Jill Stuart (Q4822)
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Jill Stuart is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Jill Stuart |
Jill Stuart is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
1993
creative director
Jill Stuart was like a kid in a candy store yesterday. At her studio space in Midtown Manhattan, the designer kept pulling her Fall 2019 pieces off the rack and saying things like: “This one I wore the other day with a black velvet jacket.” She moved to another dress and exclaimed, “I think I may wear this one to the Academy Awards party I’m going to.” Stuart then explained that this collection, more than others in recent seasons, was so her. It’s a bit darker and heavier than her usual dainty, floral-decorated repertoire, with rock star–worthy lamé velvet and punk-ish polka-dot tulle. There’s a quirky-cool rainbow-striped suit, which Stuart has nicknamed “the Jagger,” after Mick, as well as a long, satin smoking jacket-dress with a puff sleeve, a brand new silhouette for the label. “There are a lot of new silhouettes, textures, and mixes of color,” The designer noted. “I really wanted to take a new approach and add a refreshed point of view.”While the approach didn’t exactly seem entirely refreshed for the Jill Stuart DNA—it was as fun, whimsical, and feminine as it always is—it did feel new in the sense that Stuart put more of her own personality into the clothes this time around. She got wild with it, combining separates like a matching striped bodysuit with a pair of sharp fuchsia trousers, and a sheer, lacy blouse with flared check pants with a matching cape. There were still a couple of pretty floral-print frocks, but overall, Fall 2019 was more of an exploration of Stuart’s personal style, one that her longtime fans will undoubtedly love to play with just as much as she does.
15 February 2019
Jill Stuart is known for her ’90s micro-florals and ruffled party dresses, which have remained desirable (both here and around the world—she has a huge business in Asia) throughout her 25-year career. She’s dabbled with minimalism and other trends, and the experiments haven’t always been successful. But as the fashion pendulum has swung back to those delicate, naive-feeling frocks, she’s reverting to what she does best. It’s true that young women have fewer reasons to buy a party dress these days, but Stuart’s lean, ’40s-ish ones are ideal for summer weddings; one puffed-sleeve, nipped-waist style has been so popular it reappears every season in a handful of prints and fabrications.In some ways, Stuart reduced that dress down to its essence for Spring 2019: In a weightless, transparent organza, it was more of a layering piece to style over a slip dress, jeans, or simply a bra and briefs. Stuart introduced sheer dresses and skirts last summer, most of them with puffed sleeves and printed with sugary-sweet florals, and the newest iteration for Spring was a sheer plaid suit. See-through pants are a tricky concept, but the blazer would make a cool alternative to a denim jacket next summer, especially on extra-humid days like these.In her Garment District showroom, Stuart said the 1974 movieCeline and Julie Go Boatinginspired it all. The ’70s are one of her most consistent touchstones, and there were hints of Celine and Julie’s costumes in the super-flared trousers and subtle Western details. A long-sleeved, mid-length sheer dress with a ruffled collar touched on the decade’s prairie moment, too, which felt more relevant to 2019 fashion. Women are very much into prim, covered-up prairie dresses at the moment (largely thanks to other brands, from Dôen and Batsheva to Erdem), and they might just need a sheer version to round out their collection.
14 September 2018
This time last year, Jill Stuart was proposing completely sheer floral dresses and skirts for Resort. They were really more like accessories or layering pieces: Tea-length frocks were shown over slips, full skirts came with high-rise briefs, and sheer blouses were buttoned over ribbed bodysuits. The concept was such a hit with Stuart fans (and Stuart herself—she was wearing last season’s floaty pink dress over a slip for this appointment), she’s made it a consistent part of her repertoire.Resort 2019’s versions were a bit darker and, surprisingly, a little Western. A few transparent, puffed-sleeve dresses came in her signature ditsy florals, but Stuart also developed less likely blush and black plaids. They turned up on retro, wide-collared blouses and ruffled skirts, though girls who want to look a little less sweet might go for the filmy maroon button-down and matching trousers. There were subtler doses of transparency, too: A few diaphanous silk dresses had big, fluttery sheer sleeves and came with “goddess” illustrations that Stuart’s team drew in-house.Elsewhere, Stuart embraced her new favorite color combination: lilac and mint. Both shades appeared on a lace-trimmed slip skirt, and there was a simple, minty-green satin dress with a ruffled lilac yoke. Those pieces were quintessentially Jill Stuart: unabashedly feminine, a little ’90s, and inherently easy to wear.
21 June 2018
The season is still young, but one narrative is quickly rising to the surface: the celebration of female power. Jill Stuart felt the call for empowerment, though hers manifested specifically through the arts. “Individuality and women expressing themselves through art,” she said of her collection’s message.Stuart began by reminiscing about the Chelsea Girl movement and her desire for a more “intimate and eclectic” affair than a runway show, which led her to the National Arts Club in Gramercy. It is a private 19th-century house littered with old oil paintings; many are portraits of women, which struck Stuart as a happy coincidence given her female-centric show.Her daughter Sophie Curtis took part and was featured on the invite, illustrated by Langley Fox. One model sat at the piano, playing and singing as guests walked through five rooms to encounter several vignettes: a girl in a metallic brocade coat and microfloral silk dress engrossed in a copy ofPulp Fiction, next to another reclined on a chaise with a large velvet bow in her hair. Stuart sent the collection’s key gold brocade print to Botanic Bakery and commissioned white frosted sugar cookies, painted with gold leaf and pressed with edible violets to match it; they sat on little plates next to a model in a prim black dress with ruffled cuffs and white riding boots.The clothes were grand and romantic in the sort of Old World style that befit the setting: tiers of black lace and florals on a high-necked dress and a model reading tarot cards in jacquard and velvet. “It’s all about liberation, and I want the woman to feel liberated wearing the clothing,” said Stuart. Above all else, it was a pretty affair, and there is something freeing in that.
