St. John Previews Fall 2003
St. John’s recent fashion show seemed more like a fashion convention than a preview for the company’s Fall 2003 collection.
The March 14 event at the Bren Events Center at the University of California, Irvine, was attended by dozens of women dressed to the nines in St. John clothing.
Seated in the front row were several well-manicured and distinguished men, mostly buyers or personal friends who could have passed for the handsome fellows featured with St. John model and co-chief executive officer Kelly Gray in the company’s glossy magazine advertisements.
Equally intriguing was the fashion on the runway. Opulent, stylish and youthful, St. John’s Fall 2003 line is made up of several collections that offer looks ranging from eveningwear and career suiting to designer spor tswear and leisurewear.
Long-sleeved sweater coats with faux fur and sequined details worn over denim pants and satin blouses; a black-sequined, asymmetrical, Mexican-inspired dress with midlength ruffled sleeves; cream-colored suede pants wor n with a brown-and-cream poncho; and a black sequined, one-shoulder knit sweater with matching flair pants were a few stand-out pieces for Fall.
Chief designer and co-founder Marie Gray said the collection emphasizes separate pieces for a variety of lifestyles.
“We’re trying to bridge the gap between the new- and older-generation customers,” Gray explained. “It’s about newness and new proportions with a variety of skirt and jacket lengths and pant looks.”
New to the collection are Santana miniskirts (a shorter version of the line’s career skirting), athletic looks and designer denim styles. Not surprisingly, St. John does a superb job of incorporating its signature look into casual styles with modern cuts and fancy fabrications. —Claudia Figueroa
