Angela Lindvall in Jil Sander, photographed by David Sims, 1998. Sander began her career as a fashion journalist, but moved into fashion design. In 1968 she opened a boutique in Hamburg and five years later was showing on the catwalk. Sander perceived a need for understated clothes with a sense of quiet self-confidence, but which would provide the wearer with the ultimate in fit, quality and modernity. It was a prophetic vision: today, her clothes have become the byword for an ultra-modern, androgynous sensuality that is as uncompromisingly technical as it is beautiful. Her simplicity must not, however, be confused with classicism. As Sander told Vogue, ‘A classic is an excuse, because one is too lazy to contrast the spirit of the time.’ Brutal purity defines her work. She rejects the clichés of femininity, its ruffles and furbelows, for the refinements found in the architecture of men’s suits. This approach throws emphasis away from detail and onto the material, as can be seen here with a pair of trousers, the most striking aspect of which is texture. —Phaidon Editors, 1998

Angela Lindvall in Jil Sander, photographed by David Sims, 1998.

Sander began her career as a fashion journalist, but moved into fashion design. In 1968 she opened a boutique in Hamburg and five years later was showing on the catwalk. Sander perceived a need for understated clothes with a sense of quiet self-confidence, but which would provide the wearer with the ultimate in fit, quality and modernity. It was a prophetic vision: today, her clothes have become the byword for an ultra-modern, androgynous sensuality that is as uncompromisingly technical as it is beautiful. Her simplicity must not, however, be confused with classicism. As Sander told Vogue, ‘A classic is an excuse, because one is too lazy to contrast the spirit of the time.’ Brutal purity defines her work. She rejects the clichés of femininity, its ruffles and furbelows, for the refinements found in the architecture of men’s suits. This approach throws emphasis away from detail and onto the material, as can be seen here with a pair of trousers, the most striking aspect of which is texture.

—Phaidon Editors, 1998

#Jil Sander      #Angela Lindvall      #David Sims      #Fashion      

2 days ago
Craig McDean, advertising campaign for Jil Sander, 1996. Model Guinevere, wearing nothing but artfully undone hair and make-up by Eugene Souleiman and Pat McGrath, appears from behind traditional wallpaper in an advertisement for Jil Sander. That this photograph is representing a fashion and make-up company would make it surreal, except that this is an example of selling a mood rather than a product. McDean’s work appeared in the 1990s at a time when his realist photography stood out against the fashion for photographs which represented a limited number of scenarios. He has said, ‘I want to appeal to everyone, not just the fashion world,’ but it is primarily those in fashion who appreciate his work, which is subtly challenging. It is resolutely modern and each photograph, deliberately accidental, is stark and voyeuristic, seemingly capturing a dream-like moment. McDean is part of the neo-realism school dubbed ‘Heroin Chic’ by US President Bill Clinton in 1997. —Phaidon Editors, 1998

Craig McDean, advertising campaign for Jil Sander, 1996.

Model Guinevere, wearing nothing but artfully undone hair and make-up by Eugene Souleiman and Pat McGrath, appears from behind traditional wallpaper in an advertisement for Jil Sander. That this photograph is representing a fashion and make-up company would make it surreal, except that this is an example of selling a mood rather than a product. McDean’s work appeared in the 1990s at a time when his realist photography stood out against the fashion for photographs which represented a limited number of scenarios. He has said, ‘I want to appeal to everyone, not just the fashion world,’ but it is primarily those in fashion who appreciate his work, which is subtly challenging. It is resolutely modern and each photograph, deliberately accidental, is stark and voyeuristic, seemingly capturing a dream-like moment. McDean is part of the neo-realism school dubbed ‘Heroin Chic’ by US President Bill Clinton in 1997.

—Phaidon Editors, 1998

#Craig McDean      #Jil Sander      #Guinevere      #Fashion      #Photography      

4 days ago