Fans of Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen’s contemporary label, Elizabeth and James, may have noticed it was missing from the Spring ’16 calendar this past September. That’s because they were busy bringing their design and production teams in-house—before, the brand was licensed with an outside apparel group. Now that all operations are under one roof, the Olsens have an even bigger influence on the clothes, and it showed in their Pre-fall collection.
Many qualities associated with their personal style could be detected in the looser silhouettes, cozy textures, and casual-meets-luxe attitude. Versatile, mix-and-match pieces were key: see the slouchy wide-leg pants—destined to be the pant shape of 2016—mixed with cotton tanks, plush sweaters, or, in the case of a blush satin suit, a long blazer. Similarly, a few stretchy ribbed-knit dresses could be worn alone or layered over skirts. There was also a new emphasis on knitwear, like a bouclé sweater with long sashes at the sides that could be looped around the waist or left trailing down. That’s the kind of wardrobe workhorse an E&J shopper will zero in on: It’s simple and familiar, but cool enough to spice up jeans, leather leggings, or the asymmetrical satin skirts seen elsewhere in the collection.
