Time to Pillage Your Glamorous Grandma's Wardrobe
St. John is back and it's cool now
Did you hear? St. John — the upscale knitwear brand popularized in the 1990s by glamorous older women with volumized hair — is back.
If you thrift a lot, you are familiar with St. John. Their knitwear pieces can often be found in the “boutique” section of Goodwill, and are usually more highly priced than other brands. But you can also sometimes just find their pieces scattered throughout the store. I’ve found literally dozens of pieces of St. John over the year and often leave them behind because for so long, the pieces felt dated.
Trends are cyclical and the brand is now cool again (and wildly expensive, to boot — so thrifting the vintage pieces is a more affordable and sustainable way to shop the trend).
Here, I’ve rounded up some looks that would work with St. John knits. Some of the pieces below are vintage and available to shop on eBay, and some are new — but based on pieces in the brand’s archive, that could easily be found while vintage shopping.
St. John tweed jacket // studded belt // thank you tee // straight-leg jeans // black and orange leather pouch // chunky loafers // blush
St. John vintage knit leopard-print skirt (under $50!) // black ribbed tank top (under $20!) // oversized blazer // heeled sandals // J. Crew feather clutch // crystal and emerald earrings // red lipstick
St. John vintage knit high-waisted pants // oversized striped button-down shirt // New Balance sneakers // mini basket-weave bag // gold hoops // chain necklace
Rapid Fire
What I’m listening to: The Tortured Poet’s Department (duh). If you’re one of those people who, in an effort to be different, doesn’t listen to Taylor Swift, I’m so sorry. I love The National, I have long adored Imogen Heap and find it hilarious that the same people who listen to those artists make fun of Swifties (both of those artists have collaborated with Taylor for many years, so the notion that she is pure mainstream pop is funny to me). Her latest album is a little disjointed, but includes some of her best songs yet, IMO. “Fortnite,” “The Tortured Poet’s Department,” and “But Daddy I Love Him” are all absolutely incredible, both lyrically and sonically. If you get it, you get it. If not, it’s okay. Keep trying until you do.
Speaking of St. John and because it is 4/20 weekend: This is what I mean when I say the brand is back. They just collaborated with Edie Parker on a line of “burn bags” — perfectly preppy bags made of archival St. John fabrics., and each with a hidden, retractable lighter within (it’s part of a larger line of elevated, fun smoking accessories by Edie Parker ad laughingly dubbed Weedie Parker).
An interesting read: The New York Times asked a host of designers to name the most iconic pieces of furniture from the last century. The answers might surprise you, as they run the gamut from sofas by well-known designers to the standard plastic patio chair we’ve all sat in at one point in our lives.
and I’ll leave you with this…