Raf Simons for Jil Sander F/W 2010

For fall, the Jil Sander show was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It was focused and minimal and though there were few ideas in the collection, the overall effect was a strong creative shot to the heart. The show mainly featured suit jackets and elements of power dressing, which seemed to say it is time to get down to business, eschewing any hints of frivolity. It was power dressing in a new way, and one could imagine these women going to the office by day and fighting dangerous criminals by night.

There were boxy suit jackets and short skirts in simple black, pinstripes and an array of plaids that were shown on both short and long, tight fitting jumpsuits. Elements of the spring trend of transparency crept back, in shorts that were worn under sheer black skirts, sheer turtlenecks and a long, boxy wool jacket that was cut at the shoulders to reveal sheer straps. Indeed, the collection insisted on combining the masculine and the feminine. As has has in the past, Simons fused two unlikely garments, a long suit jacket on one side with a cocktail dress on the other. It was a coat dress in the most literal sense of the word.

One could say the looks were all black, unless otherwise noted. When     colour was used, it was electrifying, as though it were alive. Short, structured tweed dresses had flecks of oranges, reds,  white, blue and black that formed a modern, oversized plaid. The effect was a sort of space-age, cyber plaid.

It is a tribute to a designer’s understanding of fashion and his customer when he can take standard, basic ideas of dressing and make them new again, and this collection seemed to redefine the concept of power and restraint. It was less aggressive and futuristic than the spring show, but no less effective, and will undoubtedly prove to be a hit with the Jil Sander customer. Raf Simons, the king of restraint who is quiet as a mouse, managed to shout this season.