The Jacquard Trend Is My Secret to Looking Polished This Season

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to take the creative lead on a collection with Swedish fashion house NA-KD. At the time, the brand was largely known for its modern aesthetic of clean lines and neutral shades. And while there’s certainly a place for those minimalist staples, I wanted to take a different approach. They gave me free rein to create a colorful assortment defined by one major hero piece—a green jacquard jacket.

To me, what makes an outfit interesting isn’t necessarily the basic staples, but what you choose to pair with them. I wanted to create an unexpected piece made with color, texture, and personality—something you might actually want to keep for years. (And I have.)

This jacquard jacket, complete with a built-in scarf, became my favorite piece in the collection. With its rich pattern and slightly dramatic silhouette, it did indeed bear a passing resemblance to an old, expensive sofa—and I loved it immediately.

I wore it with a gold pleated skirt and sneakers back then, and more recently, I’ve styled it with jeans and white ballet flats. That’s ultimately the beauty of jacquard; it pretty much does all the work for you. You don’t need to construct an elaborate outfit around it because, in many ways, it is the outfit.

I also love a great jacquard skirt mixed with old graphic T-shirts, warm tweeds, and leather. The variations in color and texture are what make it so interesting, creating a sense of complexity that I think a lot of us are yearning for right now.

Jacquard—named for Joseph Marie Jacquard, whose early-19th-century loom revolutionized patterned weaving—isn’t technically a fabric. It’s a method of weaving intricate designs directly into cloth rather than printing them onto its surface. The result has a richness and dimension that I find particularly appealing.

But perhaps what I love most about jacquard is its inherent contradiction. There’s something undeniably formal about it, something almost aristocratic, yet it can feel wonderfully relaxed. Even in silk, there’s a certain substance to it that makes it seem less precious and more approachable. It’s elegant without necessarily being delicate.

Of course, styling jacquard requires a little confidence. But I think that’s true of anything worth wearing. My advice? Don’t treat it like an occasion piece. Wear it with jeans or an old sweatshirt. Let something traditionally grand become part of your everyday wardrobe. And if someone tells you that you look like a sofa, take it as a compliment.

Shop My Favorite Jacquard Pieces