Jil Sanders Men’s Fall 2012
by Jada Brazell
Raf Simons indulged in a love affair with darkness in the latest Jil Sanders’ men’s collection. The show was set on a black rubber runway in front of a black wall in an underground parking garage. Simons created this cinematic effect on purpose in efforts to portray the troubled masculinity seeping through generation and background. The components of this deliberate plot: black leather blazers, double breasted suits, trenches and cloaks. While obviously daring, the tailoring is elegant and luxurious, almost corset like at times. The genius of the collection was that Simons commanded the audience to look beyond the obvious and see the impeccable details, including a peek of signature Jil Sanders’ orange on the collar of a trench and fitted leather gloves, and subtly different materials like calf leather and waxed nylon. If the sinister scene and meticulous detailing weren’t enough to mesmerize, Simons made sure to stir reaction by adding sperm whale knit and childlike characters to exclusively grown-up wear. Simon’s response to comments about his collection? “What you see is who you are.”
