Jil Sander A/W 2019 Milan Fashion Week Women's

Mood board: Juxtaposition was the at the core of Luke and Lucie Meier’s A/W 2019 offering, which played off the duality of the masculine and the feminine. This push and pull is central to the duo’s ethos, and was played out throughout the collection in soft silhouettes, like dresses with gently bubbled hemlines, flaring tailored coats and easy dresses with plunging hemlines, presented alongside sculptural body-skimming tailoring. The collection abounded in organic tones, from suede to eggshell yellow, sage to pistachio, and offered elegant and refined takes on classic garments, with just enough off-kilter detail. Bustier dresses with handcrafted crochet detail and gauzy knitwear dresses with extended splits, bought a new sensuality to the collection.

Scene setting: The duality between masculine and feminine and the blurring of concepts and silhouettes to create something new was reflected in the show’s ambiguous set up. In a stark industrial space, branches and vegetation appeared to grow from the red tiled floor. As models came out wearing garments printed with herons and sand pipers, the set took on a more aquatic note, as if those boughs were poking through water.

Best in show: The joy in the Meier’s designs is that on closer inspection they reveal unusual details or surprising fabrications. They excel in blending handcraft and tradition with new material innovations. Blanket stitch hand embroidery used to edge snuggly voluminous jackets and skirts, and tea towel patchwork trimming white sundresses had an intimate domesticity.