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Jil Sander: A New Angle I have been mulling my review of the Jil Sander collection for some time. Not because I didn’t like the show, but because it encapsulates the essence of fashion regime change. After a hesitant start, Creative Director Rodolfo Paglialunga is making a good job of capturing the clean spirit of the founder, who was in and out of her namesake company more times than you can say ‘minimalism’.  Picture credit: Indigital I had a good feeling when I saw the flat runway punctuated by brightly coloured pillars. (Something that Jonathan Saunders did too in London.) But Rodolfo made those pillars a pronouncement of his geometric collection. First came tailored coats with a flash of sorbet colours – strawberry and mango – at the neck, and a mannish suit where the long jacket looked too severe for female comfort.  Picture credit: Indigital But then the designer took out his maths toolset and went with diagonal lines. These sharp, angular stripes, sometimes crisscrossing each other, were effective in giving a modern elegance to clothes built on straight lines. This is something Jil Sander herself might have done, I thought. And there lies the problem. In fact, in her long fashion journey from chic severity to sweet serenity, Jil was always surprising me. I remember a collection when childish squiggles suddenly appeared among the minimalism.  Picture credit: Indigital But pity the poor follow-up designers, who, if they branch too far from the tree trunk, are seen as abandoning the brand signatures. Too little, and the collection is stagnant. I commend Rodolfo for what he has achieved. But I would not wish to be in his colourful boots.  Picture credit: Indigital And there are going to be so many more designers in a similar position as the Italian companies go through the same painful process as the French have already experienced. I wish them all well in these anxious takeovers as famous fashion figures finally leave the stage. (责任编辑：admin) |