The Jil Sander invitation was accompanied by a sachet filled with what looked like large chocolate truffles (chocolate being this reviewer’s Fashion Week sustenance), but were actually “seed bombs.” Once they are watered, whether in a pot or the ground, these hunks of natural bounty will almost immediately begin sprouting. Collections, they sprout too—and sometimes very spontaneously. But with the exacting vision that Luke and Lucie Meier bring to Jil Sander, you get the impression that their modus operandi is not to do things fast but to do them right. After two years of them designing together, we are continuing to see what this entails.
In suiting terms, they fine-tuned silhouettes so that they appeared noticeably constructed without appearing heavy or stiff. “It’s nice to build things,” Luke explained. “You don’t want to sacrifice volume in the spring because of weight or because of warmth.” Accordingly, they proposed shirts as strong standalone pieces, then shifted to lighter, looser layers. And it was pleasing to see the expected emphasis on black and ivory give way to an International Klein blue caftan here, a glossy chocolate leather coat there. There were noticeable subtractions (the frequent absence of lapels) balanced by unexpected additions (straps encircling upper arms; a raffia-like crossbody sash worn under a jacket). And there were decadent fringes extending down the sides of knits, often trailing along the ground, which Lucie explained as a display of poetry. Would they remain so long? “We’re going to figure that out,” said Luke, to which Lucie added that they could be cut as needed.
It must have taken some out-of-box thinking to arrive at the boxy, color-blocked bags, which were eye-catching but not as instantly desirable as the big bicolor totes. In fact, while watching the footwear alternate between barely-there moccasins and sturdy-soled boots, a thought occurred that the couple had planted many ideas here, aware that some would capture attention while others might go unnoticed. Printed on the backs of certain looks, for example, was a delicate plant clipping enlarged exponentially beyond its actual size. As a symbol of the collection, it signaled the sensitive side of Jil Sander, which is an integral and admirable aspect of the Meiers’ approach. Now imagine if every guest planted their seed bomb.
