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Next Level: Laid-Back Lace
NEWSFLASH: Lace doesn’t have to be all prissy. Srsly! Here, four takes that are fly with ratty jeans and bedhead. —erica
LEVEL I: Yarnz delivers a lace-print scarf—and, adding in a few other motifs, doesn’t even make you fully commit.
LEVEL II: This Ella Moss sweatshirt belongs at a sunny cafe table, not at the gym.
LEVEL III: 3.1 Phillip Lim goes pseudo-stripy in a really killer way. And see what’s happening with the white pants? A good pairing call.
LEVEL IV: It doesn’t get more slouchy-cool than this Raquel Allegra jacket. Take the plunge.
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Next Level: Checkerboard MADNESS
Checkerboards are happening. Just ask Kerry Washington and Jessica Alba. Here, four ways to go that don’t require a step-and-repeat setting. —erica
LEVEL I: The gray-on-gray situation keeps this LnA top super-approachable.
LEVEL II: Want Les Essentiels makes is way-easy to add a (small-scale) take on the pattern to your arsenal.
LEVEL III: The classic shape—and skinny waistband—make this Kelly Wearstler dress more wearable than you’d think.
LEVEL IV: MSGM goes for it: Hey, crazy, neon flowers. On a sweatshirt.
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Of a Kind
A sweatshirt-cardigan? Is that, like, a thing? Aw, who cares. Reigning Champ is bringing on the coze. —erica
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Of a Kind
This Left Field hoodie makes us wish 1) we were able to wake up at 4 a.m. and 2) we could surf at that or any hour. —erica
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Family
Katie King, the co-designer behind the cultish men and women’s label JF & Son, has whipped up something new, and all on her own this time: Using the tried-and-true sweatshirt as the line’s canvas, the Brooklyn-based whiz found an outlet for all her out- of-the-ordinary textile ideas. “Since we design so many styles for JF & Son, I loved the idea of having a fixed shape with an easy fit and applying various prints and fabric manipulations to it. Plus, it can be a little sister and steal fabrics and textile swatches from JF & Son,” the Parsons grad, who started out in the costume-design realm, says.
Katie groups her just-crazy, completely wearable creations into themes, or families, as she calls them—a concept that also points to the line’s name. “I liked the idea that there would be little groups centered around a visual idea or textile technique,” she says. But that’s not all: Each of cluster of styles is shot on a real brood, an idea that came from Family’s very talented photographer, Dan McMahon. “I liked that they could be worn by people of all ages, sexes, and sizes, and I think families are a great way to convey that,” Katie explains. “It also makes the shoots themselves really enjoyable because everyone is comfortable and has fun together.” That’s right: good, old-fashioned Family fun. —alisha prakash
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Next Level: Rust
Today’s post is brought to you by the color rust—the sort of hue you only get your hands on if you throw it down for a Crayola 120-pack or pony up for one of these pieces. —erica
LEVEL I: God knows we love a fashion sweatshirt, and this MHL by Margaret Howell one will keep your white jeans in play well into the fall.
LEVEL II: Sessun = the king of the Frenchie dress.
LEVEL III: A cropped flare is a wee bit tricky, but by opting for this color, you’re making it clear that you’re really going for it with your Mother Denim.
LEVEL IV: Yes, this Haider Ackermann coat is loud, but it’s also so classy that you’ll want to drop off your dry-cleaning and shine your shoes.
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In Character: Jessie Spano
Though we admired Lisa for her fashion-forwardness and Kelly for her cardboard-cutout-worthy hotness, the Baysider we related to the most was Jessie, with her sometimes-aggressive ambition, good grades, and ability to put a teenage boy in his place. Here’s how she packaged it all. —erica
A shockingly large Eugenia Kim bow headband that, along with her hair, conveys that she does nothing quietly.
A slouchy Haute Hippie sweatshirt that acts as a constant reminder as to why she kicked the caffeine pills.
An embellished, collared shirt from Equipment that alludes to her post-Columbia, power-player future.
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Meet Jesse Kamm
The L.A. designer brings us back to her roots.
She started said line in 2005, after a post-college move to California and a half-decade-long modeling career. It was in those runway years that Jesse acquainted herself with the aesthetics of fashion and discovered the gravitational pull of simple, well-made pieces. “I’ve never been caught up in trends. For me, it’s always been about things that you can wear constantly for a couple of seasons, put away, and bring back years later,” she explains. Unfulfilled by her modeling work, Jesse started sewing and getting into textile design—soon adding her own pieces to her wardrobe. And they were a hit. “I found myself getting ‘Where can I get that? Can I rent that for an editorial piece?’ enough times for me to realize that there was an amazing opportunity sitting in front of me,” the L.A. designer remembers. “And it’s weird—it came so naturally. I remember having this conversation with my dad one day. I said, ‘Dad, it feels so strange—what I’m doing is so fun and effortless, but people are into it. Everything else I’ve done in my life was such a struggle.’ And he said, ‘I think that’s how you know you’re doing what you’re meant to be doing.’” —jiayi ying
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Jesse Kamm
Art has always been in Jesse Kamm’s blood—but designing clothes was never part of the picture. “I grew up in the Midwest, and fashion was just not something I thought about,” the Illinois native recalls. “It never occurred to me that there was anything other than jeans and sweatshirts that we bought at a convenience store in my little town.” But with mom who’s a sculptor and dad who’s a guitarist, the designer spent a fair amount of her childhood years in the studio “making sculptures, instead of watching TV”—honing and appreciating the craftsmanship that would later prove helpful in launching an eponymous line of clean and classic pieces.
She started said line in 2005, after a post-college move to California and a half-decade-long modeling career. It was in those runway years that Jesse acquainted herself with the aesthetics of fashion and discovered the gravitational pull of simple, well-made pieces. “I’ve
