Banana Republic and La Ligne Master the Art of Fall Layering

While sifting through the expansive Banana Republic archives, La Ligne founders Molly Howard, Valerie Macaulay, and Meredith Melling discovered a striking through line with the San Francisco–based heritage brand and the essentials label they’ve spent the past 10 years building. The ease of a well-tailored coat that carries you from day to night. The versatility of a crisp white shirt, dressed up or down to your liking. The pieces in front of them felt very much attuned to the way La Ligne also thinks about the modern woman. The notion that a wardrobe should be rooted in permanence and function rather than cyclical silhouettes or micro-trends that evaporate just as quickly as they appear.

So when they rolled up their (assumingly striped) sleeves to get to work on their 36-piece collection for Banana Republic, launching September 9, the designers (two of whom, Macaulay and Melling, are former Vogue editors) kept coming back to the idea of the classics—but with the La Ligne edge infused. “Banana Republic allowed us to come to the table with ideas that took these staples and iterated on them,” says Howard. “They were incredibly open.”

That meant adding in small details like dropping a trouser hem all the way to the floor instead of stopping at the ankle, or building in an adjustable waist so pants can work “low-, mid-, or high rise,” according to Howard. There’s an asymmetrical button-down shirt that doubles as a dress. A suede skirt with an off-center slit. These are items that can shape-shift depending on the day. And that extends well beyond the individual pieces too. When working through styling combinations, the founders discovered new and inventive ways to put the looks together, creating combinations that felt surprising and very true to their brand.

“We are excited to see how customers will interpret it on their own,” says Howard. Of course, there was also a strong nostalgic pull. Melling fondly points to the Banana Republic ads of the ’90s, like Kate Moss draped in a chunky knit, as an early fashion touchstone for her. “I loved the ads with Moss,” she says.

When mulling on who would star in this campaign, actor Zoey Deutch was a first choice for both brands. “We know Zoey personally and we really believe she epitomized this collaboration and the idea of the modern woman. She’s incredibly busy, she has so many films coming out this year, and is a genuine fan of both Banana Republic and La Ligne,” Howard says. Deutch can be seen lounging around a Tribeca loft, layering T-shirts and knits and stepping out in the trench.

For the La Ligne founders, the outerwear is where enthusiasm runs especially high. “When we placed our orders, we all got the outerwear,” Melling says, laughing. The nubuck barn jacket and the trench trace back to Banana Republic’s utilitarian roots. And of course, it wouldn’t be a signature La Ligne collaboration without a stripe here and there, which can be found on the chunky knit, T-shirt, evening dress, and more.

“It was important for us to think about how the pieces evolve with the women who wear them,” explains Macaulay, emphasizing the importance of layering throughout the day as fall creeps in. “The collection definitely has that autumnal, back-to-work, back-to-school feeling,” adds Melling. Prices range from $20 to $1,500, spanning everything from a striped scarf to a suede wrap coat to the trench with a removable corduroy collar.

When pressed on what they’re most proud of in the partnership, the founders point to the quality and detail seen in every piece. “The quality is something that is really, really important to us at La Ligne,” Melling shares. It’s this exact idea that brought the two brands together in the first place: a shared belief in clothes created to last.