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Show Report

Show Report: Jil Sander S/S 15 Womenswear

by Harriet Walker on 20 September 2014

Harriet Walker reports on the Jil Sander S/S 15 womenswear show.

Harriet Walker reports on the Jil Sander S/S 15 womenswear show.

For his first collection for Jil Sander since his appointment as creative director in April, Rodolfo Paglialunga presented a system of dressing. The clothes in it added up to regimented and rigorous look that would see the wearer through the work day and the weekend, allowing for formality and ease in equal measure. 

Fine gauge and lightweight knits were worn over smart shirts, their collars deep and their sleeves rolled to just above the elbow (expect to see this styling tic copied widely by street stylers and working women alike), and paired either with wide-leg, knee length shorts or geometric wrap skirts.

There was a workman aspect to tailoring, with deep patch pockets and a certain tidy bagginess; jackets were cropped but boxy and stood away from the body, while some trousers had paper bag waists and skirts were fasten with simple tie-belts.

Colours were muted without being sludgy - navy, claret, aubergine – and they brightened to pink and silver metallic accents to finish. Tailoring warmed up with a sheeny coating that had a quilted look, and a matte, barely there circle print – more a phantom of a graphic – gave depth to the dresses and skirts it came on.

It was perfect for the brand. Granted, these clothes were not startling in their difference from what else is around right now. While innovative, they felt familiar and current. But they had a Jil Sander slant; there was an identity here that will no doubt become more apparent in the coming seasons under Paglialungo.

And more importantly, they looked great. They were sleek and simple, grown-up but contemporary. And while so many brands claim to be supporting this modern woman they envision who works and multi-tasks and lives a life, few of them seem to be offering a realistic wardrobe in the way this did. You could recreate, with significantly less finesse, Paglialungo’s look tomorrow if you so wish – he worked with an eye on possibility and zeitgeist. That’s how to build a label nowadays.

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