Jil Sander
post a comment ›
MILAN, September 25, 2010
By Tim Blanks
The way Raf Simons tells it, he was sitting around with his team discussing the new minimalism and that got him thinking about its inverse, maximalism, which led him instantly to haute couture. That presented an implicit challenge to the very essence of the Jil Sander woman, and it must have excited Simons, because it inspired a standout collection that looked to have revived his commitment to the label. For a designer who is as mesmerized by line and proportion as he is, there can ultimately be no more seductive métier than couture—but where traditional couturiers have been paying lip service to the modernizing possibilities of the T-shirt-and-ball-gown combo for a dog's age, he made it a walking, talking proposition with his opening passage of major skirts and minor tops. (This may call for a tip of the cap to Isaac Mizrahi, but read on.)Couture gigantism took hold with infantas of flowers and stripes, though Simons was keen to ground any notion of excess. The music veered from Bernard Herrmann's soundtrack for Psycho to Busta Rhymes. The models carried what looked like plastic shopping bags. A navy parka wrapped Freja Beha Erichsen's strapless bubble of Japanese techno taffeta. Such offhand extravagance reminded some onlookers of Yves Saint Laurent's fascination with the English operagoers who'd throw a raincoat over their ball gowns when they went to the cultural institution Glyndebourne in the south of England.
The YSL poke was appropriate for another inescapable reason. Simons has been trying to unravel Saint Laurent's color sense since at least before his men's show at Pitti Uomo in Florence in June. His forensic analysis carried over into this collection. Where do you start giving this palette its due? The green cargo jacket with the pink tank and the yellow palazzo pants? The violet blouson over the gown in fluoro orange? The red coat layered over pink and yellow jackets? Such lightness. Simons said it best: "A mille-feuille of color."
If the show had a hell-bent-for-leather verve about it, Simons really had no choice. There is no way you could make this kind of statement in a half-hearted way. But among the grand gestures, the collection could be broken down into a slew of want-ables: the parkas, for one thing; the stripes; all the tailoring. Still, in an ideal world, it would be those huge, glorious skirts that would be sweeping all before them down your local high street.
/
/
/
COMMENTS
(0) ADD YOURSwelcome !
logout
you must be logged in to leave a comment sign in | join now
see all designers ›
Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear
#
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
G
|
H
|
I
|
J
|
K
|
L
|
M
|
N
|
O
|
P
|
R
|
S
|
T
|
U
|
V
|
W
|
Y
|
Z
|
-
#
3.1 Phillip Lim -
A
-
B
-
C
-
D
D&G Damir Doma Davidelfin David Koma Dennis Basso Derek Lam Diane von Furstenberg Diesel Black Gold DKNY Dolce & Gabbana Donna Karan Doo.Ri Douglas Hannant Dries Van Noten Dsquared˛ Duro Olowu -
E
Edun Elie Tahari Elise Řverland Emanuel Ungaro Emilio de la Morena Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston Etro -
F
Fashion East Fashion Fringe Felipe Oliveira Baptista Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio Frank Tell -
G
Gabriele Colangelo Gant by Michael Bastian Gareth Pugh Gary Graham Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Armour Gregory Parkinson G-Star Gucci -
H
Haider Ackermann Hakaan Halston Hannah Marshall Helmut Lang Hervé Léger by Max Azria Holly Fulton House of Holland Hussein Chalayan -
I
Iceberg Imitation Isaac Mizrahi Isabel Marant Issa Issey Miyake -
J
-
K
Karen Walker Kenzo Kimberly Ovitz Kinder Aggugini -
L
L.A.M.B. L'Wren Scott Lacoste Lanvin Lela Rose Limi Feu Loewe Louise Gray Luca Luca Luisa Beccaria Lyn Devon -
M
-
N
Naeem Khan Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Neil Barrett Nicholas K Nicolas Andreas Taralis Nicole Farhi Nicole Miller Nina Ricci No. 21 -
O
Ohne Titel Organic by John Patrick Oscar de la Renta Osman -
P
Paul Smith Pedro Lourenço Peter Pilotto Peter Som Philosophy Ports 1961 PPQ Prabal Gurung Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
R
-
S
Sacai Sachin + Babi Salvatore Ferragamo Sass & Bide Sharon Wauchob Shipley & Halmos Sonia Rykiel Sophie Theallet Sportmax Stćrk Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows Steven Alan Suno -
T
-
U
Undercover Unique United Bamboo -
V
Valentino Vanessa Bruno Vena Cava Vera Wang Véronique Leroy Versace Versus Victoria Beckham Viktor & Rolf Vionnet Vivienne Tam Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood Red Label VPL -
W
Wayne Wes Gordon Willow -
Y
Y-3 Yigal Azrouël Yohji Yamamoto Yves Saint Laurent -
Z
Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo Z Spoke by Zac Posen
ERROR:
