Simone Bellotti - Designer, Creative Director of Jil Sander

[hamburgers]

It’s literally his Bally + the existing Jil Sander visual team. I’m not surprised though his first two collections were very Paris, Texas-inspired and the Jil team managed to get Wim Wenders for a campaign awhile ago.

I found his Bally charming, but Jil Sander is a brand I expect rigor in construction or concept so we’ll see if he can sell me on soft millenial Jil.

 

[Thefrenchy]

^ Hmmm looking at the credits of the video, that's actually his Bally team (visual wise) who worked on the project.

Nice first hint, now I'm curious about the show.

 

[PDFSD]

^ Hmmm looking at the credits of the video, that's actually his Bally team (visual wise) who worked on the project.

Nice first hint, now I'm curious about the show.

You will be disappointed trust me :-)
At Bally he had the swiss artists to spice up his flintstones fashions, JIL is so minimal that with his basic taste it will be like - + - = +J (by cos)
He does not have the rigor and mind JF circle J*rk that Raf had to make it happen.

 

[Thefrenchy]

^ Crashing my hopes before the holidays, are we?

 

[PDFSD]

^ Crashing my hopes before the holidays, are we?

see it as Waste management :-) and saving on therapy sessions in the fall season.

 

[andrew]

i just want someone to carry the banner of 90s austere minimalism into the current generation. is this too much to ask. 😩

 

[tricotineacetat]

i just want someone to carry the banner of 90s austere minimalism into the current generation. is this too much to ask. 😩

In order to do that properly, designers should start to think more in a utilitarian frame work, focussing less on 'spare minimalism' and more on creating clothes that serve practical purposes, whilst combining that with a pleasant and timelessly-appealing design - Closer to the principles of Jil Sander and less what all of Philo-era copyists are putting out there on the market - including proportions that make the majority of people look like children playing dress-up in adult clothing (sloppy shoulders, sleeves covering the hands and trouser legs so long they are trailing over the floor).

 

[Lola701]

i just want someone to carry the banner of 90s austere minimalism into the current generation. is this too much to ask. 😩

It’s probably too much to ask.
People lives are so different! You can’t just have it solely as a pure aesthetic.
That aesthetic was a lifestyle. People dressed for that lifestyle… Does that still exist today? In few circles yes but does JS still have that authority?

 

[bc collector]

Closer to the principles of Jil Sander and less what all of Philo-era copyists are putting out there on the market - including proportions that make the majority of people look like children playing dress-up in adult clothing (sloppy shoulders, sleeves covering the hands and trouser legs so long they are trailing over the floor).

As much as I despise the over-sizing trend that Phoebe has somewhat engendered, one can't deny that she did it with taste...après elle, le déluge of Demna's despicable prolet-core, which we can't see the the end of yet.
The problem with JS ultimately has been...Phoebe. Every designer responds to specific needs of their own generation, I have always thought that PP took over from where JS left off, providing sensible, well-designed, quality-strong clothes for intelligent women. And Jil herself, with all her coming and going, never outdid her own work in the late nineties, the rigour, the raw sensuality those clothes evoked.
I'd be happy if Bellotti managed to be successful where pretty much all of his predecessors failed: conjure up that mood, remembering that Jil Sander and Prada are two different things and keeping in mind that at the core of Jil's work there was a single element: control, control and control.

 

[PDFSD]

As much as I despise the over-sizing trend that Phoebe has somewhat engendered, one can't deny that she did it with taste...après elle, le déluge of Demna's despicable prolet-core, which we can't see the the end of yet.
The problem with JS ultimately has been...Phoebe. Every designer responds to specific needs of their own generation, I have always thought that PP took over from where JS left off, providing sensible, well-designed, quality-strong clothes for intelligent women. And Jil herself, with all her coming and going, never outdid her own work in the late nineties, the rigour, the raw sensuality those clothes evoked.
I'd be happy if Bellotti managed to be successful where pretty much all of his predecessors failed: conjure up that mood, remembering that Jil Sander and Prada are two different things and keeping in mind that at the core of Jil's work there was a single element: control, control and control.

He wont you can see the choice of visuals of thos MTV video, that even going back to the home town of Jil its not displaying anything a generic toerist would not see form hamburg, he has no insiders eye to Jil´s mindset or spirit ...the casting of youth on a day trip already shows literally an immature level of taste and depth.

when you don't have story telling the mood or visuals have to be so precious so exact that it opens your curity and answers its all in one picture or a series of.

no matter how minimal the clothes are or direct copy of Jil its just bad cheap cosplay again if there is not usefulness of the clothes and lifestyle attached to it, JIl sander is born from her working woman idea not kids on a boring 3 way day trip to Hamburg.

