St. John Fashion Line Proves Surprisingly Light and Sassy

St. John Knits Inc. showed off some surprisingly young and sexy looks last week in the company’s first fashion show since the founding Gray family and a New York investment firm bought the upscale clothier.

In addition to the classic knits that have made St. John famous, models showed off hip-hugging skirts, accessorized bellybuttons and outfits with see-through patches at the leg, midriff and shoulders.

The show got especially lively toward the end as the company showed off its casual St. John Sport line, which Chief Executive Robert E. Gray said has been selling well. Accentuating a new, youthful attitude, the prancing models even tossed their caps into the audience.

After the show, St. John admirers praised the line’s vivid colors and glimmering fabrics and said they particularly liked the “youthful stuff.”

“They definitely needed that to survive,” said Vel Turney, a 40-year-old mortgage broker from Newport Beach. “I think the G&G; was my fave.” (St. John now uses that abbreviated name for its Griffith & Gray line.)

Mary Toole, a Lake Forest resident who owns an executive search firm, agreed that it was smart for the Irvine-based company to make some changes.

“I haven’t bought a St. John Knit for years,” she said. “It’s nice to see something youthful instead of the same kind of stuff.”

Of course, there was also the usual grumbling about how skinny one would have to be to wear some of the slinkier outfits. And some wincing at the prospect of capris (cropped pants) with spike heels, which prompted one woman to utter: “Get real.”