Jil Sander F/W 11.12 Milan

[Tentacl Ventricl]

This collection was phenomenal! The cut of those jackets and pants was sublime, but what really made a difference here was the attention to detail on the seaming of the shoulder and the sleeves. It reminds me of when Coco Chanel said that the luxuriousness of clothes was to be seen in the detailing of the sleeves and the cuff.

Besides, this collection reminded me a lot of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick) which I love! It had that whole futuristic modernity but with the influence of the 60's. I saw a lot of Balenciaga-inspired shapes (the backs of the dresses and coats in particular).

Overall I thought this was a nice blend of his last two collections (FW 10 and SS 11) but even I can admit that some of those shapes and fabrics might be difficult for the customer to wear. I'm curious to see how they water this one down for the customer!

Excellent analysis Mr Newton. Yes silhouettes after 40's/50's Balenciaga but also a feel of 60's minimalism too. And, somehow, a little of the 90s as well perhaps from the fact that the volumes give an easy, slightly slouchy feel that, yes, is there from Raf's offering last season. Like, perhaps, Francisco Costa's work, the art of contemporary Jil Sander is in the synthesis of retro inspirations so that it feels not too like any one bygone era and thus feels modern.

But - - the risk with the restraint of minimalism is that you can turn fashion cold, frigid. How far distant a moment it now seems when Raf had the press and buyers up in arms with the Zubriski Point collection - the sheer, the short, the wet hair, the ravaged by nature organicism. Yet it was only 4 seasons ago.

There is such a thing as elegance - and we don't want everyone at the Versace/Scognamiglio end of the spectrum please god - but, in recent seasons at least, it's been to Raf's particular credit that he's managed to give minimalism a little va va voom. This collection, by contrast, passes under the radar a little, fails to engage the primordial senses, because it's all too low octane. In short, it's just not sexy. If SS10 was wet, AW 11/12 is dry.

The problem lies in going away from the body with silhouette in conjunction with traditional winter weights. AW10/11 had some zip in that particularly the tailored onesies had an element of bodycon. Still elegant and refined but sexy too. Even last season with the exagerrated volumes the summer weight meant there was a sense of the body's presence in movement, an airiness between garment and body, a caress.

My point is perhaps best illustrated by the roomiest of the floral print pieces for AW11/12. It looks like maternity wear.

Is this what women want? Maybe. Raf says he thinks his wearer likes to be challenged. And it's to Raf's credit as surely one of the foremost design talents of his generation that, like Miucca, he manages to hold the brand dna and at the same time consistently offer up a new vision each season.

But is change alone enough to excite the senses, to push those buying triggers? And where, in the progression he's taken since SS10, does he go next? I'd like to see him bringing sexy back and head again in the direction of Zubriski Point.

 

[breebee]

Some of it is amazing, most of it just looks like a colourful CK, and the rest looks like something my grandmother would wear.

 

[dior_couture1245]

I absolutely adore this collection. I think it is magnificent. Every element is so perfectly executed. The colors are so provoking, the textures are so sumptuous, the shapes are so interesting...I love it all.

And the soundtrack is incredible. Gives the collection a rather Hitchcockian slant.

 

[Zazie]

This continues very much in the vein of what he did for SS2011 - so yes, some elegant cut, particularly in the pants and a lot of Balenciaga - but this is also what disappoints me. At first sight, there isn't that much more excitement here, but I do have to wait to see the back, sides and details to make up my mind.

Milan has been TRULY disappointing so far!

 

[Crying Diamonds]

I always love how Raf searches for the new ways to make the minimal exciting, and it looks like he did it again.

I agree, when I opened the thread and saw the thumbnails of the HQs I saw the colours and I thought it was going to be a repeat of last season, which I thought was dull and random.
But this is absolutely beautiful, still it seems quite randomly put together; I thought the padded pieces made the crisp collection soft and somewhat ridiculous and at the same time highlighted how potentially unwearable some of the other pieces were. But if they had to be included they should definately been the finale, I was surprised when more wearable seperates came out after them in fact.
Simons used drape to create perfectly minimal on-trend voluminous coats with kimono sleeves that transformed the shape of the back and rounded the arms to turn the model into a geometric shape.

