Jil Sander for sale again *Update* Sold to Onward Holdings Co.

[chessmess]

maybe they need to intriduce a few tdf accesories just to keep themselves afloat?
start creating better and more wearable shoes that arent so literal (the architectural ones) and a few it bags?
i dont know

 

[masquerade]

ok this may sound mean but does that mean there's going to be a sale on raf for jil sander stuff soon?

nice to see your priorities are in the right place

 

[Spike413]

Why would a label like Sander need to do the accessories thing? It's not like Dior where the clothes are so particular in terms of how many people would dare to wear them, or like Gucci where it's a status label that most people want a piece of, or even Hermes where the clothes are almost secondary to the accessories.

Besides, I would guess that the shoes and ridiculously small clutches they pull to use on the runway aren't the only accessories being made, there's a broader selection in the boutiques.

 

[chessmess]

^theres the bucket totes which were released this seaosn whcih could rack in some $
and i was just suggesting...

 

[bluedolphin]

badly news

 

[bedtimestorynyc]

jil sander is a great brand, and i'll be sad to see it go!
it's always an aesthetic joy to just look at the runway show. yes stuff might be unwearable... but.... comme des garçons anyone?????

 

[the-smiths]

Comme des harcons ang jil sander can't be compared. Cdg is like the lv/gucci of the avant garde and jil sander is just tutting along with boring overpriced rtw. Jil sander is over priced banana republic. Cdg is irreplaceable. Besides cdg is privately held so who knows if cdg is as exponentially profitable as we think? All the collabos would suggest otherwise. Thankfully kawakubo is brilliant enough to place cdg in such a way where collabos aren't seen as desperation but as innovation.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

wow, Jill Sander is cheap! It's like bargain basement...

how could it not be? it's not like the purchase promises lots and lots of profit.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Why would a label like Sander need to do the accessories thing? It's not like Dior where the clothes are so particular in terms of how many people would dare to wear them, or like Gucci where it's a status label that most people want a piece of, or even Hermes where the clothes are almost secondary to the accessories.

Besides, I would guess that the shoes and ridiculously small clutches they pull to use on the runway aren't the only accessories being made, there's a broader selection in the boutiques.

What I've seen of the shoes (at Barney's) has been imminently impractical. To me it's a problem because the line in general seems to be for a woman with a brain in her head, but a woman with any common sense at all is not going to buy their shoes

I think there's an available niche that the line could expand to fill, but the stuff has to work. The target audience is not, IMO, into pain because the designer couldn't be bothered to do his/her job. That's exactly the kind of thing they wouldn't let themselves get away with, so ...

 

[Deleted member 7575]

it doesn't help that their prices are incredibly high for the basics they offer. I love what Raf has done for the brand as much as the next guy but they'd be smart in figuring out how they can reach into other markets with other price points, or , kick it up a notch and do what Akris is doing, it's working wonders for them.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

^

no

Akris is, above all, approachable and wearable

Raf?

NOT!

 

[the-smiths]

Yes, Akris is the more successful well-thought-out version of Jil Sander.

Jil Sander is that kid who wants to look smart and well dressed, Akris is that woman who is smart and well dressed.

 

[MUXU]

oh! jil sander better have a cutting edge sale. i really adore some of the coats from the fw season. who knows, maybe it will look terrible once i try it on.

as for the company. it seems like tfsers dont really agree with raf at jil sander

 

[chessmess]

the comparison of akris and jil is an interesting one
theyre both rooted in minimalism
so how did akris end up being more succesful? espc., when jil sander has a much larger industry reputation..

i dont know i mean i never see a soul inside the akris ministore at our holt... they had three full sales racks last time i was there. this is just a really bad season and stime for luxury business.

but i do think raf could take a hint from akris... I personally think the label is perfect as is but thats obviously not working so he needs to rethink. and thats what i meant about the shoes
theyre works of art, really, but they are insanely impractical and the average woman isnt going to pick up a jil sander shoe and say "this shoe is so versatile" which is what the label may be lacking, versatility to implement those peices into everyday. it seems like jil can only be worn with all jil.

