THE JOURNAL
Introducing The Elder Statesman’s New Holiday Collection – Where Handcraft Meets Fun
In winter, there is a feeling that we must protect ourselves above all else. We wear thick layers where preservation takes precedence over personality. Our style choices become muffled in cumbersome wool sweaters and itchy scarves that have been left, stricken, in drawers. But that feeling doesn’t need to be reality – especially when The Elder Statesman exists.
For those of you who are uninitiated, the brand was established in 2007 in Los Angeles by Mr Greg Chait. Fittingly, the label oozes West Coast, SoCal sophistication. It is known for thoughtful clothing that is well-made, with robust, local provenance. And its wares just happen to be warm, too.
This winter, The Elder Statesman is inviting us to express ourselves. You can see it in the creative direction taken by Ms Bailey Hunter with the new Holiday 2023 collection, which, helpfully, our buyers and stylists have laid out on MR PORTER’s virtual shelves for you to choose from. There is an old-school refinement seen in muted shades and relaxed tailored silhouettes – much like The Elder Statesman’s cashmere wool, dark forest green suit. There are loud, proud colours to represent any personality. Signature motifs abound, such as vibrant hand-painted flower powers, eyes, dots and stripes.
This direction is informed by a production model that is very much bespoke, and very much in-house. The Elder Statesmen Arts & Crafts factory, based in Los Angeles, produces most of the brand’s clothing, and it has its own pattern packaging. You will see handmade processes, hand-powered machine knitting, hand-patchwork and hand-dyeing – with a mix of cashmere and deadstock boucle yarns. This is the crafty, creative attitude of Southern California at its finest. Except when it’s not. By that, we mean it’s the best of somewhere else, treating craft and materials like crucial elements of a dying art. No pun intended. Much like the new plaid and striped cashmere hand woven in Central America on backstrap looms that you may see in a boxy jacket here or a drawcord trouser there.
When we say “finest”, we mean it. Only the highest grade materials will do. There are relaxed suits made from cashmere woven in Italy (lined with rainbow gradient-dyed silk, of course). There are flat-front and pleated trousers, button-up shirts and coats made from 100 per cent heavyweight cashmere woven into plaid and stripe patterns. There are Fair Isle motifs and chunky hand-knit sweaters in organic cotton.
What does a brand do with such expressive energy, such dedication to craft and beautiful materials? Making clothing for others to wear is a wonderful way to share it. But The Elder Statesmen has decided to go one step further – it has partnered up with friends from its community who share these same values.
The Elder Statesmen and its holiday collection is not about looking forward. It’s not about getting through this weather or making do. It is about pleasure and expression in the moment. However cold or wet it may be. It is about hand-dyed patterns that show our true character. Tailoring that lets us really move. And patchwork details and silk linings that show a hidden soul, a deep appreciation for craft.