10 February 2018
To celebrate her 25th year in business, Jill Stuart returned to her archive, as so many designers do. But rather than remix original pieces, she decided to draw more abstract inspiration from her past. “This is a new collection,” she was careful to note backstage. “None of the pieces were taken from my archive; they were inspired by my archive, from ’93 to now.”And so, Stuart turned out more of the soft florals that have defined her work, inspired by a botanical garden. The first was layers of sheer silk organza, printed with pink and blue hydrangeas. A rose butterfly-lace piece with leg-of-mutton sleeves was a personal favorite of hers, and the models wore sweet fishnet ankle socks with platform sandals. Tiered ruffles and poetic puff sleeves were a recurring theme, but Stuart was keen to inject a little edge to reflect her personal evolution. “It’s always been feminine, but now there’s a little more rock ’n’ roll to it,” she said. To wit, psychedelic rock band Psychic Ills played live, and Chloë Sevigny sat front row in polka-dotted tulle. A few standout pieces dispensed with the florals, like a blue pinstripe dress with a Juliet sleeve and a black flounce-sleeved knit layered beneath it.Notably, Stuart chose to collaborate with two young female designers for this collection, featuring jewelry by Lady Grey and belts by Zana Bayne. The bondage corsets and a delicate gold-chain body harness, shaped like a bustier, caught the eye (the latter when paired with one of those clean striped dresses). “I know their careers are going very far; they’re passionate about what they do,” Stuart said. She would know.
9 September 2017
A newfound obsession with essential oils helped inform Jill Stuart’s creative process this season. “I’ve been using them a lot and they just really inspired me for the collection,” she said. “I think clothes are like a favorite song or a favorite perfume.” If that’s the case, then the Fall 2017 collection was a sultry rich blend, with earthy tones and Champagne notes. She worked with lots of sheer gold tulle embroidered with liquid gold Swiss dots, effectively evoking oil’s more shimmering and mercurial qualities.Since oils and alchemy were on her mind, it’s no wonder she found inventive ways to blend fabrics. That gold tulle was often fused to black velvet or sewn over a sand-hued base or exploding out of a taffeta bodice at the sleeves. A red skirt had panels of velvet and tulle in almost-matching shades of bright red, allowing for a better study in contrasts. Lurex, velvet, and schoolboy wools gave the floatier fabrics like the tulle—but also a floral chiffon—a luxurious weightiness further grounded by the rich palette. “I think the collection is a conversation of fabrics and textures,” said Stuart.The silhouettes were Victorian by way of the ’70s, with puffed shoulders and tiered peasant-style skirts that slightly recalled a young Yves Saint Laurent’s Rive Gauche. One could almost smell the patchouli.
11 February 2017
Jill Stuart’s new collection evoked a ballerina finishing a performance, kicking off her pointe shoes, and heading straight to a party. She might throw a floral dress over her leggings in the back of a cab, or layer a Lurex knit under a chiffon slip. When those pretty things are part of your work wardrobe, why bother bringing a separate outfit?For the non-dancers among us, Stuart’s chiffon skirts and jersey wrap dresses will help you at least live out the fantasy. Slips and knitwear are a strong suit for the designer, so the best Spring ’17 looks usually involved one of those; an asymmetrical black satin slip with a single ruffle was among the simpler propositions, but it stood out as an instant classic. The light-catching champagne slip would make a bolder statement, but not nearly as bold as the wallpaper floral frocks, which felt a little too reminiscent of a few major collections we saw last season. Stuart tried her hand at the shirting trend too: A banker-striped blouse with a hidden corset will no doubt be popular in stores, but it didn’t look quite right with the lace-up pedal pushers it walked the runway with.On a more fashion-forward note, several looks were punctuated by ribbed Lurex sleeves, a riff on the traditional ballet sweater. They worked surprisingly well with a simple jersey dress. It was a cool styling idea for the chilly months ahead, but if today’s 98-degree heat index was any indication, we’ll be waiting a while to see if girls actually try the look in real life.
11 September 2016
A few seasons ago, ruffles and off-the-shoulder silhouettes were brand-new trends. Now they’re no-brainers—can you think of a designer who hasn’t tried them? They’ve always been some ofJill Stuart’s signatures. For Resort, she updated her frilly blouses and cold-shoulder dresses with airy, packable fabrics fit for a weekend in the country. There was crispy poplin, ribbed knits, and surprisingly light seersucker—all of which would resist wrinkles after being stuffed in a carry-on. Stuart focused much of her attention on finding the lightest, prettiest materials she could get her hands on; the cloque on a wallpaper-floral dress was particularly nice, and she developed a weightless linen chambray for buoyant, flouncy ruffled tops.It might have all appeared a bit too frothy if not for the super–wide-leg pants. They hung straight from the hips, and Stuart tried them in every fabrication, from lingerie-inspired lilac satin to chambray. Most of the pants came with a big sash to knot at the waist—all the better to show off a crop top or bustier—but they looked cooler under longer tops and dresses.
10 June 2016
After 25 years in business, Jill Stuart showed her first Pre-Fall collection this morning. She was urged by retailers to add the in-between season to meet customer demand for nonstop newness; in the middle of summer, the Jill Stuart girl wants one thing: dresses. So she designed a few handfuls of them: There was her best-selling wrap dress, updated with a deep ruffled neckline; a few bubble-sleeved dresses in floral-printed cotton; a long-sleeved, body-skimming viscose dress that felt better than a nightgown; and a classic prairie dress in a ’90s ivory floral. They covered a lot of bases, but almost all of them could be worn year-round and captured the easy-yet-special feeling most women want in a dress these days.A few dresses also came in menswear-inspired fabrics, like a red micro-check, a navy “tie silk” jacquard, and a beige Glen plaid. It was new territory for Stuart, but worked nicely for Pre-Fall, a season premised on year-round wearability. It’s no secret that men’s fabrics are trending on major runways, but Stuart’s customer probably isn’t into the oversize, shoulder-padded suits we’ve seen elsewhere. She’s more likely to wear the trend in a quintessentially “Jill Stuart” way: as a sensual dress in an unexpected plaid, or a tailored check jacket layered over a floral frock.
