Despite a busier than usual Pre-Fall season, it’s surprisingly rare to see clothes that truly embody the spirit of summer. Certain mega-luxury brands can get away with fur coats and heavy knits, perhaps because their customer still shops relatively far in advance. But the girls who walk into Elizabeth and James’s store in Los Angeles are likely of the see-now-wear-immediately mind-set. Next summer, they’ll be happy to find breezy, raw-edged maxi dresses; enzyme-washed hoodies and T-shirts; and hand-stitched Japanese indigo jackets. They’re easy, unfussy pieces you can wear on the hottest beach day, then layer seamlessly into your early fall wardrobe.
The artisanal touches felt newest here, and lent an earthy, wabi-sabi feeling to wrap jackets and patchwork ponchos, underlined by the shoe of choice: classic Birkenstock sandals. It all felt consistent with Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen’s vision for E&J—refined yet casual, with long lines and surprising details—but was a slight departure from the neon brights of last season. Girls who loved their bold, one-and-done dresses will zero in on the cherry red sleeveless maxi here, which was cut in a narrow-on-top, fuller-on-bottom A-line silhouette, as well as the wear-anywhere gown in the same color with billowing sleeves.
