Redefining the Sensual Woman

A coat the color of face powder hugged to the breast or a mole brown velvet dress caressing the body — the moments of fashion emotion from Jil Sander and Bottega Veneta during the Milan fashion week came from designers at the peak of their powers, redefining womanly presence. In what is proving to be a powerful Italian winter 2012 season, there is a sense of reinforcing identity — hence the dramatic gilt trip from Dolce & Gabbana on Sunday and Marni taking a new angle on its signature look.Raf Simons at Jil Sander explained that he had been inspired by the concept of a woman in her own domestic environment with husband or lover, “a day of family life and the beauty of that.”
But a lofty life, indeed. Garden flowers spilled out of vases contained in clear plastic boxes — perhaps a metaphor for the sensuality oozing from under a coat. The cover-ups were a series of buttonless, deep-sleeved cocoons in sweet, soft colors — clutched-over dresses that seemed, in their lightness but pronounced shapeliness at the breasts, to be more like wispy nightgowns with bathrobes. Some of these easy coats were even ankle length.Freedom in fashion startups for up and comers.A sudden flash of a vivid red coat, followed by black outfits, gave a sharper edge to the sensuality, while leather dresses with an angular swirl out at one hip seemed to be more sculpted, less clinging.
Mr. Simons has, for a while, moved into haute territory, and this collection was both impeccably tailored and meltingly soft, suggesting the duality of a 21st-century woman. Whether or not the designer finds a nest in a couture home, or develops women's wear from his own signature men's line, his fashion voice is too powerful and too important to still.The utter chic of the Bottega Veneta show was a joy. Tomas Maier is a designer with a clear, modern sensibility who can create elegance rooted in the classic past, but applied to today's woman. The models walked out from two directions, yet the message was the same: slim black outfits in dense fabrics.
The secret of Mr. Maier’s success is his sense of how a modern woman wants to present herself: impeccable, sleek, shiny hair, a dress that is tailored at the sides to fit the body, a brooch at the breastbone for a touch of sparkle and boots to keep the couture look down to earth.In this fine collection, the designer seemed to introduce new looks effortlessly: a floral pattern on velvet; a couple of slim dresses that Mr. Maier said were in Gainsborough colors, meaning the pinky beige of a blank artist’s canvas. On his fashion backcloth, this designer reached perfection.