Jil Sander – the designer – is a minimalist, but Jil Sander – the contemporary brand – is minimalist no more. Backstage of their eclectic spring-summer 2024 fashion show in Milan, Lucie and Luke Meier explained that their collection was a study of shapes. The two knit dresses were examples of that with their clingy ribbed bodices blossoming below the waist into fuller skirts. Rhinestone necklaces signaled that the brand is open to a bit of opulent bling. Experiments with shapes were further translated in tailoring: the designers cut jackets as boxy as squares and paired them with sailor-collar shirts and shorts to accentuate the silhouette. Or else they elongated their lines, showing duster coats on the guys and extending the men’s jackets nearly to the knees while raising the waistband of baggy shorts well past the navel. There was a looseness to their approach to tailoring; it suggested that they feel freer to play than they did in their earlier days at the label. That freer sensibility held true of other categories too. Button-down shirts were accessorized with metal discs on their collar points, like built-in jewelry, and vests came with twin portholes on the upper chest outlined in the same polished chrome. The portholes were a little on the large side, but you appreciated the instinct. No quibbles with the giant cat face prints on a couple of tunic dresses.

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Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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