Let There Be Light in the Dark at Jil Sander
Review of Jil Sander Fall 2025 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Light in the Dark, Hyper-real texture, Sensitivity, Tough Love
In a womb-like space darkened (save for the low hum of mood-making red lights) and filled to the brim to create a sense of intimacy, Luke and Lucie Meier took to the dark side with a collection that demanded to be experienced with all the senses, as exaggerated fringing and dip-dyed floral dresses, fur cap sleeves and chubby furs took on a kinetic energy.
Having made their definitive mark in the industry, since joining the brand in 2017, the Meiers became the blueprint for modern minimalism which leant on volume, texture, and the sculptural to stand out in a saturated market. Of late there has been a darkening of the mood with tougher fabrics employed and almost gothic-like colourations, and for fall there was a follow-through on their unexpectedly dark turn for spring 2025, when they were inspired by Canadian photographer Greg Girard’s neon lit cities experienced at night.
In todays show notes this darkness was a reflection of the times we are now living through – “Lucie and Luke Meier have envisioned a collection, and a staging, that turns darkness – the hues that seem to soak our times – into light, into the brilliance they invite us to capture”. Whether considered a nod to the dark or light, a set of Jean Patou-esque floor-length gowns stood out and could have been a reference to the outside world and the desire by some to return to the 1950s/60s when women’s only role was to put on the performance of perfection. These couture-like looks, mixed in amongst the sharp tailoring and weathered leather, provided the perfect juxtaposition and expansion of the designers purposeful evolution, especially when a number of similar floor-length looks appeared later dip-dyed in an inky black tone, making the connection to darkness laying under the surface of a facade of perfection all the more clear.
‘A tension of opposites’ was today’s M.O. imbuing an intensity into each look. Miniature bows were followed by springy fringing and sprouting feathers that had a comical character to them. Precision creased silk blouses were equipped with an armour-style breastplate of silver sequins – the breastplate emerging as it were as a mini-trend from the fashion season so far. Structured satin and classic grey wool was used to update the formal co-ord, either dip-dyed or overlaid with lace, and a leather set in a muted red rounded out the pursuit of polarisation.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
At once ‘tough and decorative’ as said in todays notes, the Meier’s have rebelled against the ‘codes of tradition’ and inverted the ‘nostalgia of the New Wave’ so its influence was evident but not overly worked. Their fall collection was both one of desire and defence, turning light into dark and vice versa, at a time when darkness appears to be winning here lies another way to play to all sides, reflecting the nature of humans ability to play into both without losing their humanity.
