Brand Review: Ace & Jig

I’m cheating. If you are a diligent reader of the Swoop’s weekly newsletter, this isn’t the brand whose review was promised to be forthcoming. There are two reasons: First, I fell in love this week with Ace & Jig and couldn’t wait another minute to share them with you. Second, I picked this week’s original brand based on a great story I was going to share with you-- it was a moving tale about going to a wedding and replacing an unconscious fashion decision with a conscious one. Ya’ll were going to weep as you heard of my triumph over consumerism and victorious decision making. Except the outfit swap was a total flop, I looked like a hot mess, and I stuck to my original choice. It felt dishonest, therefore, to share a designer that has momentarily disappointed me. So please, this once, forgive me for lying to you.

Back to the matter at hand: Ace & Jig. As I mentioned earlier this week, I have begun my pre-Fall peeping into wardrobe additions. Multiple times my web clicks have revealed the same designer: Ace & Jig. There is something about these muted stripes and double cotton fabric that is calling distinctly to me. So I decided to get to the bottom of it.

Ace & Jig was founded by two best friends from design school. I love best friends. Not even just mine. I love when other people are best friends. They connected over a mutual love of antique textiles and translated that passion into being kick-ass female entrepreneurs. Each collection they produce is centered on two things: yarn-dye woven fabric and stripes. STRIPES y'all. And not just the boating variety you need to take on the high seas. The variety and diversity of stripes that Ace & Jig employs is awe-inspiring. Even better? All of these clothes are manufactured in India by experienced textile specialists who weave on ancient wooden hand looms. Plus, about 90% of those working in the factory are women (Girl Power!) The factory provides both free childcare for all the weavers and they also use reclaimed water to grown organic produce for their employees. The founders are committed to the philosophy of Kaizen which promotes constant, continuous improvement. I mean come on-- these girls are so cool they have a guiding philosophy. They aim to design clothes that are timeless, transcending both seasons and trends. The super saturated colors and reversibility common in their garments give them a global look but with a versatility that fits in across contexts.

So maybe now, you can forgive me for cheating as you feast your eyes on the beautiful items below. And perhaps join me in the hope that I could convince a couple of them to come live in my closet.

ONE: I want to say something earth-shatteringly important in a meeting in this dress right at the end of the day and then walk on over to a farmers market and buy some autumnal vegetables straight from the farmer perhaps with some homemade pasta (someone else has to do that-- my kitchen is the size of a postage stamp), and then cook a delicious dinner, sip rose (still holding on to a bit of summer, you know) and relish in my victory.
TWO: It seems that in this crazy world we live in, you are either one of two people: a jumpsuit person or a not a jumpsuit person. For the sake of transparency, I must tell you that I am a jumpsuit person. And this woven wonder of gold majesty is something of which my dreams are made. That is my political announcement for the day.
THREE: This top is how my Ace & Jig obsession REALLY swung into high gear. There is something about this shirt that spoke to me on an especially deep level. It exudes an amazing vintage feel with such deep (and closet friendly) colors and also again with the STRIPES!
FOUR: I have a bit of an obsession with tan items. I'm not sure what it is, but I just love it as a base color. In fact, almost every suitcase I pack is somehow or another themed "tan." I would LOVE to add this dress to my tan collection-- so many tonalities in one garment. But perhaps my favorite part is the contrasting neckline at the top.
FIVE: Ace & Jig makes this skirt in several patterns, but this one is my favorite. I love that it is reversible and offers the option to have either white or grey compliments-- which makes it all the more seasonally adaptable.
SIX: Against my better judgement, I recently agreed to emcee a conference. I'm going to use it as an excuse to buy a new frock... and I think this is the one. I can't get enough Swiss dots in my life, but they can sometimes come off a bit saccharine and/or juvenile. No so with this dress. I love the pop of color in the dots and the sophisticated neckline that reads either "I'm crushing it at work" or "I'm crushing it at life."

See below for all the additional reasons to love Ace & Jig: