Fashion Girls Are Destined to Wear the J.Crew x Maryam Nassir Zadeh Collaboration on Vacation

Sheer shirts, mesh bags, and oversize scrunchies all make appearances.

models wear the J.Crew x Maryam Nassir Zadeh collaboration at an outdoor retreat
(Image credit: Courtesy J.Crew)

New York City designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh has a special place in fashion girls' hearts. Her clothing, with an emphasis on sheer fabrics and light, body-skimming silhouettes, manages to be sexy and sincere at once. Her basics are never actually basic, with playful twists like tiny ribbons on a T-shirt or an entirely backless tank top. And her colorful, oversize scrunchies? They're affixed to every other ponytail and low bun at New York Fashion Week.

Now, the pieces that made Maryam Nassir Zadeh (or MNZ, as her self-named label is known to fans) such a cult-hit are going mainstream—and in the form of a vacation-worthy capsule. The designer teamed up with J.Crew on a line of sun-soaked staples available online today.

a model stands in front of a stone wall wearing a sheer slip dress over loose pants and metallic sandals

Maryam Nassir Zadeh, a fixture of the New York City fashion scene, designed a vacation-ready capsule with J.Crew.

(Image credit: Courtesy J.Crew)

The J.Crew x Maryam Nassir Zadeh collaboration, like the Americana brand's capsules with NYC jewelry label Catbird and Ukrainian designer Anna October before it, takes the best of the independent brand and imagines it in new contexts. Both J.Crew loyalists and the aforementioned fashion girls will find something to stash in their carry-on. There are peek-a-boo mesh bags, polka-dotted, ruffled bikinis (and a matching slip dress), breezy linen pants, and yes, those fan-favorite scrunchies—plus two oversize floral hair clips.

Maryam Nassir Zadeh (the designer) says her designs and J.Crew's, led by womenswear designer Olympia Gayot, are more alike than they may seem. Timelessness, ease, and a devotion to the classics are their foundation. "[We both] feel very New York and modern, and though we love clean, minimal classics, we also love texture and use of embellishment to create something more special and worth collecting and investing in," the designer says.

a woman stands with a red mesh bag and a linen skirt from the jcrew x maryam nassir zadeh collaboration

The lineup includes staples of the MNZ brand like mesh bags and oversize floral clips, along with dreamy summer dresses and shoes.

(Image credit: Courtesy J.Crew)

It's not hard to imagine the brand's longtime fans packing these pieces for a weekend in the south of Spain—and then re-styling them into a chicly undone city errand outfit. That's a testament to the sunny campaign images, as well as the collaboration's balance of MNZ's intellectual DNA with J.Crew's signature prints.

"The collection feels very MNZ but it is also elevated because it is made so well, production-wise," Zadeh says. "The collection feels like it has a strength to it, opposed to an etherealness of most MNZ signature pieces."

a model wears a black and white polka dot swimsuit and ruffled flower scrunchie

Devoted MNZ fans will be excited to see her signature flower clips and scrunchies in the mix alongside polka-dotted swimsuits and breezy dresses.

(Image credit: Courtesy J.Crew)

Of course, Maryam Nassir Zadeh wasn't only thinking of her downtown flagship's regulars when she and Gayot worked on the collection. She also had potential new fans-in-waiting at the forefront of her mind.

"What I hope to hear from shoppers who [see me] for the first time through this collection is that they appreciate that designers known as niche or indie have a strong perspective and voice to reach culture and the masses. Big and small brands that are like-minded align creatively as a force to make beauty together," she says. They'll also convert some shoppers into full-time fashion girls in the process, scrunchies and all.

two women wear white skirts and t shirts from the maryam nassir zadeh collaboration in front of a tiled wall

Matching sets in semi-sheer white linen belong on the coast of the Mediterranean or at a city dinner al fresco.

(Image credit: Courtesy J.Crew)

Shop Editor's Picks from the J.Crew x Maryam Nassir Zadeh Collaboration

a model stands in front of a whitewashed wall wearing a swimsuit and irridescent skirt

Much of the collection emphasizes the power of smart summer layering—including over a swimsuit.

(Image credit: J.Crew)
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Halie LeSavage
Senior News Editor (Fashion & Beauty)

Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire, where she assigns, edits, and writes stories for both sections. Halie is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, emerging fashion and beauty brands, and shopping (naturally). In over seven years as a professional journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from fashion week coverage spanning the Copenhagen, New York, Milan, and Paris markets, to profiles on industry insiders including stylist Alison Bornstein and J.Crew womenswear creative director Olympia Gayot, to breaking news stories on noteworthy brand collaborations and beauty launches. (She can personally confirm that Bella Hadid’s Ôrebella perfume is worth the hype.) She has also written dozens of research-backed shopping guides to finding the best tote bags, ballet flats, and more. Most of all, Halie loves to explore what trends—like the rise of doll-like Mary Janes or TikTok’s 75 Hard Style Challenge—can say about culture writ large. (She justifies almost any purchase by saying it’s “for work.”) Halie has previously held writer and editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. Halie has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters, among other outlets, and appears in newsletters like Selleb and Self-Checkout to provide shopping recommendations. In 2022, she was awarded the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College. Outside of work, Halie is passionate about books, baking, and her miniature Bernedoodle, Dolly. For a behind-the-scenes look at her reporting, you can follow Halie on Instagram and TikTok.