Jil Sander unveils new creative era with crisp, light silhouettes at Milan Fashion Week

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MILAN (AP) — The Jil Sander silhouettes for next spring and summer previewed Wednesday during Milan Fashion Week were light, crisp and inviting, broken by subtle flashes of skin that gaped only briefly.

The brand’s new creative director Simone Bellotti returned the runway show to the brand’s modernist headquarters overlooking the historic Sforzesco Castle -- part of his studious approach to unlocking the tailoring and structure behind Jil Sander’s minimalist codes. Bellotti made it look easy.

Coats and jackets held their shape as if suspended on the frame, curved for her, or straight for unisex looks. Hidden embroidery cinched coats, jackets and shirts at the waist with origami-like folds. Body hugging knits tucked into double-faced leather skirts featuring a slight peek-a-boo slit across the front. Trousers hugged the hips, sometimes with an ever-so-slightly suggestive slit along the waistband.

Cropped knitwear had an almost shrunken feel, with three-quarter length sleeves layered over lighter plies. Slits across the bodice burst open into to gaping holes that revealed sequin or pleated bralettes. A series of Georgette crepe dresses appeared assembled from raw-edged strips, which the studious designer said were meant to recall the pages of a book.

Bellotti, who joined Jil Sander from Bally in March, said he sought “a balance between … structure and tailoring and classicism, that to me, is like the castle outside. I really think that this brand always has these elements. And so I’m just trying to understand how to make it.’’