First Look: Jil Sander Fall 2011
vogue.comSo is it a dress or a coat or…?
“Exactly,” answered Raf Simons, looking on as a model in a pretty, if somewhat oversize and indistinguishable, article of clothing stood before him in a conference room in the Jil Sander offices in Milan.
And that is about as much concrete information as you’re going to get out of this man two days before he shows his fall collection for the house.
So, based on the dress-slash-coat, here’s what can be deduced. The exciting volume Simons created for spring will continue for fall, but in a new proportion. Hemlines will be to the knee, not the floor. Also, the bigness will be balanced by looks that are more streamlined, such as the button-up shirt and pleated skinny pant he’s done in a floral print that’s woven in such a way that it hints at ikat. Color is another important component for Simons this fall, darker tones and an exploration of red, in particular.
Altogether the look was inspired by Diane Arbus and ritzy 1950s snowbunnies, two worlds that perhaps only a conceptual designer like Simons could connect. Arbus influenced the “twisted” sensibility Simons said he hopes to give the collection, and the skiers, specifically their snowsuits, encouraged him to think about sportiness, aerodynamics, and what he repeatedly referred to as couture shapes.
“We will always try to be pure and minimalist, but you can’t survive on the idea of only this super-pure camel coat,” Simons said. “Women want to be challenged. I have a feeling high-fashion women like very much to be extreme.”
by Emily Holt
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, I was thinking the same thing 
