A Sad Day For New Beginnings...

My mum took me to Paris once. I think it was in 2007. I was there during Fall (Autumn if I refrain from adapting to Canadian terms) and the weather was simply extraordinary. Sunny days with a hint of a chill in the air, overcast days the proved to enhance the brilliance of the cities architecture and history. 

I remember a lot about that trip and can't wait to go there again to make more memories. A memory that is particularly vivid is that of a rich aubergine coloured coat in the pristine Jil Sander store. As is often the case when I (window) shop designer with my mum, we were barely acknowledged and definitely not approached which, for once, I actually appreciated. I was ensconced in the aura of the clothing, the atmosphere around me buzzing with a combination of delight, curiosity and genuine appreciation. The Jil Sander brand does, in my opinion, the details and the chicest minimalism like no other. Raf Simons for Jil Sander has consistently blown my mind. I hope that he will continue to do so elsewhere as it makes me sad to say that this Fall/Winter 2012 show in Milan was his last, designing for Jil Sander. 

This collection is also one that I would like to own. All 37 looks!! And not just because it is Simons' last for the house but because it is genuinely a collection that I resonate with from beginning to end. There's a subtlety to the femininity and the occasional harp back to the 1940's/1950's woman. Again, no detail has been spared.

My sadness at the designer's departure is not alone. Apparently, as Raf shed a tear or two, the audience offered him a resounding encore. Anna Della Russo put it most aptly in her interview with Tim Blanks for Style.com - "This was really a fashion moment. It touched me because I feel the humanity. That's important in our job." 

Watch the full video on Style.com 

Jil Sander Fall/Winter 2012 - Images Via. Style.com