 

[the-smiths]

^ that is very true. Jil only works with Jil b/c anything else makes Jil look rather boring and generic. Its not like Dior HOmme where there is a psychotic cult following where there are many people wearing head to toe DH.

 

[disco54]

AKris and Jil Sander are very similar but ,Akris wins HANDS DOWN , their clothes are made for the working woman , the fit and tailoring are SUBLIME, I own 3 pairs of Akris pants. Jil Sander is for kids and Akris is for women..that analogy is perfect.

 

[aris]

I was gonna say, I don't think this is bad with so many lines in the red ... they seem to be firmly in the black, but it's not a mint ...

Something else they could do is improve the functionality of their accessories, which I expect would improve sales as well ...

dito!!!!!!!!!!!
I love their clothes! they fit me perfectly, the shoes - are bad! the bags - dull!

 

[fashionista-ta]

dito!!!!!!!!!!!
I love their clothes! they fit me perfectly, the shoes - are bad! the bags - dull!

Have you seen the Balenciaga bags with the shagreen details? That, without all the color, is what I would do if I were designing minimalist accessories ...

 

[Style-Addict]

Thanks for posting the news- interesting to see what will happen with this.

 

[visconti]

why? it's so boring and irrelevant. you can go to Banana Republic and get the same thing.

I wouldnt mind Jil Sander disappearing...

Regardless of your opinion of the line and the direction Raf is taking it, this is an inaccurate comparison. It seems to hearken back complaints about the F/W 2006 season's relative lack of color and focus on putting a lot of core collection pieces on the runway. The appeal of the collections isn't always immediately apparent with online photos. I'll go one step further and say that it requires a trip to the actual boutiques. The buy at various department stores is often very, very safe.

Far from being as mediocre as Banana, many of the Jil runway concepts have been too experimental for the current US market. For all of the talk about playing with volume and proportion in fashion, very few men are willing to work with either Raf's severity or his interest in making shirts and outerwear into cocoons for the body. If I can find similar ideas at Banana Republic or anywhere else for that matter, please provide links. Banana is sticking with classic fabrics and cuts. You're not going to find waterproof suiting, paper cottons, neoprene/cashmere blends, gauze cotton, razymer (spelling questionable-- synthetic + silk blend), spray dyed shirts, transparencies, metallics, etc., etc. there.

There aren't a lot of options for a man who wants restrained, yet interesting clothing that is made with care and able to carry forward from season to season. New Helmut Lang isn't worth it. Most Belgian and Japanese lines are too difficult to wear in a conservative field. Stereotypical "Italian" looks don't suit me. Nor does the relaxed French dandy look. I don't want it to be this way, but there is nothing else that offers as much consistency for the wardrobe I need. Believe me. I've looked. Nothing else fits right. Everything has annoying collars or other annoying details.

If you don't believe that a Jil shirt or coat is anything better than department store fodder, please take a look at what's available in the boutiques. And try things on. A basic shirt/knit/pant/coat often works very differently on the rack vs on the body- especially when fabric/movement/construction are priorities.

If you have any interest, I'll be glad to give you a "guided tour" of some of the more interesting items via private messaging.

It may never be the sort of clothing that you'll covet, but it should give you some appreciation of why it's one of the few beacons on hope in men's fashion.

And now for some negatives.

Yes the shoes, especially the women's are very difficult. Even some of the men's are painful. I had the cuts on my ankles to prove it.

Yes. The prices are getting out of hand- especially for women's basics, but this isn't just a problem at Jil. Most of the local stores had large numbers of items that made it late into the sale season.

No. I don't like the turn the last collection took. And I'm not going to buy it- at least not if it looks like the runway. But it would pain me to see the line forced into accessory heavy mode just to stay afloat.