Jil Sander Pre Fall 2022
With New York Fashion Week coming up in February, I find myself tuning into designer collection releases. I live on the West Coast and have no idea how a normal person attends fashion week (if you get invited to these sorts of events and ever need a plus one….I AM AVAILABLE!!) but I enjoy engaging in the virtual hype. Reading glowing reviews and scathing roasts, scrolling through Vogue Runway App until my eyes hurt, creating eBay search alerts for pieces I hope trickle down into the secondhand universe.
Here’s one collection I’m fixated on right now:
Jil Sander
Jil Sander is a minimalist designer who has been called the “Queen of Less.” I would not describe my taste as minimalist, but I do appreciate versions of minimalism that still play with color and texture while preserving the focus on clean lines and forms. She’s usually not a designer I follow closely. But…during the SSENSE sale I was hemming and hawing over the chocolate brown Tabi Mary Janes, but decided it wasn’t a good financial decision for me, so I browsed TRR to fill the brown mary jane hole in my heart, and I found a pair from Jil Sander in my size I loved. That prompted me to look into her most recent collection.
Well - I absolutely loved it and would wear almost all of the looks. They’re sophisticated, thoughtful, and eclectic. It reminds me a lot of Rachel Comey, one of my favorite designers. Some standout looks and thoughts below.
The tailoring is immaculate and stays true to the brand’s minimalist heritage. That shade of powder blue and fluttery razor sharp collar makes it visually striking. The model casting also works well - It’s giving laminated brow HAIM sister in an edgier version of these Jackie O/Diana outfits.
Clean precise lines in this dress let the crushed cantaloupe velvet fabric steal the show. It’s subtly lush. Love that the model is styled on a dark green velvet chair. Same but different.
I’m drawn in by the power clash of complementary colors. This is a high energy, high vibration outfit that commands attention. Yet still manages to do so in a sophisticated way with the matching knits that err towards sweatsuit. Also, what is that little ribbon detail? It looks like a vintage pin a class president would wear. I’m into it. The bag is classic Jil Sander, architectural, black and white.
This model really looks like a HAIM sister in my opinion, and the effect lends a sort of LA sensibility to the clothes (Jil Sander studied at UCLA so maybe there’s something to it). The vest trench looks like it’s made from a 70s conversation pit rug, the belt has a vague aviatory quality (Amelia Earhart core?). The cantaloupe and honeydew tones in the rest of the outfit are extremely satisfying.
This shade of cerulean….I’m hooked. In leather especially, it’s shiny and pulls you in. What is that sweater scarf draping magic going on? Dying to see how it looks laid out flat. The white and silver accessories function well here as the metaphorical sour cream dollops - adding tang and brightness.
More drapery magic - I like that I can’t tell where the scarf begins and where the coat begins. It challenges my assumption of what those items of clothing can look like. I’m seeing some Acne Studios in this outfit, with the oversize colorful plaid scarf, and the Jensen-esque boots. (In 2017 I desperately wanted a pair of Jensens. They were out of my budget at the time so I settled for the Everlane Boss Boots. Got it out of my system and I never got the Jensens).
The bell shape is gorgeous. I love the motif of the cloaked womanTM in literature and movies - she is powerful, ominous, haunting. She is here to deliver prophecies and curses. The black bag peeking out, hands hidden, nothing but the floating face and sliver of ankle, it’s so mysterious. And the fur pump is pure irony (Tibi makes similar one in Cookie Monster Blue), I’d wear this whole outfit in a heartbeat.
Shapes! This look is graphic and flat, the model’s hair looks almost painted on - the waves are that crisp. The coat is another nod to Jil Sander’s minimalist tailoring, while the bean shape button playing off the circle earrings infuses it with eclecticism. I see similarities with Rejina Pyo’s use of buttons. The black boots and black hair at opposite ends function as focal point bookends for the outfit, grounding the pistachio colored daydream.
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Viv