Jil Sander, Menswear, SS12, Milan.

For a long time the menswear silhouette was all about tall and lean garments on waif-like figures, when skinny trousers and slim cut jackets were the norm. Knitwear had to be fine to fit under these narrow silhouettes and collars were cut quite short and narrow as well, often to echo the slim line of a skinny tie. The trousers were also cut very flat and close to the body, suited to the bodies of boys who usually raided the ladies department to get their jeans as tapered as they desired. But at the recent Jil Sander show this narrow silhouette was nowhere to be seen.

For the Spring-Summer 2012 collection the silhouette was much more boxy and chunky. If the silhouette was simplified into geometric shapes, then the previous silhouette would have been more like long thin rectangles, where as the outlines of the Jil Sander collection are more like square blocks stacked on top of each other. The result is boxy pleated shorts, almost like slouchy 1940s gangster trousers that have been cropped for summer. The knitwear has a more bulky shape and a rounded shoulder, with a thick melange yarn that blends beautiful colours together. This multi-coloured effect was echoed in the repeat patterned fabric that appear to be sewn with an embroidered two-tone stitch design, and the colours were also accented in the snakeskin accessories. Subtle changes speak volumes in menswear and the lengthening and widening of the collars is also a point to notice for this collection, also note the lack of topstitching on the collars echoing the clean construction of the last womenswear collection.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk»