Jil Sander’s own assessment of her style includes a paradox: She calls it “less and luxe.”
Less, meaning architectural lines, finer-than-air tailoring and a refusal to cater to the masses with lower-priced secondary lines.
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Luxe, meaning sumptuous cashmeres, the finest sea-island cottons, to-die-for silk shantungs and Sander-invented fabrics such as cushy wool velvets and cool wool linens.
The Hamburg-born designer has been staging a tasteful revolution since 1974, when she debuted her first collection in Paris to . . . yawns. Perhaps she was a woman two steps ahead of her time.
Today, loyalists worship her as the queen of minimalism-members of her fan club include Winona Ryder, Uma Thurman, Barbra Streisand and Martha Stewart.
You can see her pared-down sensibility reflected everywhere from the Gap to Calvin Klein. And why not? In the anxiety-ridden ’90s, who has time to fuss with non-essentials?
After all, in this designer’s camp, accessories are strictly verboten.