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St. John's New Standard: Dressing The Leaders Of The Future!

This article is more than 6 years old.

With the recent introduction of The New Standard, women's knitwear brand, St. John, has maintained a fine balance between office-attire and leisure-wear to meet the expectations of contemporary top-management women. We recently sat down with Greg Myler, Senior VP head of design at St. John, to discuss how the womenswear staple is constantly evolving, current challenges facing the womenswear market and how The New Standard collection speaks to the contemporary, diverse and sophisticated woman.

Joseph DeAcetis: How would you describe the St. John “woman”? Who is the St. John “woman”?

Greg Myler: The St. John woman possess optimism, vitality, and confidence. She leads a full, busy life and is never idle or passive no matter her age or occupation.  She is exceptional by her own design. The St. John woman is constantly evolving, and The New Standard collection speaks to the way she is dressing for work today. It is about creating iconic pieces that she can pair back with almost anything in her wardrobe and will be able to take her from desk to dinner. We wanted to offer a capsule that is professional enough for the office but relaxed and modern enough for dinner.

St. John

JD: How would you describe the current creative direction of St. John?

GM: We are designing for the modern woman and addressing all her wardrobe needs. The New Standard was designed to address the needs of our current customer’s wardrobe, but also speaks to how the modern career woman is dressing today. The idea is to offer key essentials that will last from season to season in a modern and stylish way. They are the investment pieces that will take her from day to evening.

St. John

JD: How is St. John adapting and/or evolving to the current social media dominate trend that is “influencers”?

GM: We have wonderful relationships with some of the fashion industry’s top influencers. We enjoy working with them and play an important part in connecting with both new and current customers through social channels and they offer a unique styling point of view. Influencers add a fun and dynamic to our incredible community of St. John women.

 

St. John

JD: In your words, describe to our readers how St John is adapting to the current style modifications currently being seen around the nation in the women’s workforce. 

GM: The objective of The New Standard was to build a capsule collection of what could best be described as a wardrobe for today’s professional, working women. “Modern" work wear - not a suit, not a uniform per se; but, instead separate fashion items, stand-alone pieces, that give women the choice to put together their own uniform- a way of self-expression. The New Standard consists of 15 stand-alone pieces than can be worn together or as separates. It is an updated capsule of our brand’s most iconic pieces from classic boucle jackets and oversized blazers to legendary knits all in black. Inspired by strong modern shapes that still poses a feminine touch. The days of power dressing are gone, we wanted to shake up the St. John woman’s work wardrobe and let the power of her feminine side shine. Some highlights from the collection include:

  • Our new twist on the iconic jacket in featherweight knit boucle with a raw edge finish and chain detail goes with everything – our wide leg pant, with jeans, or even thrown over a dress.
  • Our Milano Cape paired with our Stretch Leather Leggings offers a modern and powerful feel with a feminine touch.
  • Our ribbed knit two piece top and skirt is a nod to the original St. John Knits designed in 1962, with shoulder button details and an asymmetrical hem skirt.
  • Our Tunic Dress is perfect as a standalone piece but is also versatile enough to be worn over our Stretch Leather Leggings.
  • The New Standard is now available online, at St. John boutiques and in select specialty retailers, the pieces range in price from $595 - $1,795.

St. John

JD: Statistics prove that there will be a greater percentage of women in top management in the next ten years. How will this affect St. John’s silhouette, color, fabrications… Will there be more powerful nuances in the collection?

GM: The St. John woman is constantly evolving, and we wanted to provide a collection that speaks to the way she is dressing for work today. It is about creating iconic pieces that she can pair back with almost anything in her wardrobe and will be able to take her from desk to dinner. We wanted to offer a capsule that is professional enough for the office but relaxed and modern enough for dinner. We will continue to evolve with her and address her wardrobe needs as they grow and change.

JD: What are your biggest risks right now in the challenging world of fashion?

  • The challenge we are seeing right now is to create a professional wardrobe that is appropriate enough for work and modern enough for the evening, one that fits seamlessly into her life while still looking polished yet relaxed. We created The New Standard to address these very issues. 

St. John

JD: What are your greatest achievements relative to St John?

GM: John is an American luxury house founded in 1962 on the premise of an iconic knit dress. Unique American Design with a core in signature innovative knits and an undisputed reputation for luxury and quality. One of my greatest achievements as a designer along with the Design team has been being able to maintain that level of quality and innovation that our customers have come to expect while still evolving the brand.