Fashion
J.Crew & Rouje’s New Collab Perfects The Polka-Dot Summer Dress
Don’t sleep on the lace-trimmed skirts either.
We often think of Paris as the New York of Europe (Sarah Ramos has a very divisive opinion on that), and while it might not always be true, the love of fashion both cities hold make them soul sisters in a way. Jeanne Damas might be the person to understand this the most, as she is in a love triangle with the two metropolises — and almost left one for the other. She naturally, then, makes sense for J.Crew to tap for its “From Paris to New York” collection, made in partnership with Damas’ label, Rouje.
For the unaware, Rouje is a French-girl brand, started by the ultimate French girl and made for those looking to tap into the effortless ease with which Parisians and Marseillais dress everyday. The 18-piece J.Crew collaboration is a masterclass in said style, with pieces that might not look like much on paper but will unwittingly live in your wardrobe longer than you expect.
The dresses are the stars of the show here, with a dusty-blue strapless jersey dress begging for a debut at a Nantucket or Biarritz wedding. The florals play with the J.Crew preppy ethos and are injected with that French je ne sais quoi in the form of a puff sleeve and cutesy lace hems. The matching separates are a French girl time-proven staple, and they make appearances here with a cornflower-blue set in a gauzy, humidity-proof pointelle and a blue-and-poppy-red shirt and midiskirt pairing. We’d personally mix and match these two all summer long.
The frills and flounce get their sturdy, coastal-weather-ready counterpoint in a finely realized pair of blue jeans — perfected with très Francais front pockets and a slight flare for good measure — a simple barn jacket, and a blazer ready to top any aforementioned set or dress on the chillier nights. Whether you’re staying put on the East Coast with a Maine or Cape Cod trip planned, or you’re counting down the days until you can check into your flight to Nice, the collection will meet you at your most summery moments. Now, to figure out how to narrow down four dresses to two for our carry-ons...
The J.Crew x Rouge “From Paris to New York” collaboration is now available on jcrew.com and rouje.com.
