Jil Sander S/S 11 Milan

[imagensfashions]

Amazing show!!!!!!!!!
I absolutily love everything!!!
The mix of colors, the shapes, shoes, bags, all perfect!!!
And the soundtrack, my God!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Incredible!!!!Busta Rhymes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Definitely one of my top 10 shows of the season.

 

[tatouejeremie]

so many weird looks

 

[missbluejean]

In a season where everyone is attempting to make minimalism trendy I really hoped Raf would step up and show all the newcomers how it's really done, and it's not just a passing trend.

Pretty much this but alas, he went for the couture look instead... This is such a departure from the pure, sleek Jil Sander look. I love the short dresses and the last 2 outfits but the rest are unappealing- even the pumps. The neon soles were eye-catching though.

 

[MUXU]

what a big hot mess
other than the orange mini dress which is quite brilliant...
how can raf expect an average women to wear something that makes them look 3 times larger than they are. those ruffle things he put at the waist area extending to the hips doesnt exactly screem "buy me"...to me.
i generally love the colors from jil sander show but this is just too over the top with the color choices and mix. but if i look at some individual colored outfits, the colors are great...together as a collection, maybe it should be left to home furnishing, where the canvas is bigger.

 

[Laritournelle]

Cathy seems to like it.

At Jil Sander, Raf Simons Raises the Volume
By CATHY HORYN
September 25, 2010, 12:00 PM
MILAN — Mention the word “couture,” and people usually think of serious clothes with draping and embellishment. They don’t necessarily think of couture’s extreme forms — and that’s what Raf Simons gave Jil Sander this afternoon in a collection that will probably change some thinking about spring.

Mr. Simons has shown some exceptional collections at Jil in the past five years, but in this one he dealt more assuredly with the fundamentals of fashion — shape, volume, proportion, new materials — and pushed past the old frontiers to create a new example of minimalist dressing.

You can understand what would spur Mr. Simons to rethink Jil’s minimalist position, now that everybody seems to be a minimalist and puts out perfectly nice clothes that, in the end, don’t really do much to advance the style. In some cases, these clothes may be only a modest step up from a typical pre-season collection.


Giuseppe Aresu/Associated Press
Raf Simons for Jil Sander.
So here is Mr. Simons, returning to color at Jil Sander, but a very specific palette of shocking pink, deep purple, Day-Glo orange and yellow, vibrant Kelly green, and electric blue. Skirt lengths are emphatically long — no tepid midi length. And the volumes and sack shapes will recall some of the classic shapes of haute couture — from early Saint Laurent and Givenchy — among them, columns that now float away from the body yet have a sense of control, strapless tops with a peplum, and ultra-wide trousers.

Despite the volumes, the clothes are manifestly streamlined and comfortable looking. With a number of the long skirts — some gathered at the waist with a sash tie to create a soft frill — Mr. Simons showed a basic white T-shirt or a tank top. Sometimes there was a cardigan or twinset with the front edge coated in neon yellow. He had wide stripes, including vertical ones, and full-blown floral prints in a blue base, just as he did in his Sander’s men’s collection in June. (He used wide stripes in his fall Raf Simons’s collection, as well, in pine green and navy.) There were also windbreakers and a full-length parka — again, with a couture influence.

Mr. Simons has done extreme volumes at different times in his own men’s label, and of course, the notion of pairing a T-shirt or cardigan with a long, full skirt in a techno taffeta brings to mind an American look — Blass, Halston, Anne Klein.

But I think you will find that the elements here are bolder, done with consideration of the street (there are no elaborate underpinnings, after all), and certainly looking ahead.

Reaction to the show seemed very enthusiastic, with an immediate burst of applause at the end. The music for the show was the soundtrack from “Psycho” and Busta Rhymes.

source: runway.blogs.nytimes.com

 

[simple_elegance]

What in the hell? With the exception of a few pieces, none of this is flattering at all!

 

[JuiceMajor]

thanks for the HQ's...do you mind repost look 15 and 16? the link doesn't work (

 

[Zazie]

The collection is growing on me a little - there is intrinsic beauty and integrity of fashion (i.e. superb tailoring work) in the pieces shown here. It isn't fair to criticize it for lack of figure-flattering proportions, as the design is akin to the familiar voluminous skirts and tiny waists of couture/period dresses (eg. Galliano's Dior, Oscar de la Renta,), but brilliantly stripped of embellishments. This is also perhaps what bothers me - I can't wear such couture clothes everyday! I wish there is more attention to Jil Sander's base -I was hoping to see more of these YSL/Japonaise colours and layers interpreted into day wear. It would have been more challenging but necessary, but Raf Simons didn't step up to the plate.