I had the pleasure to meet her twice one time also able to have a nice
conversation with her and she is not a frivolous person.


bilotti boy should start with the woman herself & her mind set, instead of some youth fantasy he lost or never had.

 

[carla56]

^ Hmmm looking at the credits of the video, that's actually his Bally team (visual wise) who worked on the project.

Nice first hint, now I'm curious about the show.

i think that Bally team fully migrated to JS with him it seems

 

[carla56]

He wont you can see the choice of visuals of thos MTV video, that even going back to the home town of Jil its not displaying anything a generic toerist would not see form hamburg, he has no insiders eye to Jil´s mindset or spirit ...the casting of youth on a day trip already shows literally an immature level of taste and depth.

when you don't have story telling the mood or visuals have to be so precious so exact that it opens your curity and answers its all in one picture or a series of.

no matter how minimal the clothes are or direct copy of Jil its just bad cheap cosplay again if there is not usefulness of the clothes and lifestyle attached to it, JIl sander is born from her working woman idea not kids on a boring 3 way day trip to Hamburg.

I had the pleasure to meet her twice one time also able to have a nice
conversation with her and she is not a frivolous person.
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bilotti boy should start with the woman herself & her mind set, instead of some youth fantasy he lost or never had.

I'm so confused and rather annoyed by his vision so far. 'vision'. maybe im biased by his tenure at Bally and the brand itself but YAWNNNN

 

[PDFSD]

I'm so confused and rather annoyed by his vision so far. 'vision'. maybe im biased by his tenure at Bally and the brand itself but YAWNNNN

its really nothing no matter how many art directors provide him moods boards or who they hire to shoot .

 

[tricotineacetat]

It’s probably too much to ask.
People lives are so different! You can’t just have it solely as a pure aesthetic.
That aesthetic was a lifestyle. People dressed for that lifestyle… Does that still exist today? In few circles yes but does JS still have that authority?

The reason I will forever vouch for the Jil Sander label’s reason to exist and also Jil Sander’s own legacy (especially in comparison to Phoebe’s!) is that the needs projected on them are still very much existing in our todays time, but are largely disregarded by the high fashion industry.

We‘re talking about practicality and functionality - A design meant to support the wearer‘s active lifestyle and not dictate it! Jil Sander designs should first and foremost reflect that, a sense of ease, for the designer to be at the service of the woman or man who wears the clothes.

I might be one of the few who enjoyed the direction Jil herself was headed towards when she briefly returned, succeeding Raf Simons. Her constructions had changed, with more abstract, articulated shapes brought alive by archaic felted wools.

The fashion industry largely ignored her, much as the mainstream press lost interest in designers like Yohji - The fact that her latest +J collection for Uniqlo was such a success was testament to her enduring appeal with customers.

 

[tricotineacetat]

As much as I despise the over-sizing trend that Phoebe has somewhat engendered, one can't deny that she did it with taste...après elle, le déluge of Demna's despicable prolet-core, which we can't see the the end of yet.
The problem with JS ultimately has been...Phoebe. Every designer responds to specific needs of their own generation, I have always thought that PP took over from where JS left off, providing sensible, well-designed, quality-strong clothes for intelligent women. And Jil herself, with all her coming and going, never outdid her own work in the late nineties, the rigour, the raw sensuality those clothes evoked.
I'd be happy if Bellotti managed to be successful where pretty much all of his predecessors failed: conjure up that mood, remembering that Jil Sander and Prada are two different things and keeping in mind that at the core of Jil's work there was a single element: control, control and control.

I mean, if this ain‘t a disgusting and largely unpractical proportion for tailoring, I don‘t know what else is… these shapes look like I put my dad’s Hugo Boss blazer from the 1980ies on a woman, with a slightly more articulated waist - Now imagine that not on a woman but a woman of average height; I doubt it will do anything on her, no?

 

[Lola701]

The reason I will forever vouch for the Jil Sander label’s reason to exist and also Jil Sander’s own legacy (especially in comparison to Phoebe’s!) is that the needs projected on them are still very much existing in our todays time, but are largely disregarded by the high fashion industry.

We‘re talking about practicality and functionality - A design meant to support the wearer‘s active lifestyle and not dictate it! Jil Sander designs should first and foremost reflect that, a sense of ease, for the designer to be at the service of the woman or man who wears the clothes.

I might be one of the few who enjoyed the direction Jil herself was headed towards when she briefly returned, succeeding Raf Simons. Her constructions had changed, with more abstract, articulated shapes brought alive by archaic felted wools.

The fashion industry largely ignored her, much as the mainstream press lost interest in designers like Yohji - The fact that her latest +J collection for Uniqlo was such a success was testament to her enduring appeal with customers.

That’s what was hugely missing from the couple’s era. The ethos of the brand.