14 December 2017
Jill Stuart is coming up on her 25th year in business, a milestone most designers can only dream of. She was there for many of fashion’s big moments, like ’90s grunge and the dawn of the World Wide Web, but some things never change: She’s still best known for her floral prints, unabashedly feminine dresses, and simply pretty clothes.In this way, Resort was quintessentially Stuart. There was an abundance of ’90s-ish florals and sweet, ’40s-ish dresses, but she gave both ideas a refresh with clever tweaks in fabric and styling. Some dresses were whisper-sheer, so Stuart layered them over ribbed bodysuits or clashing slips. Her most fashion-forward customers will probably wear them with T-shirts and jeans, too. Stuart transposed florals on slippery nylon, as well, a concept that worked better on a long parka than it did on a button-down. Also a little sporty: graphic nylon bodysuits that can do double duty as swimsuits.That said, her best pieces were the ones that required little explanation—easy, bias-cut dresses you could throw on and live in all season long. Women are gravitating toward those one-and-done, day-to-night dresses, and if you’re in the mood for florals, you won’t find prettier options than Stuart’s.
21 June 2017
Not so long ago, Jill Stuart was associated with a sweet, charming kind of femininity—think ruffles, eyelet, and pastel florals. That description couldn’t be further from her glam-rock Fall collection, which she showed today against a psychedelic backdrop by Joshua Light Show. Metallic skirts, rhinestone chokers, and whisper-sheer dresses were a sexy, surprising departure for Stuart, but they were clothes you could only get away with wearing after dark. “I was thinking about how fun it is to just go to a great party and do a smoky eye and put on a fabulous dress and feel alive,” Stuart said before the show.A few jewel-studded dresses near the end of the show, like Waleska Gorczevski’s slinky velvet number, would make cool LBD alternatives for a fall soirée. And it was refreshing to see comforting fabrics like chenille and wide-wale corduroy mixed in with all that sex appeal. But it was hard not to registerHedi Slimane’sSaint Laurentin all the hip-hugging miniskirts, red fishnet tights, and Lurex dresses. At first glance, you wouldn’t necessarily know these clothes were by Jill Stuart, and that’s not a good position to be in; she would have fared better by reimagining her signatures and maintaining a few more common threads throughout her collections.
13 February 2016
Jill Stuartdesigns wearable, hyper-feminine clothes with a woman in mind, rather than a particular reference point. From the first look, it was clear Spring was all about an exuberant, hip-shaking party girl. There were yards of flowing satin, from a languid slip to the designer’s new take on the voluminous, high-neck blouse that’s still trending right now. It was easy to envision Studio 54 when a pair of superwide flares hit the runway, but Stuart wasn’t really that focused on the past. “I think this is just how girls are dressing today,” she explained backstage. She used adjectives like vibrant, dancy, and magnetic—the same words you could use to describeSolange Knowles, who was sitting in the front row.Stuart’s following is a loyal one, so the suede skirts and tiered floral gowns will no doubt generate long wish lists. But a few of the pieces won’t be as easy to pull off, like high-rise satin culottes that spotlight your hips or a truly miniature ruffled bandeau. The best looks emphasized texture, but would still flatter a wide range of women, like a shimmery, ankle-length floral dress with a cropped sweater layered on top.
12 September 2015
Jill Stuart's latest collection ticked all the need-it-now boxes. Suede button-front skirt, check. High-collar blouse, check. Flared trousers, boho embroidery, and barely there slipdress? Check, check, check. Stuart has a knack for distilling the season's top trends right as they're heating up, like Fall's A-line miniskirts and boxy jackets. While it's easy to find other designers' influence in her clothes, Stuart succeeds in making the trends palatable for her customers, who hail from uptown, downtown, and everywhere in between. For Resort, that meant mixing those of-the-moment shapes with romantic prints inspired by the dark, surrealist photography of Irina Ionesco. Ruffled tops and willowy dresses were covered in wild black or dusty pink florals similar to the real blooms in Ionesco's work. Elsewhere, Stuart incorporated flowers in a sweeter, almost artificial way, as on a white appliquéd tunic worn over a linen T-shirt and white pants. Those layering propositions felt particularly new for the brand, but we're betting the suede ponchos—which were styled with shorts on Ally Ertel in the lookbook but would pass as dresses on shorter women—will be top sellers.
3 June 2015
It girl-deejay may be the ultimate gig going these days, and it was that mold which Jill Stuart embraced as the inspiration for today's outing (though it's worth noting that the pro manning the turntables, Brendan Fallis, was missing an X chromosome). The designer promised party clothes with a splash of edge, and, indeed, her offerings in general have swayed a bit more to the downtown in recent seasons. If there have been any doubts as to just how influential Nicolas Ghesquière's work since his Louis Vuitton debut has been, Stuart's Fall collection put them swiftly to rest—though she's far from New York's only culprit. From model Julia Bergshoeff's opening look to the moment closer Kate Grigorieva stalked off, there was a whole lot of Ghesquière going on here. The glossy oxblood pieces, the A-line minis teamed with turtlenecks and boxy little jackets, and the curved heels of the boots all felt a little derivative. Stuart's more winning items, like her signature party dresses in black velvet or pinstriped metallic separates, hit their own stride and were stronger for it. Here's hoping we'll find more of that stride from Stuart come spring.
14 February 2015
"It's softer dressing," Jill Stuart said of Spring 2015, which took the washed-out 1970s vibe of her Resort collection and ran with it. Silhouettes were long and slightly A-line, like a midi-length wrap dress in sand-colored suede, or a below-the-knee box-pleat skirt in a lightweight nubby tweed. There was a lot of kimono-like wrapping at the waist on dresses, blouses, and skirts, done in what Stuart called "makeup" colors—rose, clay, blush. A few easy-to-digest prints, including a blue pajama stripe on cotton that was fashioned into a tie-front dress, rounded things out. The pinafore, something of a Stuart signature, was reinterpreted in a cream cotton silk closed up with snaps. And one-shoulder styles were given new life in micro-pleated printed cotton or fil coupe.All in all, there was little to complain about here. It was a sophisticated look for Stuart's contemporary customer, who seems to be in search of something new in the crowded racks of generically sporty separates and girly-girl frocks.
