Jil Sander Has the Soft Touch
Review of Jil Sander Fall 2024 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
First came cozy, then came cocooning, a design language not unfamiliar to Lucie and Luke Meier. The need for protection and enveloping in padded layers is an even more prescient subject which creatives have been tackling in their own corners this season.
Accepting the possibility of the reality that come fall this year we may very well – still – be navigating through some tough times (several elections are slated to take place across a number of key markets and the financial uncertainty alongside global conflicts is not likely to dissipate overnight), the Meier’s are fully cognisant that fashion won’t save us, but it can act as a balm, to soothe the rough edges.
In the constant search for more connectedness as a way to move forward with fashion, for clothing that will mean thinking beyond being the latest fad. In the show notes the duo spoke to this saying “Sometimes, precious details are intended for the wearer only. The interior of a garment, or the finish of the inside of a delicate bracelet, is as important as the exterior, as what is shown. Who does not remember, and wear, something for its smell or touch, rather than for the way it looks?” And for fall 2024, Jil Sander was giving us the warm and fuzzies.
Constructing a graphic roundness which enables each garment to be imagined as its 3D form, elements stick out and form in new shapes away from the body. Developing a space, which according to their notes uses a multi-dimensional world to help those who follow the brand find their way through the outer layers. And for next season that entails injecting a lot of whimsy into formal attire, tailoring is overlaid with shocking furs, bell-sleeved jackets come with multiple (dys)functional buttons, and shaggy fringing, alongside plush quilting is gathered around the body as a way to penetrate the senses and unite the inner and outer parts of life through sensorial stimulation.
THE BUZZWORDS
Making the invisible visceral, protective padding, couture-like construction
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #63
Taking the simple cape and elevating it with plush textures and a vibrant tone intended to envelope the wearer in crafted comfort, resembling that of a restful nights sleep which travels with you.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
Everything looks effortless, inducing the haptic sensation of wearing something precious and uncomplicated. Simpler forms intricately made.
Lucie and Luke Meier, Creative Directors, Jil Sander
THE WRAP UP
A collection of balance is what the design duo propose for fall, not a complete denial of outside factors, but an acknowledgement that self-preservation is also key. And it is this they are attempting to provide a solution for through clothes which convey meaning “sensitivity and form, intimacy and presence, image and intention, concentration and humour” according to the show notes.
All five senses will come into play for fall, and at Jil Sander, in changing times, these are the things they want us to lean into, as we can think beyond our appearances, but unfortunately that is not the way of the world, yet.
