Rodolfo Paglialunga Named Jil Sander Creative Director

[Mutterlein]

Slightly off-topic, but if there was any designer they should have not let go at Vionnet, it was Sophia Kokosalaki.

I was not so into her Vionnet actually and was happy when she left. She's sort of been a disappointment for me in general.

Naoki maybe would not be a bad choice. Kostas I personally think is a bit tired.

But, given Paglialunga's background at Prada and his semi-minimalist exercises at Vionnet (his easy dresses gave Alber Elbaz's a run for their money) it could be really good.

Paglialunga is a sophisticated mind and he knows very well the codes of the house. I'm sure he'll do his best to update the house. What exactly that will look like, I don't have he foggiest clue.

If Pilati weren't tied up he'd actually do a fantastic Jil Sander.

 

[rip_ian curtis]

I do think they should have hired a female designer. Jil Sander has always been fashion made by a woman for women, and there is a big risk that male designer cannot interpret the fine language that Jil herself did and what made the clothes so wonderful all those years. This is not a house built on just simple dresses or menswear references, and the sexiness and sensuality a male designer can communicate through clothing design is never the same than what female designer does. Even Raf's early offerings at Jil were not very female friendly, and later when he bent towards more feminine approach it failed to be fitting for the brand.

 

[Scott]

to be honest,i know several female designers that would have fit really well if that were so important...tricot you and i have had this discussion before and i still think branquinho has that DNA about her work that would translate beautifully at JS. tess giberson is another i've watched for so long and she too has a lot of jil sander spirit about her as well. ann-sofie back is another....yasuko furata who designs TOGA. most importantly i would just want a strong talent who understands that language.....one designer i thought about immediately was carol christian poell. on the surface very esoteric but scratch beneath the surface he is a master tailor who understands how to innovate with pure construction.

 

[Mutterlein]

to be honest,i know several female designers that would have fit really well if that were so important...tricot you and i have had this discussion before and i still think branquinho has that DNA about her work that would translate beautifully at JS. tess giberson is another i've watched for so long and she too has a lot of jil sander spirit about her as well. ann-sofie back is another....yasuko furata who designs TOGA. most importantly i would just want a strong talent who understands that language.....one designer i thought about immediately was carol christian poell. on the surface very esoteric but scratch beneath the surface he is a master tailor who understands how to innovate with pure construction.

I actually think Branquinho would have have been a great choice. Who knows, maybe she was considered and maybe the management wanted someone who didn't have the obligation of a another line. Lots of factors go into these things.

 

[softgrey]

branquinho does make sense here...
i could have seen that...

though i also agree that the menswear was probably the strongest part of the label for a long long time and there is a huge opportunity there...not to be missed, if one is clever about these things...

anyway- if- as they say- they are moving in a different direction, well...
they can go in that direction without me...
i haven't bought a piece of jil sander that wasn't designed by jil sander...
i doubt i ever will...

 

[vandekamp]

anyway- if- as they say- they are moving in a different direction, well...
they can go in that direction without me...
i haven't bought a piece of jil sander that wasn't designed by jil sander...
i doubt i ever will...

same here, 100%.

scared for this.. but we will see. I will definitely keep an open mind. this is so unexpected though that I'm slightly thrown back. I do not want to see one of my favourite fashion houses tarnished, ugh.

 

[Scott]

i haven't bought anything either since her first departure from the label. i would however do so again if they found somebody who shared jil's principles and integrity.

if their intentions are to move the label into new territory with this decision,i honestly fear another HL debacle.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I get the impression the aim is to make Jil Sander a more 'accessible' fashion house rather than to cater to those that have sought sort of an 'anti-fashion' and found it in the original Jil Sander - Not very many designers (and fashion CEOs) actually understand to make a continuous business out of that, in that case I do believe the house should be seen in line with Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, Ann Demeulemeester or even somebody like Rick Owens, all of whom share a dedication to keep a certain integrity of the original vision up.