 

[Donatello89]

nice colors. nothing to add

 

[Fiercification]

Hmmm.

Some of those 'bag' silhouettes are not cute. I'm really thankful for the injection of colour though...not surprising considering his men's collection was bright too. I don't even mind the flower dresses.

 

[hautechild]

I really like this collection! It takes a lot to sell me on collections with a lot of colour but even though this is full of colour it works so well. The shapes are not commercial but they looked fantastic.

 

[tricotineacetat]

The collection is growing on me a little - there is intrinsic beauty and integrity of fashion (i.e. superb tailoring work) in the pieces shown here. It isn't fair to criticize it for lack of figure-flattering proportions, as the design is akin to the familiar voluminous skirts and tiny waists of couture/period dresses (eg. Galliano's Dior, Oscar de la Renta,), but brilliantly stripped of embellishments. This is also perhaps what bothers me - I can't wear such couture clothes everyday! I wish there is more attention to Jil Sander's base -I was hoping to see more of these YSL/Japonaise colours and layers interpreted into day wear. It would have been more challenging but necessary, but Raf Simons didn't step up to the plate.

I really value and enjoy reading your perspective on collections and your in-depth understanding of the craft, but I fail to see how the couture references would make sense in the Jil Sander frame, as well as the way they were executed - As you were admitting yourself, these clothes do not fit into your lifestyle, and from what I understood in the Theyskens' Theory thread, you are a working woman with a conscious sense of consumerism, so very much representant of the Jil Sander target clientele. Thinking about it, I really think Jil Sander as a fashion house had always been characterized by a certain pragmatism, practicability and modesty in design - Those shapes are definitely work against any of these values, they don't mean anything for today's women - part of the reason why even in Haute Couture, designers are abandoning the floor sweeping skirted silhouette in favor of easier to wear shapes.

Unlike the coats with intricate origami-like folding that Raf did in one of his previous fall/winter collections, this collection doesn't offer a lot of substantial daywear choices update the classic Sander staples he has always had... deconstructed, loose-fit overcoats, blazers with slim notch lapels and straight trousers... he has even done the bright primary colours a few summer seasons in a row, so it's really only those lightweight windbreakers and Parkas that will feel new (and relevant) to the house's customers.

 

[Zazie]

I really value and enjoy reading your perspective on collections and your in-depth understanding of the craft, but I fail to see how the couture references would make sense in the Jil Sander frame, as well as the way they were executed - As you were admitting yourself, these clothes do not fit into your lifestyle, and from what I understood in the Theyskens' Theory thread, you are a working woman with a conscious sense of consumerism, so very much representant of the Jil Sander target clientele. Thinking about it, I really think Jil Sander as a fashion house had always been characterized by a certain pragmatism, practicability and modesty in design - Those shapes are definitely work against any of these values, they don't mean anything for today's women - part of the reason why even in Haute Couture, designers are abandoning the floor sweeping skirted silhouette in favor of easier to wear shapes.

Unlike the coats with intricate origami-like folding that Raf did in one of his previous fall/winter collections, this collection doesn't offer a lot of substantial daywear choices update the classic Sander staples he has always had... deconstructed, loose-fit overcoats, blazers with slim notch lapels and straight trousers... he has even done the bright primary colours a few summer seasons in a row, so it's really only those lightweight windbreakers and Parkas that will feel new (and relevant) to the house's customers.

Thank you tricotinacetat, your opinion means much to me. Are you looking to order from JS this season? I wonder if he's trying to reach a different customer this time, the socialite ladies who lunch, the celebrities, etc.? I don't think it will succeed as they go for louder designs - they need the attention after all.

I have some of these beautiful floor-sweeping dresses and skirts and they just sit there in the closet for years, my money would have been better spent on expensive coats and suits.

I was really excited by the apparent return to YSL colour mixing this season - I had big expectations from Jil Sander/RS as he sent some great shapely, colourful collections in the past, and JS herself did colours brilliantly - sharp, modern art colours.