6 September 2014
For Resort, Jill Stuart envisioned "a sophisticated tomboy with her golden, toned body melting under the sun," she said at a studio preview. A "cruise" outing in the truest sense, the new collection was full of breezy, lightweight fabrics such as crisp cottons, washed chambrays, and soft linens ideal for a vacation getaway or balmy days—that explains why Stuart couldn't wait to re-create the new samples for her own summer wardrobe.While the contemporary designer is best known for her ultra-girly wares, she struck a cleaner, more grown-up note here with standouts including a boxy poplin camp shirt paired with matching cuffed shorts, and faded indigo surplus jumpsuits. Those comparatively casual pieces ultimately felt fresher than Stuart's signature frilly baby dolls, but she certainly didn't abandon femininity. The clingy knit bodysuits layered underneath several looks added a sleek yet sexy edge to the mix, as did borrowed-from-the-beau button-ups in pinstriped silk and a black cutout bra top styled with a pareo-like wrap skirt. All in all, the lineup scored points for its relative restraint and suggested that Stuart is headed in a promisingly pared-down direction.
2 June 2014
In recent seasons, Jill Stuart has allowed herself to drift toward a more freewheeling, edgy look. Backstage before her Fall runway show, the designer described her muse this season as "a girl with attitude who likes to pick her clothes instinctively. She's massively unpredictable and boyishly poetic—an irregular beauty." Stuart worked with a variety of lush fabrics, including crystal-studded velvet, suede, and creamy satin, and didn't skimp on opulent furs; a standout coat combined beaver, rabbit, and mink. Stuart achieved a balance of sweet and sexy with a soft knit bodysuit worn underneath a leather wrap skirt, and exuded elegance with a silk turtleneck blouse (with trailing ties in back) paired with slim, tailored trousers.The second half of the lineup consisted of the designer's signature party dresses, which seemed to get increasingly intricate with each model's exit. Thigh-grazing A-line styles came in specialty fabrications such as laser-cut wool felt accented with gunmetal sequins. Another strapless style featured allover embroidery and sparkly embellishment. Meanwhile, long, cozy coats and hooded capes cut from brushed mohair that had a lived-in, pilled effect were a high point. The look modeled by Drake Burnette—a strappy black and raspberry-colored coat—nicely encapsulated Stuart's message. While her sexy LBDs read bottle-service club, the quality outerwear displayed a downtown sophistication.
7 February 2014
While she was vacationing in Patmos this summer, Jill Stuart found herself "thinking about rock stars' girlfriends—particularly ones from the seventies—on holiday, and then they go back to the city and put on a leather skirt," she said backstage after her Spring runway show today. With that in mind, Stuart conjured up a modern-day Marianne Faithfull—perhaps a cool, carefree girl like Lily Aldridge—lounging beachside in a thigh-grazing embroidered caftan or a diagonal-striped terry pullover tossed over her bikini. At night, she'd slip into a flirty mesh baby doll, smudge her eyes with kohl, and bound out for a concert or soirée.While Stuart worked mostly in signature feminine fabrications like eyelet lace and appliquéd organza, the silhouettes here were definitely sexed up—and occasionally a tad too suggestive. Gauzy bold-shouldered crop tops (yes, that trend is still going full speed this season) were paired with kicky miniskirts, and polished denim pieces including a mod shift felt more street-ready than most of Stuart's signature sweet wares. On the sultrier side of the spectrum, several frocks that were both super-short and super-sheer weren't exactly the kind of thing you'd wear to dinner at your boyfriend's parents' house. Ditto goes for a little black leather dress with a plunging-to-the-sternum neckline, particularly when worn with towering wooden-wedge heels. Those naughtier numbers aside, the lineup successfully presented modern ideas to Stuart's contemporary, fashion-forward customer.
6 September 2013
Jill Stuart can cut a fun and flirty frock with the best of them; her new Resort collection is an exercise in romantic occasion-wear. The lineup's standout, a peony-colored A-line tea dress covered with laser-cut petals, had its red-carpet debut earlier this week, when the designer herself wore it to the CFDA Awards. It was between that one, she told us, and a pretty knee-length number done in an iridescent foiled gauze.The Bling Ring's Katie Chang looked age appropriate in a graphic Fall ’13 look at a photo call in Cannes, proving that Stuart's frocks appeal to a wide range of customers. Chang is about the same age as the designer's three girls.One might assume you'd have to be a teenager to pull off this collection's matching crop top and bloomer shorts, but Stuart stressed that similar bandeaux have consistently sold out since she introduced them a year ago. Retail-friendly pieces are what a commercial season like Resort is all about.
3 June 2013
What would Stella Tennant and her aristocratic friends wear to a dinner party in the English countryside, capped off with a spirited game of charades? That was the question Jill Stuart mused on while developing her Fall collection. Judging by what she sent down the runway, Stuart had a darkly romantic vision for Tennant and company. There were tailored wool jackets and topcoats with exaggerated lapels, sculpted arms, and hook-and-eye closures that had a Victorian feel, particularly when styled with poetic bow-neck blouses. Sticking to a sober palette of black, white, and navy for most of the lineup, Stuart added interest with custom-developed, textured fabrics like a lightweight, coated raffia. It was utilized in several standout looks including the kicky A-line skirt paired with a sparkly turtleneck sweatshirt that was worn by Julia Nobis.While Stuart enjoys experimenting with new daywear silhouettes each season, her label remains a destination for frothy party frocks. She tossed plenty of them into the mix, and some were more successful than others. A handful of graphic, striped minidresses smacked of Spring Marc Jacobs and could've stood to lose a few of their peplums or ruffle details. However, those occasional slipups were redeemed by a quartet of jewel-tone satin numbers featuring laser-cut petals. The rose-colored, flouncy closer, in particular, was Stuart at her girly best.
8 February 2013
Jill Stuart has long been typecast as the good-girl designer, but today's show proved she has somewhat of a naughty streak, too. Inspired by Kim Basinger's character inL.A. Confidential(who is oft referenced in fashion), Stuart's new collection channeled a certain faded Hollywood glamour with boudoir-ready pieces in a muted palette of champagne, black, and lipstick pink.A satin bralet top and tap shorts set came topped with a cargo-pocket jacquard trench, for example, and a slouchy silk suit offered pajamalike ease—if you're into that trend still. While see-through lace nightgowns and cropped bustier tops with sheer organza sleeves and high, ruffled necklines seemed relatively sexy for Stuart, they were still utterly feminine and PG-13, in keeping with the label's customers. Meanwhile, disco-ball-sequin peplum tops and slinky tank gowns maintained the glam factor here.
