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Hold on to a piece of clothing and, sooner or later, it will come back in style. Then chances are your daughter will promptly want to borrow it—just as Reilly Lavrich, 26, did last September with her mother’s circa-2005 St. John Knits pantsuit. Instead of heading to a job interview in predictable black, Lavrich, who works in real estate in Manhattan, seized on the chocolate brown, leather-trimmed, gold-zippered pantsuit. “It looked classy and like something no one else was wearing,” she said.
That might not be true for long. Heritage brands such as St. John, Escada and Bally—which fell into style obscurity after their 1980s and ’90s glory days—are experiencing a revival. The clientele driving the renaissance? Women in their 20s, 30s and 40s who once witnessed their mothers’ and grandmothers’ devotion to the brands.
“Customers are looking for color and a heritage feel,” said celebrity stylist Yael Quint of the shift away from quiet luxury’s dreary grays and beiges and other predictable outfit formulas. Factor in return-to-office mandates, and the appetite for quality power pieces with a pulse makes even more sense.
During its heyday, wearing St. John “was like, ‘I’ve arrived,’” said New York City stylist Tania Sterl of the bright, contrast-trim knits.
A St. John Knits 2025 Spring collection look (left) draws on the structured knits and electric blue color of an an outfit from the early 1990s (right)ST. JOHN; ELIZABETH COETZEE/WSJ (AD)
Today, shoppers increasingly vie to score the vintage pieces on resale sites. Online marketplace Depop says searches between June 2024 and January increased by 139% year-over-year for St. John and 100% for Escada.
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