St. John’s senior vice president of design, Greg Myler, derived the pre-fall collection from the idea of the “global market bazaar,” a fusion of textures and cultures, specifically East meets West. Frankly, it was handled with such subtlety that one barely noticed it. Gilded brocades seemed to be the main nod eastward, otherwise the collection was about classic St. John style: beautiful knits worked into jackets, jogging pants, a navy sequined evening dress and a gold-and-black lightweight plissé gown with understated Seventies swagger, which was the standout of the collection. Myler did a nice job treating St. John tradition with a light, unstuffy hand. Much of the cocktail attire was embellished with an impressive understatement, for example, a caped silk dress studded with tiny crystal trim.