Jil Sander SS 09 is a challenge and that can be directional. Image via frillr.com

My first reaction to Raf Simon's collection for Jil Sander SS 09 was that of a fashion philistine, on the order of... "Who wants to ever wear a color blocked jacket? Especially one in yellow and PINK". Even the safe pieces, like the black perforated jackets felt tricky with their melange of zippers punctuated with circles, triangles and squares. As in really, really geometric. Like the color-blocking. Geometric. Techno. Like the soundtrack. ZZZZZZZZZ.

A legendary Jil Sander print by Craig McDean

There has been a lively discussion around the recent Inez and Vinoodh post that raised very smart questions about the chances a new generation of photographers have in breaking into the campaign market. That discussion has led to a flurry of calls to TI and let's just say if there IS indeed a recession looming, brands are bracing themselves for it by taking no chances. And when we say brands, its almost as if you have to start thinking of the current photography establishment as brands in and of themselves.
Think Meisel Inc. Testino Unlimited. Sims Corp. One Hiss Squader actually mused to me yesterday over lunch that , "If I were a blue chip photographer and I saw trouble coming, I would totally be locking down jobs with those mass market companies. I mean when the money runs out people might be buying fewer alligator handbags but I don't think Target or The Gap is going to be bouncing checks anytime soon"
Will that conventional wisdom hold up? You'd be surprised as to what some of the bigger names in the biz are lensing...on the down low.

In the meantime Testino Unlimited is shooting an All-Testino issue of German Vogue right this minute, including a Top 10 New Models edit with a short-list so spot-on I almost want to leak it. Almost lol.

Helmut Lang: Journal Gallery exhibition

10 years from now, when all things Zeroes are dredged up in the spirit of ironic retro, will they look at the decade's sustained fusion of art and fashion and giggle? Or will the union of the two most compulsive by-products of late capitalism spawn a deadly serious new hybrid, one with an unnatural long life? It is certainly starting to look that way recently with virtually every fashion publication worth its pulp splicing in a heavy dose of "art" to keep the pages crisp and current.