Minimalism is having maximal impact.
When actress Kate Bosworth showed up at the Hollywood Style Awards last month in a Jil Sander T-shirt ball gown, it became a symbol of glamorous simplicity — a departure from the over-the-top, frothy concoctions previously seen on the red carpet.
“It was a palate cleanser, in a sense,” says Kristina O’Neill, executive editor of Harper’s Bazaar. “We’re moving away from the overstylized.”
Celebs concur. On Jan. 5, Drew Barrymore sported a carpet-skimming stunner from the same collection, while Tilda Swinton hit the Golden Globes on Sunday in a Jil Sander ensemble of a white button-down top and floor-length butter-cream skirt with barely-there accessories.
Driving the change is Jil Sander designer Raf Simons, who — at September’s Milan show — turned out casual couture in electric sherbet hues that made everyone hungry for more.
“It was one of the most defining moments of the season. You felt like fashion was going in an entirely different direction,” says O’Neill, who noted the label has never been known for its evening wear.
New York-based designer Tory Burch agrees. “Everything is beautiful,” she gushed about Jil Sander’s 2011 collection to fashion site Refinery29.
Calvin Klein’s spring collection also celebrates pared-down gowns — at the Golden Globes, Claire Danes and Emma Stone wore blush-tone maxidresses so simple they could have been cut from a single bolt of fabric.
The maxiskirt can also be seen all over New York. “That proportion seems really fresh again. A lot more girls are wearing long for day,” says O’Neill.
What’s more, this is fashion that’s functional in snow.
“It’s easy to wear flats and doesn’t demand a heel,” says O’Neill. “That’s why a lot of New York girls love it — because it’s commuter-friendly.”