Back when I was really young, early teens, I came across a Yohji Yamamoto long knit wool coat of many layers, deep thick brown outside, layers of thin wool celadon, purple, coral, chartreuse underneath. When worn, you see mostly a beautiful long, lean simple dark wool coat and then flashes of all these loose colourful layers under. I think it was inspired by the layered kimonos worn by the Japanese Royals. It was waaay expensive and I didn't buy it, and I regret not buying it to this day, I should have bought 10 of these coats. I still get dreams about this coat every year when the weather turns cool, grrr... I was secretly hoping that RS will send something like this out when I saw the first picture of the longer black jacket over fuschia and green - his base must have swooned - Longer hemline, Colours, Jil Sander, what potential! Parkas....Ugh.

This makes me appreciate what it means to be a great master like Yohji Yamamoto, creating beauty that begs to be worn everyday, that you want to wear forever, that you never forget, yet not because it is outrageous and ostentatious. That's the HG of fashion.*Shakes head at Raf Simons*...

 

[mikeijames]

there's a reason prada once owned this house. if i didn't know better, i'd say that the design teams from prada and jil sander decided to push this bold, colorful, almost anti-fashion look. i'm happy to see raf simons continue to find new territory within the jil sander aesthetic to explore in such a vibrant and careful way. one of the developing stories in high-end fashion for some seasons now has been the lengthening of the silhouette and this collection took that idea into an entirely uncharted place. but is it unheard of? hardly. pair any of those opening looks with a hardy thousand dollar ralph lauren belt, chunky mary katrantzou extras, and you'd have a substantial avant fashion look. one might see it on an olsen twin. once one gets past the voluminous runway flourishes (which one must say will serve as catnip editorially), the separates fall so hardily into line with trend and the moment that i don't understand why people don't "get" this collection. it's a perfect crossroads between actual nineties' minimalism, the color story of so many collections, and the unapologetic brazenness of the prada collection, that i'd say he's hit a hole-in-one. between the blazers, pants, tops, and coats, one can find an easy pairing with everything from proenza and prabal to christopher kane and jonathan saunders. bold striped extras in this collection feel perfect next to the prada collection and the sunglasses and shoes are standard jil sander fare at this point and will sell accordingly.

this is a watershed collection for raf simons at jil sander and i prefer him continue on this path than lurking in the "tomb raider" film series for inspiration.

style.com

 

[iluvjeisa]

I like the layering of the vividly one-colored pieces.

 

[almudena]

Oh my! This is the best collection ever in all the fashion weeks of the entire world! I've lost count of how many looks I've retained!

Where do I begin?
The colours?
The cuts?
The silhouettes? (that contrary to what seems to be the majority's belief here, I find so very flattering on real people)

The timeless-ness and versatility of these clothes??!!!!

My only doubt is what I'm going to face in the shops come March... The possibility of extensive modifications scares me to death.

 

[NeverDrinkAgain]

I love this collection. It was supreme and it stood out in the sea of shows that we have seen so far (with the exception of perhaps Prada and Marc).

Also, I agree with all, the music was absolutely sublime.

Absolutely agree! This collection is a d-e-l-i-g-h-t

 

[tricotineacetat]

Thank you tricotinacetat, your opinion means much to me. Are you looking to order from JS this season? I wonder if he's trying to reach a different customer this time, the socialite ladies who lunch, the celebrities, etc.? I don't think it will succeed as they go for louder designs - they need the attention after all.

I have some of these beautiful floor-sweeping dresses and skirts and they just sit there in the closet for years, my money would have been better spent on expensive coats and suits.

I was really excited by the apparent return to YSL colour mixing this season - I had big expectations from Jil Sander/RS as he sent some great shapely, colourful collections in the past, and JS herself did colours brilliantly - sharp, modern art colours.

Back when I was really young, early teens, I came across a Yohji Yamamoto long knit wool coat of many layers, deep thick brown outside, layers of thin wool celadon, purple, coral, chartreuse underneath. When worn, you see mostly a beautiful long, lean simple dark wool coat and then flashes of all these loose colourful layers under. I think it was inspired by the layered kimonos worn by the Japanese Royals. It was waaay expensive and I didn't buy it, and I regret not buying it to this day, I should have bought 10 of these coats. I still get dreams about this coat every year when the weather turns cool, grrr... I was secretly hoping that RS will send something like this out when I saw the first picture of the longer black jacket over fuschia and green - his base must have swooned - Longer hemline, Colours, Jil Sander, what potential! Parkas....Ugh.