Phoebe’s enduring appeal (for me at least) is much more about how her clothes makes me feel than the concept of practicality in itself. I only buy clothes that fits my lifestyle anyway.

And in reality it’s a state of mind I have with anything I wear. I’m not sure that I count on one brand or designer for that anymore…Even if I’m more faithful to designers than brands.

I think I’m looking for the extra thing today. That dose of weirdness or fantasy. What Phoebe did was grab active women with means at her time at Celine and evolve with them.

But I think that Jil Sander has to be rethink and not necessarily to the prism of the 90’s. It screams too much nostalgia to me for a brand that has been around for years and that has proven with Jil and RAF that it can exist and be relevant today without resulting to that quite banal habit (nowadays) to look back to the 90’s.

I think that Jil was about making clothes for fashionable people lately. It was aesthetically pleasing but missed the mark on many things. And maybe the first thing for the new CD should be to think about Jil the woman, but also Jil the brand and it authority and what it should mean today in a landscape where there are so many brands.

One thing that the couple did that I found great was the shirts thing but also the outdoor line. Those ideas indicate a desire to integrate JS into a everyday life or active life…Which was in total disconnect with their loungewear approach as a whole.

 

[PDFSD]

i think that Bally team fully migrated to JS with him it seems

dream team lolz

 

[jeanclaude]

I think the main difference between Jil and Phoebe is their sexual orientation (because believe or not, it can influence the point of view of a person when designing).

Sander was very pragmatic and even when doing feminine clothes, you could still get a hint of masculinity. Her clothes were strict and very clear, a very sophisticated lesbian somewhere between "tough" and "lipstick".

Phoebe is more feminine and more family straight woman who works, with her kids at her side. Her clothes are also pragmatic...but with a point of fanciness and less strict than Sander.

 

[tricotineacetat]

That’s what was hugely missing from the couple’s era. The ethos of the brand.

Phoebe’s enduring appeal (for me at least) is much more about how her clothes makes me feel than the concept of practicality in itself. I only buy clothes that fits my lifestyle anyway.

And in reality it’s a state of mind I have with anything I wear. I’m not sure that I count on one brand or designer for that anymore…Even if I’m more faithful to designers than brands.

I think I’m looking for the extra thing today. That dose of weirdness or fantasy. What Phoebe did was grab active women with means at her time at Celine and evolve with them.

But I think that Jil Sander has to be rethink and not necessarily to the prism of the 90’s. It screams too much nostalgia to me for a brand that has been around for years and that has proven with Jil and RAF that it can exist and be relevant today without resulting to that quite banal habit (nowadays) to look back to the 90’s.

I think that Jil was about making clothes for fashionable people lately. It was aesthetically pleasing but missed the mark on many things. And maybe the first thing for the new CD should be to think about Jil the woman, but also Jil the brand and it authority and what it should mean today in a landscape where there are so many brands.

One thing that the couple did that I found great was the shirts thing but also the outdoor line. Those ideas indicate a desire to integrate JS into a everyday life or active life…Which was in total disconnect with their loungewear approach as a whole.

Keep in mind that Jil Sander is mainly renembered for her heydays in the 1990ies, bringing an austere modernity (people would describe it as 'nordic', although perhaps a lot of scandinavian and german people identify with this style) where there was before only Armani - And let me say perhaps as someone coming from an area not very far from where Jil Sander grew up, I feel that it speaks of our culture, distinctly different from the French and the Italians.

German culture has that distinctly spare and unadorned feel when you think of Bauhaus design, Dieter Rahms and perhaps also the fact that German women are not very much known for a voluptuous feminity - Barely wearing make up, form-fitting clothes that accentuate womanly curves, heels, etc. - The frivolous attributes most fashion-following women enjoy to play with.

So yes, practicality, the saying 'form follows function', they are probably coming from that protestant-minded culture. It‘s the reason why there has been since their arrival on the fashion scene a strong following for Yohji and the Flemish (Belgian) designers.

 

[Lola701]

I think the main difference between Jil and Phoebe is their sexual orientation (because believe or not, it can influence the point of view of a person when designing).

Sander was very pragmatic and even when doing feminine clothes, you could still get a hint of masculinity. Her clothes were strict and very clear, a very sophisticated lesbian somewhere between "tough" and "lipstick".

Phoebe is more feminine and more family straight woman who works, with her kids at her side. Her clothes are also pragmatic...but with a point of fanciness and less strict than Sander.

Interesting but also quite valid…
There are more elements of « seduction » in Phoebe’s work or a least a more sexually conscious attitude in her work.

But to counter-balance your take, both makes clothes for women who dresses for themselves or other women. And both’s fashion allowed women to evolve in masculine environment without being subjected to unwanted male gaze.

Maybe where Jil Sander created an armor for women to evolve in some environment, Phoebe created a cocooon for them.