To mark their last collection before the ascension of new creative director Rodolfo Paglialunga, the Jil Sander team went back to the well for inspiration. The clothes had the linear clarity of the earliest Sander menswear: high-closing three-button jackets with tiny lapels; suits and shirts in top-to-toe monochrome or print; and crisp, dry fabrics. But the look back didn't feel retro. Instead it was a reminder of what originally made the label great, possibly because enough time has passed that it appeared newish again.
"Movement and vibration" were the totems of the collection. A print abstracted the gestures made by an orchestral conductor. (The team used it in a complete ensemble: shirt, shorts, and coat.) A texture aimed to duplicate the vibrations of music underwater. There was movement in the controlled athleticism of the clothes—the body-hugging nylon, elastic waistbands, zips, and drawstrings. Also in the way larger volumes were brought to bear. Oversize trousers were cinched in by a wide belt, and a very appealing coat was fitted in the front and then bloomed into a sack back.
Truth to tell, the Sander man was always a rather bloodless proposition, the kind of creature who might actually wear ankle socks with sandals because that was just plain old him, not because he was a dedicated follower of the current trends. But this collection suggested that elegance may be ample recompense for anemia.
