feeling the same mood.
“The concept overall was to capture the pleasure of getting dressed again,” Chiarparin said of fashion’s move away from casual and minimal into something more bold, graphic, layered and polished, as exemplified by a fuchsia double-faced wool coat belted over a long red skirt, styled with gloves and white pumps.
The designer made ample use of the Southern California brand’s heritage hardware and jeweled buttons, and contrasted androgynous pinstripe pants suits and plaid shorts suits with more femme pieces, such as a sleek black coat dress, and a tank dress with gold chain lacing detail at the neckline. Even St. John’s signature knits had a sharper look, as on a white car wash pleat skirt and turtleneck sweater set with grommet hardware details. Laser-cut leather jackets, grommet-embellished mock neck blouses and faux furs also looked like diva wardrobe builders.
It was curious, however, not to have a storyline for this collection linked to the West, which St. John had been pushing the last few seasons, and which distinguishes it as a California luxury brand. It seemed like a missed opportunity.
Lanvin Group-owned St. John, which recently collaborated with Edie Parker on tweed bags with built-in lighter holders ready for toking, continues to work on firing up its image. Next, the brand is opening a Beverly Hills store on Brighton Way, following its new Madison Avenue store in New York.
St. John has also taken a step into resale, hoping to lure the next generation with a capsule of vintage looks available in the New York boutique.
“We’re reestablishing our key stores in key markets to support the momentum in the change of collection and the positive feedback we’ve been getting from clients and wholesale,” said chief executive officer Andy Lew, adding that product expansion is also underway in the more accessible luxury jewelry category. “This is the next wave of the reestablishment of the brand.”