The collection designed by Lucie and Luke Meier for Jil Sander’s Fall Winter 23 appears to the audience as an acknowledgement, a warm and safe embrace during the era in which we find ourselves. Annealed, fluid and immaterial: this is how the incredible duo describes our historical period, using it as a starting point for the creation of contemporary and meaningful garments. The two designers for the coming season provide us with a series of combinable elements to best express ourselves, to emphasize our individuality, to feel comfortable at any time and anywhere. The collection is a clear invitation to personalization, to being impulsive and unpredictable. The Meiers for the creation of the garments think together about their formative period, the 1990s and 2000s, and on the other hand about the use of technology to make the garments forward-looking. The first look appears on the runway as a strong surprise to the audience, which immediately understands the brand’s departure from the codes established by the minimalist style that makes the brand’s history. It is a black and white leather biker jacket, with a 3D logo imprinted vertically along the front zipper, and matching pants reinforced at the knees like racing uniforms.
“We were thinking about how the outlook was so positive and exciting, thinking about technology coming into our lives. Now the positivity about the future is more difficult to hold up.”
Lucie and Luke break down gender distinctions, as well as the differences between day and night and the gap between organic and synthetic: the garments are distinct but the dialogue between them is strong and poetic. Sportwear, denim and couture come together in a single collection with infinite combinations, so that it can adapt to the needs of any person. The two designers prove that they are masters of their craft through the clean lines that have always distinguished the brand, the materials of exceptional quality, and the whimsy that masters the entire construction. Shapes are light, long and floating: maxi coats with squared shoulders skim the floor, soft dresses follow the body, while pants and raincoats feature endless metal zippers that seem to start on one garment and end on the next. Pastel colors that manage to completely describe the essence of the brand, becoming a key element: Jil Sander’s cream is unique, as is that sweet shade of gray or the soft light yellow. More classic elements such as perfectly tailored jackets are found alongside oversized t-shirts with printed graphics of candies and fruits. The two designers assert themselves eager to discover the future, exploring new technological instruments: wool felt is welded and digitally printed, 3D effects run through the collection in a bold but not too invasive way, and a long, airy white cotton dress is filled with sequins and aluminum flowers. Pants are voluminous, with zippers and drawstring adjustments, or slender, sharp ankle-length; the voluminous sleeves of floaty dresses in solid colors and plaid prints echo the shape of some oversize leather jackets that create a round, wrap-around figure. The focus at the end of the show is on the floral patterning that has become a prominent feature of this season: dresses and capes present rose designs in soft colors, while dark coats and dresses are full of flashy and eccentric flower applications. Shoes are bold and bags have maxi sizes: new monochrome sneakers and biker boots anchor silhouettes pragmatically, while slim boots with a technical heel and square toe emphasize the glamorous side of the collection. Voluminous silver and bright necklaces enrich the solid-colored sweaters, while the garment is always wrapped in a narrow balaclava that gives the silhouette a modern, futuristic aspect.
With the soundtrack of Bjork’s “All Neon Like”, the collection walked a delicate line between classic elements and avant-garde details contributing more and more to the personal and unique character of the brand. The two designers had fun experimenting with new techniques and letting themselves be carried away by features from different worlds that once again give that extra twist to the défilé. The individuality brought to the runway by Lucie and Luke Meier is an invitation to do the same in our daily lives, using the elements they provided us with in multiple combinations so that to be carried away by the pure and unique beauty of Jil Sander.
“It’s always a bit rose-tinted, the past, but the one resounding element here was that there was this openness to kind of cross contaminate things.”
