JilSander

The Fashion Statement: The Little Black Dress

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same." That's probably one of my favorite quotes from Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

So this post is in honor of the designer, the inspiration of Coco Before Chanel (Audrey Tatou pictured above) and a timeless and ageless look she pioneered--the little black dress, or LBD.

I'm particularly struck by the LBD because, as I write this post, I am vacationing in Istanbul, Turkey. All around me, women are wearing black dresses for a variety of reasons. Some are wearing traditional Muslim dress, head-to-toe black, with black veils. European women are wearing knee-grazing black dresses with high heels for an out-on-the-town look. And the ancient city's Christian roots portray nuns in black habits (strikingly similar to how some Muslim women dress today).

With so many cultural influences coming from all directions how, then, did the LBD become a staple of a woman's wardrobe in the U.S.? In Western countries the little black dress has its origins in death. At the beginning and middle of the 20th century, women wore black dresses to mourn the loss of a husband, a son or a brother... sometimes for several years at a time. Chanel, ever the independent woman to challenge what women could and could not wear, put on trousers, wore sailor blouses and proclaimed this dour look chic in 1926 when one of her short black dresses was published in Vogue. Later, particularly during WWI and WWII when women seemed to be wearing little black dresses on a regular basis, the eye had adapted and the LBD, however controversial, caught on.

Today, of course, the LBD is a classic akin to the trench coat, the pea coat and the perfect white shirt--a flexible garment that can be dressed up and dressed down. Lanvin, Jil Sander and Donna Karan have wonderful versions of the LBD gearing up to make their rounds during this year's holiday party circuit.

But it is worth remembering that Coco--said to have been a pre-feminist, a woman who liberated women from corsets, frilly gowns and gave them hands-free shoulder bags--was determined to live her life independently from men, financially or otherwise. To love men, but not to rely on them, is a noble aspiration to this day. If the LBD is not a direct statement on women and their independence, it is representative of a questioning and rebellious spirit that is always the hallmark of style.

Tags: Coco Before Chanel, CocoBeforeChanel, Donna Karan, DonnaKaran, Jil Sander, JilSander, Lanvin, Little Black Dress, LittleBlackDress

The Fashion Statement: For Sex or Abstinence?

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

Designers are in the midst of a heated argument at Milan fashion week-whether one should dress for sex or dress for abstinence in a global recession. Seems a fitting debate in a country where the famously womanizing Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Pope Benedict XVI are its two most powerful leaders

On the celibate team sits Miuccia Prada, who practices restraint on a regular basis (well, by Italian standards). She further reigned in her collection (well, by Prada standards) to include charcoal knee-length walking shorts, Fifties-style swimwear and demure day dresses. The ever quirky Marni showed knee-length shorts and paired them with thick-strapped shoes with thick soles worn with beige ankle socks (I can hear my boyfriend's protests now). Roberto Cavalli went AWOL from his I'm-too-sexy position in the marketplace, putting out modest peasant dresses with hems stopping mid-calf.

Then again, sex sells. Versace stayed true to form. Sex, sex and more sex with Donatella's brand of cigarettes afterward, thank you. Slits cut up to there. Necklines cut down to there. Cut-outs revealing erogenous zones. Towering stilettos. Short, short, short. (Definitely more my boyfriend's speed, I'm guessing.)

Gallery: The Fashion Statement, 10/01/09

Tags: Bottega Veneta, BottegaVeneta, Emporio Armani, EmporioArmani, Ferragamo, Gucci, Jil Sander, JilSander, Marni, Milan Fashion Week, MilanFashionWeek, Prada, Roberto Cavalli, RobertoCavalli, Versace

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Fashion Line Jil Sander Has A New Owner

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Well it looks like this rumors we heard at the end of July were true, minimalist fashion line JIl Sander has been sold again. Private-equity firm Change Capital Partners Monday sold the German label to Japan's Onward Holdings Company for a cool €167 million ($245 million). Not quite the 200 million euros Vogue UK had reported they wanted but not too shabby either considering Change Capital Partners paid €50 million two and a half years ago.Onward Holdings will also repay €45 million in debt. Onward owns Italian clothing manufacturer Gibo and has been looking to expand their fashion interests abroad.

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Tags: design, fashion, jil sander, JilSander

Prada May Postpone IPO in an Uncertain Market

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Earlier in the year, rumors swirled about a potential Prada IPO, divesting the company of a third of its shares and forcing the Prada family to reduce drastically its 95% stake. It's not news that the design house needs cash -- experts have criticized the house for neglecting to stake a claim in burgeoning Asian markets, and the house is in debt after a 1999 shopping spree that included Jil Sander and Helmut Lang. Enterprising CEO Patrizio Bertelli (husband to design brainiac Miuccia Prada) noted after the New Year that Prada might hit the chopping block in Milan by year's end.

And yet, Prada may need to postpone its public offering another time (it avoided an IPO following the 9/11 attacks), as experts estimate its worth at almost $2 billion less than they predicted earlier in the year. Though some hope Prada can withstand a withering economy and ride out 2008, its significant debt may make such a goal as out of reach as one of the house's iconic Fairy Bags.

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Tags: bertelli, fairy bag, FairyBag, helmut lang, HelmutLang, ipo, jil sander, JilSander, miuccia prada, MiucciaPrada, prada, prada fairy bag, PradaFairyBag, salvatore ferragamo, SalvatoreFerragamo

Jil Sander Fashion Line Up For Sale Again?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

While the Jil Sander fashion line consistently receives raves for cool, minimalist design and is worn by celebrities like Tilda Swinton and Sarah Jessica Parker, it doesn't make a lot of money. That news doesn't seems to sit well with current owners Change Capital Partners. WWD says that numerous sources have let the know that the London-based private equity fund, which bought Jil Sander from Prada back in February 2006, has been quietly testing the waters o see what the company could bring in. The line's Raf Simons recently received the ELLE Fashion Star newcomer award during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009 in Berlin. Fashion Week Daily also reports that Kanye West is a big fan of Simons' work.

Vogue UK reports that Change Capital Partners is looking for offers off around 200 million euros which is believed to be double what they may have bought the company for. This on a company that, for the year ended January 31, announced profits of 6 million euros on sales of 131 million euros.

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Tags: capital change partners, CapitalChangePartners, jil sander, JilSander