7 September 2012
After heading in a darker direction for Fall with a collection inspired by the musician Nick Cave's muses, Jill Stuart is back on a softer, girlier path for Resort. At a preview at her showroom, the designer explained that she'd been reminiscing over Corinne Day's work forThe Face—think Kate Moss at a mid-nineties garden tea party. The vibe came across with a tiered chiffon maxi dress in a romantic English rose print (naturally, Day would've shot it with a pair of Dr. Martens combat boots) as well as with a sweet, sheer white frock worn over silk bloomers.In the past few seasons, Stuart has been increasingly drawn to dense, embroidered fabrics like the floral one seen here on a bustierlike crop top paired with an A-line skirt. When we first noticed bandeaus on the Spring '12 runways, we were skeptical of their real-world wearability, but after seeing scads of them on both the red carpets and the streets, we're convinced that Stuart's customers will embrace the look.
3 June 2012
For Fall, Jill Stuart channeled "the dark, magical world of Nick Cave's women." Speaking backstage before today's show, she reeled off a list of the singer's sometime collaborators and lovers, including PJ Harvey, Lydia Lunch, and his wife, Susie Bick. "They all have this mysterious nonchalance about them," she said.The designer achieved this kind of noir charm with rich floral-embroidered lace (seen on the opening long-sleeve frock worn by current campaign model, Daphne Groeneveld), berry-hue chinoiserie silks, and vampy patent platform boots. While this lineup was a cool departure from Stuart's typically sunny fare, she never lost sight of her ultrafeminine customer base. Youthful yet prim-collar peplum tops and oversize schoolgirl peacoats kept the look identifiably lighthearted.
10 February 2012
"I wanted it to look like a dream, a fantasy, a fairy tale," Jill Stuart said backstage after her runway show today. Her Spring collection was filled with cotton-candy pastels: bubblegum pinks, powder blues, lemony yellows. We've come to expect this kind of sweet assortment from her over the years. True to form, there were plenty of charming scallop hemlines, organza slipdresses, and darling prints (palm trees, polka dots, birds, and, if you looked closely enough, even a fewSailor Moon-esque cartoon dolls).What was fresh for Stuart was her experimentation with texture, which was inspired by the Danish artist Evren Tekinoktay's bold, layered collages. Heavy silk jackets and dresses had a puckered, coverlet appearance; and newcomer model-to-watch Karo Mrozkova worked a snug, popcorn-knit sweater to perfection. Ruby Aldridge's two looks were some of the best in show (but then again, Ruby can make just about anything look cool). For her first runway turn, she sported a quilted, color-blocked patchwork blazer; and for her second, a blush-colored shorts suit paired with an aqua-trim Peter Pan blouse. At times, Stuart's clothes can be a tad twee. But the right girl—say, Jaime King, who dazzled in the front row this morning (wearing Jill Stuart, of course)—brings out the sexy-sweet side of her designs.
9 September 2011
Lolita on the French Riviera? If you're Jill Stuart, why not? The designer loves injecting a little innocence into her collections with whimsical prints, and she showed dandelions and "little chickies" here on darling rompers and dresses that had 1940's silhouettes (Stuart's favorite had a slim collar and keyhole neckline). Other key looks included denimlike linen separates and pajama-esque palazzo pants that paired with a matching silk T-shirt—the designer mentioned she'd like to wear that outfit on the vacation she's taking to St. Bart's with her daughter later this month.
7 June 2011
For Fall, Jill Stuart was inspired by Heidi Specker's photos of the Black Forest in Germany. "I love how she views nature architecturally," the designer explained backstage before the show. This reference came across in the collection via color-blocking in a palette of vibrant autumn hues—currant, teal, cognac, and emerald. And there was a more literal interpretation of the enchanted-forest theme with whimsical owls and foxes screen-printed on to-the-knee silk shifts and exaggerated cap-sleeve blouses. On that note, Stuart also showed several of what she called "Bambi" deer furs (printed on rabbit); a belted tunic that hung open at the sides was particularly notable. The string of metallic frocks featuring a complex mix of sunburst and plissé prints had an Art Deco vibe and should appeal to Stuart's girly customer, particularly the bright salmon number worn by Anais Pouliot. But one of the coolest looks in the collection didn't have lots of bells and whistles: The drop-waist dress with a pleated "lipstick" suede skirt and leather cognac bodice stood out, showing that Stuart knows how to stay ahead of the curve.
11 February 2011
Spring marked a return to the quintessential Jill Stuart girl, after a few seasons that explored affectedly tougher territory. Here was the whimsical romance we've come to expect over the years, and plenty of it. There were cascades of ruffles, hefty helpings of pleats, and lace applied every which way. A trapeze dress worn by Lindsey Wixson came with a charming silhouette print and ruffled collar; a sheer, striped frock with voluminous petticoats swished with each step.Beyond the flounces, there was a scattering of structured looks. A nipped-in silk tuxedo and a navy cape with exaggerated shoulders did look sleek and modern—but also, unfortunately, out of place. Stuart kept pace with the trends by lowering hemlines and sticking with neutrals (champagne, blush, ivory, and ebony). That unvarying color palette was what ultimately bonded together this rather sprawling collection. It was tried-and-true Stuart, and that is, after all, what keeps front-row flashbulb magnets like Kim Kardashian and Jessica Szohr coming back for more.