This look is definately one of my favourites from this season.

style.com

 

[Flashbang]

Accessories! (style.com)

 

[Flashbang]

.... (style.com)

 

[mackos]

The bags are simply delightful, especially those turquoise and red clutches. Brilliant.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

The accessories are amazing.

 

[mikeijames]

raf simons has moved out of his trial period with the house of jil sander. he has left his indellible stamp on the house forever and ever. with that out of the way, it's postively invigorating to witness the confidence with which he experiments with the vocabulary of traditional jil sander and intermixes the lexicon he brought along the way. just as the color and couture proportion stood out as the star of the last collection, the pattern, color, and the bulbous silhouette also win out in this collection. the long length of the skirt that felt iconoclastic last season, feels just right now that our eyes have adjusted, and the colors in the knits and the tops feel subdued given the explosion we saw last season. and although he did dabble with those floral prints, masterfully applying them to daringly modern footwear and silhouettes, he brought us back to that severity that still remains at the core of the jil sander aesthetic.

it takes a man of supreme confidence and even more skill to pull off such a journey through the imagination and bring us back to a place we all know as home. like francisco costa in america, his intellectual deconstruction of something so feminine sets this collection apart from the pack.

style.com

 

[kiddokiddo]

^you said it really well. I second it

I really want the briefcase

 

[whatkatjadid]

^Third
The impeccable tailoring, techniques and amazing materials makes this modern, as it at some times verges on looking a bit dated. I was so thrilled to see the quilted nylon that he used in the men's collection again. The colours were beautiful too this season.
What really makes me believe in this collection is the confidence with which it's presented. Definitely my favourite collection so far this season.

 

[helmut.newton]

I want to see the back of the looks to see the construction! You can see the details in the video, and it is amazing!

daylife.com/

 

[ParisFashionMuse]

if i had to choose. now this is if someone put a gun to my head and said pick 3 looks it would be the last 3 on #13

i mean, its not awful not as bad as gucci but its not worthy of putting it on a runway and creating a whole shaabang

 

[ParisFashionMuse]

jill sander collections are always modern and structured.- thats why im not wowed by it they just made it worse trying to throw flowers in the mix.

 

[ultramarine]

Someone mentioned before about a Hitchcockian feel?

I thoroughly agree! The styling of the show, the red lips, the hair up, and some of the silhouettes reminisce of the sixties.

Ill have to admit I was a bit confused with the floral pieces posted on the very first post of the thread, but still made me even curious-er about the collection.

Once I watched the video, saw the pieces in motion, the details of the accesories on the HQs, the results is a rotund SUCCESS for Raf.

Every single little details of the show, presentation, garments and even accesories are edtied to a tee with impeccable taste. Yes, many people say a woman cant wear one of those cocoon coat-dresses to the subway but do Sander customers who pay whatever amount it'll come to (and totally worth it) ride the subway? I dont think so.

Still, for the masses, you got the jackets and the pants and accesories galore that surely will make this collection a commercial (as well as a critical) success.

 

[ultramarine]

PS The guy sitting front row on the video of the show, the one of the glasses, could he had been even more rude? Chatting, sitting like that, ignoring a couple of looks and models.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

^ If we're talking about the same guy, he was actually on his phone at one point.

I also wish to see the backs of the garment, one of the floral pieces had a very interesting back. There are one or two back views on the style.com details.
It looks as if Raf has draped these garments, though they are incredibly simple, he must have to create those Balenciaga-like pleats parallel to the arms, and the square shapes on the back.
I think it's genius and I want it all. Accessories. Everything.

 

[mademoiselle_]

I like this alot, there's something very interesting in these looks

 

[BerlinRocks]

it's the kind of silhouette i love so it already got my heart ...
really. as always, if i were a rich woman or bryanboy, i'll get at least 80% of this collection.

i would like to check some stuff that disturb me ... like in is it styling or is the real outfit ? the styling is perfect, though !!!

but i do love he carries on the "colorful" vague of this coming summer. very nice.
we ALWAYS need colour when the weather is not nice ... At least one of those bags .... aaaaah love them.

it's very retro (like in the sportswear of the 70s and futuristic-balenciaga-cardin-wear), but still very "forward" ... i don't know how he manages to match them PERFECTLY ! ...
Jil Sander by Raf Simons is the new Prada !

It's perfectly easy to sell !
* but how well does it sell ? does someone know ?