The point of departure for The Elder Statesman’s latest collection was actually a question: What do we leave behind? Not in the sense of leaving this earth; more like, “What do you bring when you leave a moment,” explained Greg Chait, who had his personal answer ready: “I feel like I’m leaving a good vibe and good luck.”
As he and The Elder Statesman are essentially indivisible, these materialized as a composition of positive symbols (hearts, clovers, sevens, scarab beetles) created by tattoo artist–turned–ceramist Adam Shrewsbury. The printed racing suit in the brand’s woven fabric was the collection’s hero piece, and with the small addition of ribbed cuffs, it looked nicely finished, as well. Sweaters with creative arrangements of highway signage, road maps, and aeronautical references offered additional novelty—Chait explained that they interpreted souvenirs of American pastimes post-WWII and also, in a broader sense, reminded us of the road ahead, the journey. But the eye easily landed on creations that were less season specific. An eye on a cotton-cashmere T-shirt, for instance—unremarkably basic except to the touch. This was also true of the cashmere robe in chromatic squares, which delivered indulgent softness. One of Chait’s assistants had on the indigo checkerboard cotton work dress, a dead ringer for denim and flirty with a double zip (it also came as a men’s pant).
Elsewhere, hand-loomed stripe ensembles channeling TV color bars, name-embroidered shirts (featuring the brand’s inner circle), and knit sweaters punctuated with hand-painted fungi were all low-key lively. Given The Elder Statesman’s individualist spirit (you certainly don’t buy these pieces to blend in), a blue-black sweater-vest made for an unusual point of pride. But Chait said it “took forever” to perfect. “Try to do simple,” he said. “This was a revolution for us.”
