MILAN, Mar 1, 2009 / FW/ — Perhaps it’s because I’m a sci-fi buff that I am so sensitive to futurist looks; but I’m also a long time fan of both Jil Sander and Raf Simons, so the Jil Sander Fall 2009 collection was a triple treat for me – a minimalist futuristic looks based on organic shapes.
Raf Simons began with the familiar silhouettes of Jil Sander – androgynous coats and shift dresses, even the suit dresses and pant/suit jacket sets. Then, in a seamless transition, Raf Simons started putting shapes that were so subtle at first that it was almost a surprise to see an hourglass figure appear.
What followed is one of the best tailoring I have seen; or should I call it sculpting with the cloth as the medium? Because that’s what Raf Simons did. He did not cut necklines, he sculpted them. A simple dark blue sleeveless dress became a work of art with its asymmetrical neckline / shoulder that went up about 6 inches in the air.
A yellow orange cocktail dress was given a continuous shoulder that became an extended pocket; a leather coat in beige with a hidden placket but sans a collar was given a ‘waist’ by using darts and a hidden pleat.
In a season that seem to be bent in revisiting the 1980s, a trend that was seen in New York and London, and now here in Milan, seeing something as sublime as what Raf Simons did for Jil Sander made me think that looking forward is so much better than looking back.
[SARA CONDE]
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