10 September 2010
After a season or two exploring harder-edged looks, Jill Stuart is going back to her roots. The flowy, flowery, soft dresses with which the designer first made her name are back in full force for Resort. The designer explained at her presentation tonight that she'd been watchingStones in Exile, the new documentary about the Stones' Villa Nellcôte sojourn, when the tax exiles holed up in the South of France with a bevy of beauties in tow. The three collection muses were two Stones-era style icons and one latter-day heiress to their throne: Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull, and Charlotte Gainsbourg.In this print-heavy collection, each even got a print named after her: blue water lilies for Anita, red lily pads for Marianne, and a spray of mixed florals for Charlotte. A host of dresses in the prints are cute enough to satisfy Stuart's large fan base, though sometimes—as in the case of a bow-front party frock—sweet turned to cloying. But trend watchers should be happy with the matching blouse-and-trouser sets that have been one of the big stories of Resort this year.
22 June 2010
It was a cross-generational moment backstage at Jill Stuart as the designer introduced her mother, a former designer, and daughter Morgan, who's now working with Stuart and joined her for a post-show bow. Her Fall muses spanned decades as well. "I was thinking of women like Charlotte Gainsbourg and Marianne Faithfull," she said. "Women who aren't afraid of mixing prints and silhouettes and textures."The dark, rock 'n' roll-tinged mix on the runway included sexy body-con draping and its polar opposite, heavy menswear tailoring with chunky, sometimes head-swallowing, knits. Dresses came very short and tightly wound around the body, some with asymmetrical necks, others with big shoulders—a sort of Balmain for the teenybopper set. However, one of the best, a black lacquered lace frock, had only a nipped waist. These abbreviated numbers will no doubt be well received by the global flock of trend-loving girls who have made Stuart's business a booming one, but what was more interesting here were the less skin-baring looks. Hooded sweater coats and menswear-inspired evening options, like a tuxedo jacket and shorts or a lace blouse tucked into high-waisted trousers, had a sophistication that's often missing at this label.
14 February 2010
Goodbye, feathers and fringe. Hello, studs and spandex. After a Fall collection inspired by groovy seventies rock chicks, Jill Stuart clicked up the hard glamour quotient for an eighties extravaganza. The look here was sexy and aggressive—dare we say a little slutty—with booty-skimming and tight dresses, some inset with sheer panels and metal mesh. It would be very generous to call a white leather corset with laser-cut lace sides a "dress." And an animal-print sequin cocktail number could probably fold up into a party girl's clutch. Some looks came layered with spandex tights that offered a bit of decency, but not much. At times, Grecian-inspired jersey softened the look, either draped on body-con dresses or as a white fluttering top paired with second-skin jeans. But there was still enough hardware to make IBM nervous, with big, fat, glossy silver balls trimming nipped-waist jackets and covering a strapless peplum dress. If it all sounds like a bit much, it was—even taking thematic eighties excess into account. Stuart's look isn't about a minimal runway, but here things got a little messy. As for the designer's girlish fans, they might have a hard time pulling out a favorite. Perhaps for Spring, they'll have to settle for the designer's booming beauty collection, launched earlier this year, which harks back to her romantic, vintage roots.
13 September 2009
Jill Stuart wants to rock—sartorially, that is. And so she did with a Fall collection inspired by "iconic women of music." Stuart mentioned Françoise Hardy, but also very present in this louche mix of leather, lace, and velvet were Anita Pallenberg, Stevie Nicks, and even a touch of early Madonna. As she's done in the past, Stuart played the look both ways—dark and vixen-y on the one hand and angelic on the other. In the latter camp was an ivory tailcoat on Marina Peres, worn, as most looks were, with a tilted fedora topped with lace flowers that immediately said: Bianca—Mick—wedding day. The many dandified tailcoats and use of millinery throughout served as the necessary masculine foil to Stuart's typically very girlish leanings. Leather pants, topped with fringed, webby knits or lace poet blouses, did the same. Then again, Stuart can't forget her core customer, who loves a pretty, straightforward frock, so a floral embroidered blush chiffon dress and a black bugle-beaded number slipped in without rippling the surface. The same can't be said of a plain black princess coat that made its wearer look like she'd taken a wrong turn somewhere. Perhaps she was the chaperone. After all, with a group of young girls wearing so much eye makeup, there's bound to be some bad behavior.
15 February 2009
Jill Stuart played to her girlish base for Spring with a collection of floaty dresses that jetéd straight from the world of the ballerina. Though Stuart has been known to get a little saccharine at times, there were, thankfully, no tutus here. Instead, the designer seemed inspired by a sort of ad hoc rehearsing-the-dancer look, with leggings worn under layered, fluttery chiffon dresses, and strips of tulle knotted around wrists and ankles. Garçon jackets worn over dresses also worked to ground the collection's dreamy quality and inject a bit of edge. Stuart pushed her theme with harem pants, the best worn casually with a drapey cardigan and jersey top. The look reminded some of Marc Jacobs a few seasons ago, but if ever there were a time to propose a tricky pant, it's now. It may be a silly cliché to think that every woman wanted to be a ballerina as a little girl, but we're guessing that Stuart will sell to a few who really did.
7 September 2008
Jill Stuart re-created her Fall show in Tokyo during the city's March fashion week. (Stuart is big enough in Japan to be thronged for post-show autographs.) But the designer didn't take home any Far Eastern references. For Resort, she stayed well within her comfort zone of short, girlish dresses in Laura Ashley-esque florals and fresh, vaguely Victorian white cottons—just the sort of thing that makes her a hit amongkawaii-loving Japanese girls. Still, the only news here was the white denim with a seventies cut, a hint, we hear, of the designer's direction for Spring.
24 June 2008
"Joan of Arc—a sophisticated revolutionary," said Jill Stuart backstage, explaining her choice of Fall muse. "She's very intellectual, very audacious." Sounds like a serious lass to us. But in the hands of Stuart, whose stock-in-trade is still a particularly sweet brand of girlishness, the situation wasn't quite so severe. Instead, the designer veered from the slink of a navy jersey dress toughened up with a military touch of braid trim on the shoulder to the more buttoned-up chic of a schoolgirl blazer with an insignia. There was also the straight prettiness of a strapless party dress, and the cool, masculine/feminine look of a lean velvet waistcoat. For accessories, Stuart gave her freedom fighter chain-mail jewelry, wide leather belts, and floppy gauntlet gloves. Like others who've shown this week, the designer was clearly fascinated by rich textures—velvet, sequins, matelassé, bouclé—and they added glimmer to the somber palette of black and navy. Though she could have made her point in fewer iterations, there was certainly something here for every Stuart fan.