This makes me appreciate what it means to be a great master like Yohji Yamamoto, creating beauty that begs to be worn everyday, that you want to wear forever, that you never forget, yet not because it is outrageous and ostentatious. That's the HG of fashion.*Shakes head at Raf Simons*...

I think it has been clear that Raf and his design team are trying to move Jil Sander into a more arts-y, cerebral fashion context, in which designers such as Yohji, Helmut Lang but also Alaia definitely have been reference points in seasons past... this works out fine for as long as he manages to channel these aesthetics in a strictly realistic 'Jil' frame of wearable garments with incredible architecture and cut, but that customers can easily envision being worn at any time (as you were refering to in the Yohji coat example).

Strangely enough, we've seen quite a few collections at Jil Sander as of late that were even trickier than what Hussein Chalayan had been showing in his collections - Doesn't that make you wonder if the direction Raf is taking now is somewhat feeling stuck in between re-hashed Sander staple revisitation and show collections that as of late, have not given the core Jil customer a *real* update to their existing wardrobe? I can imagine that you don't sell a woman a fifth or sixth classic Sander pant suit if the variation in design and fabrics are as marginal as they have been since his first collection for the house in 2006. I am sure you see much more variety in cut and shape when you look at a Yohji design, albeit the fact that he often returns to his favoured black wool gabardine and white cotton shirtings.

So to answer your collection very briefly; I do like some of what Raf has been designing in seasons past, but as a designer from whom I can envision a consistantly reliable, interesting oeuvre, he has shown a few too many hit-and-miss collections since he took over at Jil Sander. I really like Hussein Chalayan's work even when it is at his most commercial peak lately, for it retains a sense of whimsy that gives the clothes something personal. Similarily, I approve a lot to Theyskens latest collection for Theory - it's done him good to take the challenge and distill his design to the core, not only price-wise but also aesthetically, it feels very direct and honest to me, which I like.

 

[Tentacl Ventricl]

On first impressions I think this is a collection that is likely to continue to grow on us.

There's a very real sense in which Raf is tied to the minimalist dna of the house. There are certain things he can't do without slaying the goose that laid the golden egg. I will at some point return to the Sander archive to see whether there is a precedent for quite this much colour. It's not really the association I have.

There's a sense in which minimalism holds centre stage right now. Whether one decides to follow, react against (with maximalism) or redefine, it's at the centre of engagement, defines the current language of fashion.

So what Raf delivers is important. And if minimalism is to survive as the defining movement of the early part of this decade it needs not to drift off into a hair-shirt blandness of enviro-puritanism but to stay interesting and yes, artsy, sexy and beautiful.

Raf acheives that here. Form and line retain that essential simplicity but the combination of classicism and the voluminous ease of wearing seem to deftly fuse couture/art and street (as reflected in the soundtrack). It feels a very right way to channel a reinterpretation of 90's influences.

To repeat a palette of purity and nature - white, ecru's, sand, beige, flesh - as per SS10 at Sander, Celine, Klein, Bruno Pieters, et al - would have been dull and repetitive and seen minimalism failing to develop and failing to retain interest. The interesting question is whether you can have quite this much bold bright colour and it still 'say' minimalism.

When you set aside one of the traditional associations you throw into sharp focus what minimalism might be defined to be about. You don't have to have a pared-back palette, it's about a lack of fussy couturish embellishment, about purity of line, about garment as art-form, about a sense of ease and classic simplicity modernised is the message here.

Will Phoebe now show bold bright colour layered onto an essentially minimimalist foundation? If so that first section of Prada is going to continue to change in how we receive it and this collection will continue to grow on us. Neon as the new natural; a minimalism that can carry a bright, a stripe, even a print here and there. Yes, it can work. I think. Only in the hands of a designer who really gets how to deliver minimalist forms probably and it takes a bit of adjusting to but I think we'll find Raf's collection will feel increasingly 'now', increasingly 'right'.

 

[mikeijames]

Will Phoebe now show bold bright colour layered onto an essentially minimimalist foundation? If so that first section of Prada is going to continue to change in how we receive it and this collection will continue to grow on us. Neon as the new natural; a minimalism that can carry a bright, a stripe, even a print here and there. Yes, it can work. I think. Only in the hands of a designer who really gets how to deliver minimalist forms probably and it takes a bit of adjusting to but I think we'll find Raf's collection will feel increasingly 'now', increasingly 'right'.

you've hit on something MAJOR. if phoebe does that, she would've definitely foreshadowed as much with those great color-blocked look from resort.

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