With a stint at a bespoke tailoring workshop in London under his belt, it was understood that the Milan debut of Jun Li would be a purely sartorial affair, and the young Chinese designer proved he learned his ropes well.
While some of the more deconstructed looks — cue panels of lining fabric sewn to the fronts of car coats — felt forced and without a purpose, the London College of Fashion graduate surprised with a series of nonchalant tailoring options that through their construction and choice of fabric oozed serenity through motion.
Cue one instance, in which a pair of tapered ash-gray culottes rendered in what appeared to be a treated linen fabric were matched with a loosely fitted, elongated vest and blazer, its sleeves carelessly rolled up to the elbows. For another exit, Li put together a pleated trouser, voluminously cut on the thigh but tapered toward the bottom, that he styled with a short blazer, open shirt and T-shirt combo.
It was difficult to put a period or label on the pattern-making, which was precisely the charm of this collection.