When I speak about menswear as the core of the Jil Sander design aesthetic, it's less about the actual menswear collection than the approach of design that was very specific to the woman herself - I think she really pioneered the menswear separates, the suit, the Chesterfield coat and the white shirt for women, making those iconic pieces her's. I see a typical Jil Sander design to be above anything of utilitarian consideration, durability and somewhat sober elegance. What she did during her two comebacks was to articulate a 'fashion' beyond that, it's interesting how here volumes became more dynamic and abstractly sculptural, yet completely plausible and easy to wear - Something Raf Simons' fashions for the house didn't always have.

 

[softgrey]

a lot of the volume you speak of - tric- was achieved through the glorious and sumptuous fabrics which draped or stood away from the body, depending on how they were handled...

this necessarily drove up the prices---
i think this is why raf's stuff always seemed so stiff...
i suspect they wouldn't let him go beyond a certain price point, which relegated him to stiffer, less wieldy fabrics, resulting in stiff garments...

it's sad really...
but it is true that beautiful clothes that no one can afford to buy are rather impractical...for all of their wearability...

there is still a black cashmere coat from fall that i think of regularly...
but the $5000 price was just not a realistic option for me...

 

[tricotineacetat]

a lot of the volume you speak of - tric- was achieved through the glorious and sumptuous fabrics which draped or stood away from the body, depending on how they were handled...

this necessarily drove up the prices---
i think this is why raf's stuff always seemed so stiff...
i suspect they wouldn't let him go beyond a certain price point, which relegated him to stiffer, less wieldy fabrics, resulting in stiff garments...

it's sad really...
but it is true that beautiful clothes that no one can afford to buy are rather impractical...for all of their wearability...

there is still a black cashmere coat from fall that i think of regularly...
but the $5000 price was just not a realistic option for me...

True, but there is also something about the cut of the pieces she designed in the past 10 years that was a bit different from the 90ies minimalism she pioneered - Some of the pattern solutions she came up with reminded me of what I would have otherwise found in a Christobal Balenciaga or Junya Watanabe design.

The online store Stylebob has a pretty good selection of her recent collections and you can see the close from 360 degrees, in which case the architectural quality of the cut comes out very well.

Some nice examples:

http://www.stylebop.com/de/product_details.php?menu1=designer&menu2=&menu3=2231&id=498451

(love the slightly flared vent on the sleeve)

http://www.stylebop.com/de/product_details.php?menu1=designer&menu2=&menu3=2231&id=518434

(the wrapped front and sculptural lantern sleeve)

 

[softgrey]

wow- that website is a revelation!
thanks tric...

i esp love this piece- which is much softer than jil's usual thing...
but i LOVE how the sleeve is done...
http://www.stylebop.com/de/product_details.php?menu1=designer&menu2=&menu3=2231&id=498538

 

[softgrey]

oh- and this is the cashmere coat~!
http://www.stylebop.com/de/product_...gner&menu2=&menu3=2231&id=488980&special=sale

 

[Scott]

those examples are precisely the main reasons i have campaigned mightily for branquinho because the evolution of jil's aesthetic,while not drastic,has become decidedly softer and quietly feminine.

and btw,it's interesting that gibo runs both jil sander and has a stake in branquinho's company....i can't understand why they wouldn't have got her. they've got the access.

 

[Thefrenchy]

Random question but who designs Jil Sander NAVY?

 

[donyan]

Random question but who designs Jil Sander NAVY?

I think it's the same designer actually.
I'm not sure this is a good decision , he might be a great designer but he's not right for the label . They will just alienate the existing customers , and the collection hasn't been selling that well recently anyway.
They needed to make a statement, a courageous decision , not this.
I just hope it turns out ok, it would break my heart to see Jil Sander become irrelevant.

 

[Mutterlein]

those examples are precisely the main reasons i have campaigned mightily for branquinho because the evolution of jil's aesthetic,while not drastic,has become decidedly softer and quietly feminine.

and btw,it's interesting that gibo runs both jil sander and has a stake in branquinho's company....i can't understand why they wouldn't have got her. they've got the access.

There's probably a pretty good reason for it, one of which being that maybe she turned them down.