3 February 2008
Jill Stuart had just wrapped an interview in which she praised the punctuality and professionalism of Lindsay Lohan, her current ad campaign star and America's number one screwup (poor Britney excluded). The designer probably shouldn't have been surprised by the next question: Did her Spring collection have a good-girls-behaving-badly theme?Stuart paused before answering. "No," she said, smiling.But the fashion industry, like the country at large, is obviously fascinated with the delinquent sorority sisters of Hollywood. And despite Stuart's somewhat coy denial, there were plenty of devilish ideas about angels gone wrong on her runway. It began with a dreamy parade of cotton candy organza cut into minidresses, rompers, and jumpsuits with darling ruffles. But then, like Anakin becoming Lord Vader, the show turned to the dark side. There was familiar bad-girl wear, like a strapless catsuit, but also more sophisticated silhouettes, some bow blouses and tuxedos in all black, and long Lucite chains wrapped around necks with a wink-wink ball-and-chain effect. Fun, yes. Wearable? Not particularly.Trend alert: Stuart isn't the only designer experimenting with translucent organza these days. But it remains an open question how much Stuart's young and young-at-heart fans, specifically, will enjoy stepping into the stiff, sheer silk. We hope her starlet clients remember to wear panties.
9 September 2007
Showing at her usual venue, the grand New York Public Library, Jill Stuart seemed just a touch breathless. Perhaps it's because chez Stuart there's quite a bit to talk about. Her debut men's collection, named Stuart Curtis, is about to hit stores for spring. She just launched Jill, a lower-priced collection meant to deliver her flirty fare to a younger customer. And she recently signed a licensing deal with Tim Schifter to make handbags, one of which (a luscious, oversize black patent shopper) she modeled for the backstage crowd.Out on the runway, Fall found Stuart back in a favorite haunt: the vintage store. This time she was working in the reliably fertile Swinging Sixties spirit of Emma Peel, Françoise Hardy, and Twiggy. Somehow, unlike other blasts from the past (the Roaring Twenties, say), the bold colors and clean shapes of that era tend not to feel as bogged down in a mire of nostalgia.Despite a few overly literal interpretations of Courrèges or Paco Rabanne, Stuart kept her leggy minidresses, skinny pants, and boxy little jackets fresh and relevant to the modern customer. Still, the show soon lapsed into repetitive territory: Stuart could have made her point more strongly with fewer looks.
4 February 2007
Jill Stuart's show began with a surprise: Danish male model Mathias Lauridsen. Yes, Stuart has launched a menswear line (named Stuart Curtis because it was created in conjunction with her husband, Ron Curtis). That wasn't the only trick the designer had up her sleeve in this collection. The women's clothes were built around corsetry, and while lingerie is a recurring theme for Stuart, this time around boning and structure replaced satiny, starlet-style pieces.This was a move in the right direction, as it took the designer away from her overfamiliar vintage vibe (even if it's difficult to picture some of these sheer ensembles working outside of the bedroom). She also made good (though rather too much) use of the trapeze shape. Of particular note were a black lace number and a swingy pleated ivory lace look with a V-back and bows at the shoulders.
10 September 2006
Jill Stuart's fall collection marked a change in direction, with some looks suggesting a new horizon, and a few others pointing toward a dead end. From the cossack-collared trapeze coat that opened the show—and the black-clad rocker girls who followed—there was an air of London cool that swept down the runway, erasing any thought of Stuart's usual sugary, ornamental fare. Instead the emphasis was on long and lean: great coats and sweeping skirts slit up the front and worn with blouson-sleeve blouses for an equestrienne-meets-goth vibe, and skinny black jeans, beaded vests, and a mouse-print minidress that seemed to be cut with the young and slender in mind.Stuart was trying to push the envelope, but she still wants to cater to a wide audience; for every downtown look—such as the Dior-esque black-and-silver-striped minidress with matching scarf—there was something safer, like the bare-backed jersey gowns which were vying for a spot on the charity gala circuit.The designer mostly achieved her aim of making this collection "cleaned up and modern," but with a show comprising 50 looks, there was certainly room to edit: There were too many Empire and thirties-inspired dresses, and some of them just looked like vintage redone. Yes, there was a sense that Stuart is more clued in to how young women dress today, but the designer hasn't entirely abandoned the past.
5 February 2006
"Jill Stuart is a rock star in Japan," exclaimed vintage dealer Mark Walsh after the show. It's easy to see why; backstage, Stuart said that she was focused on "innocence and sensuality," qualities that play big in the East. Although the Asian presence was larger than ever at this girly, frilly show, the collection may play well at home this time, too.The opening look on Ekaterina, a diaphanous white baby-doll dress with lace trimmings, set the mood for the lingerie-inspired looks that followed. A pale palette was dappled with tea-stained tulle blouses, with rosettes and lace insets, matched with slim skirts. Yellow, peach, and pale-pink dresses mingled among the designer's self-designed floral chiffon prints. All were adorned with corsages and pinwheels of ribbon work and asymmetric hems. The white, crochet-front bathing suits with shirred backs had a forties fabulousness, and the petal dresses just before the finale were simply charming.This season, Stuart's obsession with vintage and artisanal techniques proved to be a winning combination, since it meshed well with spring's emphasis on decorative handicrafts. Despite some misses, Stuart's overall idiosyncratic aesthetic fit into the bigger picture. All of that intricate, hand-done ribbon work, Irish crochet, rosettes, and corsages added up to a collection that was refreshingly consistent and will boost her fan base on both sides of the Pacific.
11 September 2005
The Jill Stuart show always draws a large contingent of Japanese press and buyers—apparently, according to one of the editors on hand today, thanks to thekawaiiquality of the designer's aesthetic. Translation: the sweet, pretty values that encompass everything from the models (always innocent-looking) to Stuart's penchant for everything decorative.Stuart worked a fresh, amethyst palette for fall, showcased most attractively in an ombré peasant-style skirt made of strips of variously hued lace. Also noteworthy were snug equestrian jackets and the first look, a velvet coat cinched tightly at the waist with a beautifully embroidered wide belt. Her use of pretty French fabrics, like a red and white toile and an eighteenth-century-style silk floral, tied in with the current craze for all things Marie Antoinette, though a slightly panniered purple toile dress went astray. As a whole, the collection was a grab bag:Anna Karenina(Cossack coat) meetsNational Velvet, with a dash of Lanvin (a sequined sage peasant blouse) and Madame Grès (the finale's goddess dresses) thrown in for good measure.
