St John fall 2021

"This season, St. John creative director Zoe Turner focused on reinventing tweed. The label is well known for prim suits in the material, but Turner imbued the house signature with a youthful airiness. “As much as it is about offering what we all know and love about St. John, it really is now time to push the collection forward” Turner said.... spoken like a totally undedicated and self-involved designer who has not one iota of a clue as to what made the brand a juggernaut in the 80’s and it sure as fuck wasn’t tweed!

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Anyone who knows anything about fashion history knows that St John was a machine loomed knit that copied/imitated the “Chanel” style and it was that Nancy Reagan/ADOLFO like suit that made then Greys famous and rich.

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But of course, we have reviewers who can’t remember what they saw last week and have less of an interest as to the reality of what the DNA of the brand in its original incarnation was all about.

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 George Sharp was the only designer who took the stigma of that knit suit (NOT TWEED) and turned the brand in a chic lady’s choice for her everyday wardrobe at affordable prices but then again, if it was salable that didn’t suit, pun intended, the fashion media or the powers that be.... here’s a little clue... this pile won’t be making headlines or front pages for any number of reasons, which to be honest, I don’t care to further enumerate.  Look for yourself... what blows your skirt up here.... where is there any continuity and the tweed they show looks like an H&M version of CHANEL ...woo hooo!

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As I read earlier, the internet and amazon can’t fix fashion............ designers with knowledge and creativity will fix it and keep it going but sadly they are not the ones that get the spot light!

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St John Resort 2014

Dear Greg,

You know I had been a great fan and supporter of George Sharp during his tenure at St John and then when he left, Greg Myler took over the reins just trashed what George did… shame on you after all it would have been so easy to build on George’s legacy!  I know that every new design regime wants to put their imprimatur on a brand but hell, if you have a great base why not build on it and capitalize on it?

Long story short, and probably a bit too long, it took a few years and you guys to finally find your footing again and so this season YAY... you are back … hopefully to stay!

You know some readers/bloggers/critics have no idea what a HUGE force you were in the fashion business for years nor do they know that you were the number one resource at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman’s and Nordstrom’s.  Well, that ship has long since sailed BUT there is hope and a need for a resource such as the newly imagined St John of the 21^st century.

I really would like to extend my congratulations to you and the design team for delivering a beautiful collection that is fashion worthy and savvy as well as wearable, trend driven and to a great degree universal in appeal.  Now, don’t get me wrong and think that I believe this collection can be compared to a Dior or Oscar or Armani but hell, this collection can SELL.  I know it is very unfashionable to discuss sales or salability but you know, you guys might just strike gold here.  It is conceivable that you will win back some clients and even create some new ones but you gotta keep doing what you’re doing and keep your eye on the ball, all of that said, don’t change your design outlook for Spring and go over the top trendoid or underwhelmingly boring… EVOLVE!

You struck the vein that screams wearable and yet has a certain degree of chic and it is this train of thought that George Sharp brought to the collection and now finally you have tapped back in to it.  I am proud to review a collection like this that is merchant oriented as well as consumer oriented and not wildly concerned about “WALI”.. Euphemistically speaking: Will Anna Like It? 

Who cares, money is power and editorials don’t ring cash registers so who’s a winner now?

P.S… you really gotta get the pant lengths straightened out ..some not long enough and  some too long AND get a model that is more humanly proportioned

New Yrok Collections fall 2013 .. St John

Once upon a time there was a  collection known as St John Knits which was owned and operated by the Grey family; mommy, daddy and overreaching daughter.  The clothes were what can only be described as clothes for women who didn’t want to think or couldn’t figure out how to put an outfit together.  The entire collection was based on Adolfo and Chanel like suits and in time, evolved to a full collection albeit always in that knit which made them famous and very rich.  No matter what the overreaching daughter did by plastering her face all over the advertising proved to be a non-event as the clothes remained the same and the ego of the overreaching daughter was satisfied.

In due time, the company was sold, a couple of Greys are still hanging around and then all of a sudden appeared a man by the George Sharp who,  after several huge missteps within the company involving image and fit, whipped that “old broad” aka St John Knits into this chic tasteful and sophisticated collection that had great retail appeal .  Mr. Sharp took the challenge and ran with it albeit not as long as one had hoped for.  In essence, he raised the bar and set a new direction.

The name of the current designer escapes me at the moment, but no matter … “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING HERE?”  The clothes are harmless and accessorized minimally but what is most striking here is that whoever directed this photo session needs to be taken out and put out of his or her misery.  The models, while certainly attractive enough and well groomed enough, in a Veronica Lake way,  appear to be almost frozen if not dead in their stances and pose, a little more animated would have been nice.  The deer in the headlights moment does nothing to enhance the blandness of the collection.  Now, shall we discuss that it would have been better if the clothes were properly fitted or adjusted for the girls so that they didn’t give the appearance of being ill fitting … duh!   Pants that don’t fit through the crotch and dresses that are too tight across the hips of already emaciated girls is not exactly what dream collections are made of.  St John has always had a substantial accessory business and yet this was all we got.

The take away here is that the foundation was set by the previous designer and now 2 or 3 collections later, the ball has been dropped and that foundation has not been built upon with any sort of memorable results.  In a time when reimagined collections need to attract their latest  clients with beautiful clothes that are simple to understand, St John has missed that boat.  What once was a mainstay of stores like Nordstrom and Bloomingdales and even Saks Fifth Avenue, has morphed into just another pile of clothes with no particular “destination” ... a ship to nowhere!

NYC fashion; Fall 2012 Fashion Week ...St John