St. John Knits is a American company that is located in Irvine California, Beginning in the 1960's Marie Gray made her mark in the fashion Industry by creating some of the best knits know to women. With her creativity and thoughts of the hard working women she designed knits that make a statement. These precious knits are worn all over the world. Marie Gray has designed her collections to be worn for all occasions. From business to evening and casual wear you can't miss the class and style of a St. John Knit. St. John knits designed these amazing garments with travel in mind. Most of her knits are made out of the miraculous Santana Knit which is a brilliant combination of 80% Wool and 20% Rayon. This blend allows the knit to be packed in a suitcase without the traveler’s concern for wrinkles.

St. John, an elegant, American classic, remains true to a tradition of exacting workmanship and sophisticated style. Internationally recognized for tailored knit suits, timeless sportswear and captivating eveningwear, St. John enjoys a devoted clientele of women who enjoy looking chic, polished and refined.

St. John Knits are loved by women all over world, and many questions are asked.

Alterations:
There are several processes that can be done to the knits by professionals who specialize in alterations. There is a process called “Wet-Blocking,” which is done by wetting the garment than pinning it out on a board to the desired dimensions, and then letting them dry, usually over several days. There is another process called “Steam-Blocking,” which is done with either a good iron or steamer. This process adds inches to the knits while holding their shape without damaging the knit. Usually no more that 2 inches and sometimes more can be added by either process. Finally, Altering can be done to many of the knits to reduce the size. Some of the knits that have embellishment, such as Paillettes or Stones, are usually hand set and secured with an adhesive. These garments may be more challenging so it is imperative to check with your alteration professional to make sure your needs can be met before purchasing any garment.  Remember, even a moth hole, a snag or fade mark can be repaired. There are many reputable private companies that specialize in these procedures and can bring your knits back to life. All these processes should be done by experts that are familiar with these knits.

Cleaning: VERY IMPORTANT!
I find that these Knits don't need to be dry-cleaned every time you wear them proper storage in a breathable bag not only protect them it will freshen them up, because moths are attracted to perfumes I wouldn't suggest any type of fresheners in the bag for a long period of time. When you take your knits to a cleaner first make sure they are familiar with this designer as many cleaners won't take responsibility for damaging your Knits/Investment. Once you have found a cleaners try to have your pieces that complete a suit cleaned together, this will help if there is some fading or normal color changes during the cleaning process. These Knits are colored with dye so in time there will be some slight fading. White knits tend to be more challenging they will yellow over a period of time, so it's very important to clean these together.

These knits are to be Dry-Cleaned I don't recommend anything but this process, There are store cleaners that claim to be gentle on garments used in the dryer, these knits were designed to be dry-cleaned for a reason and I would say your INVESTMENT should be enough proof.

Also make sure your buttons are covered with foil before cleaning! This will protect the gold on the buttons and reduce tarnishing. In addition, buttons with rhinestones may need to be removed for cleaning and re-sewn after, this will protect the tiny stones from falling out during the cleaning process.

Remember, St. John Knits are an investment and if you take proper care of them, they will last forever.

Color Concerns:
Santana Knit in the color “Bright White” can oxidize over time because of the Rayon content. This can make it difficult to match your other “Bright White” pieces to. This will happen over time from normal wear, cleanings and sun light. Good storage will help protect them from some of this. Once they have oxidized, there is no way to get the original color back.
Navy items can also be hard to match. This is also caused from normal wear and dry cleaning chemicals.  Navy's can be problematic to match because St. John had a “dye lot problem” in 2003, (which has since been resolved,) so it is important to take your Navy pieces with you when shopping so you can find the best match possible.

If you should have any questions please feel free to contact us. Thank you for visiting our site.