6 February 2005
At first, something different seemed to be in the air at Jill Stuart this season. Nicky Hilton in the front row. Stuart taking her bow with Bijou Phillips. And an essentially one-song soundtrack—that rocker classic "Stairway to Heaven." But all those hints didn't really lead to any big surprises. The show featured long-haired girls in vintage-looking dresses cut in thirties silhouettes, body-hugging jackets (this season paired with bloomer-style shorts), and wonderful bathing suits with a forties flair.Each season, Stuart plays with embellishment and accessories to update her shapes. She was on trend with her use of smocking and pleats, wooden wedges, and groovy belts worn at the natural waistline, but her decorative motifs—running from metal studs to a star-printed fabric, to Carmen Miranda fruit charms, to appliquéd pieced-cotton flowers on denim and chiffon—were less focused. The strongest pieces, as usual, were her dresses, like a belted polka dot number with a keyhole neckline. And putting chiffon dresses over lamé bathing suits is a clever way to deal with transparency, as well as the right thing to wear to a pool party.
12 September 2004
Jill Stuart seems to have found a show format she's comfortable with and she stuck with it for fall, opening—as she did last season—with a well-tailored coat and closing with a bias-cut gown. Spring's emphasis on lingerie gave way to a lot of tweed, as well as a series of riding-style looks—tight jackets with a Victorian-Russian flavor, worn with cigarette-slim pants. Among the designer's signature vintage-inspired looks were a multitude of pretty dresses, like a tiered, silver lace piece worn by Luca Gadjus and several delicate chiffon dresses beaded in a simple starburst pattern.
8 February 2004
Since half of Jill Stuart’s SoHo shop is dedicated to the designer’s vintage finds, it's no surprise that many intricate details typical of these pieces should find their way into her spring collection. This season Stuart traveled back in time from her fall show, a celebration of sixties style, to the twenties and thirties, with a strong focus on evening wear. Results varied from an overly derivative silver-beaded flapper dress to a scrumptious gown constructed from pink petals that, though vintage-inspired, looked perfect for right now.For day Stuart showed smart trenches, cut above the knee, in black and the peachy pink that is becoming a touchstone of the season, as well as tightly pleated minis in black and a red-and-blue floral that bloomed here and there throughout the show. Ribbons, ruching, and lace insets were among the many lingerie details that updated sporty pieces like bra tops, a pink sweatshirt/bed jacket (tied asymmetrically with a blue grosgrain ribbon), and the shrunken blue blazers that Stuart paired with shorts. For those in the swim, there were a variety of Hollywood-glamorous bathing suits with ruching, bows, and back zips that would look as good on the silver screen as they will poolside at the Chateau Marmont.
14 September 2003
Jill Stuart makes clothes for uptown girls who go downtown to shop. For fall, the designer took a retro turn, delving into the lighthearted romanticism of Biba, the quintessential '60s London boutique. The show opened with a drop-waisted coat over a flared skirt, a silhouette borrowed from childrenswear, which set the tone for the baby-doll inspired looks that followed—including pinafore, tunic and Empire line dresses."I returned to my roots for this collection," Stuart said. "I did the sweet, ladylike and pretty looks I love." Among these were a very grown-up fur chubby (worn by Angie Schmit) and a number of short, snappy coats—rendered in everything from tweed to solid wool to dressy Jacquard—that could be worn to class by a coed or to dinner at eight.
9 February 2003
Jill Stuart’s trendy, youthful line is aimed squarely at the hip urban woman who is on first-name terms with the latest denim lines and the coolest DJs. Stuart started as a handbag designer before branching out into clothing, and although her designs may not be breaking new ground, she has a sharp sense of how to put her own spin on the current looks.For spring, that meant a palette of colors that looked as though they’d been softened by time and wear—dusty rose, ivory, blue-gray and pale indigo. Stuart showed some nice takes on the boxy jackets and slim skirts that are in wide distribution this season, and there was a sweet nostalgia to some of the pieces, like a pink quilted satin jacket that looked like it was made from a comforter and a pretty black dress with a paper-bag neckline that would suit a modern Holly Golightly. But many of the styles evoked a more recent era. Oversize sweaters slipping off shoulders, low-riding pleated pants (paging Z. Cavaricci!) and cargo pants that ended in ribbed cuffs—all shown to a soundtrack that included Thomas Dolby and Dexy’s Midnight Runners—made the ’80s come back to life. For Stuart’s hip chick, that’s this year’s moment.
18 September 2002
Jill Stuart has a knack for zeroing in on the prevailing fashion trends and then translating them into affordable clothes that her youthful clientele can understand.For Spring, Stuart played up several of last season's key themes. Bohemian romanticism was much in evidence, via flowing, embroidered robes, gauzy washed-cotton dresses, wide-knit shawls, multi-tiered, ruffled skirts, and large, fringed bags that could have been found on the set ofAlmost Famous. With distressed cotton jackets and puff-sleeve shirts, Stuart also picked up on the street-cool look that Marc Jacobs has honed with his Marc line, throwing in bondage pants and cut-off utility shorts for good measure.What else could one possibly add to the mix? Stuart went for wide, metallic belts, and flat sandals with impossibly long, scalloped straps that crisscrossed their way up to the models' knees.
19 September 2001
Jill Stuart is known for translating the trends for her youthful clientele, making fashion fun and wearable. And her Spring 2000 collection was no exception: Comfortable, frilly tees were worn over jeans with heart-shaped pockets and embroidered detailing. There were also funky white leather bomber jackets, candy-pink camisoles and mint micro-shorts. For evening, Stuart showed pretty pastel column gowns with strappy high-heeled thong sandals that added a sexy footnote.
15 September 1999