Fashion Wire Daily New York May 22, 2003 - Though his departure from Jil Sander is now all but official, the house of Sander presented what may well be the last collection designed by Milan Vukmirovic to buyers and press in New York Wednesday.
Vukmirovic himself checked out of the Mercer Hotel on Wednesday morning, not appearing at the afternoon's fall-winter resort showing in the house's elegant 15th floor showroom on lower Fifth Avenue above Madison Square.
Fashion directors from Marshall Field's and Barneys were spotted at the presentation of the line. Besides looks emphasizing a sportswear feel, which Vukmirovic injected into the brand, the cruise line included black and pink embroidered kimono jackets and the reprise of a classic Sander look -- a flippy paneled skirt in pink satin.
For men, Vukmirovic showed nylon windbreakers with bold stripes, fatigued leather jackets and a great, snug tux in cotton with satin trim.
The departing designer remains unavailable for comment, but insiders at Sander have informed FWD that Vukmirovic is not expected to attend the launch of the house's next scent, scheduled for June 4 in Paris. The house is also due to present its fall/winter 2003/2004 men's collection in Milan on Sunday, June 22d at Sander's Italian headquarters in via Luca Beltrami.
Buyers who carried Sander after Jil's abrupt exit in 2000, were already looking ahead to the new regime.
"There are no words that could describe how happy I am to be able to buy clothes that Jil has created again. I missed her in every single way, shape and form. It's been a wonderful, wonderful week," gushed Jeffrey Kalinsky, of the Jeffrey boutiques in Atlanta and New York.
"I think the only negative in this whole thing is that everybody wants to talk about anything other than the fact that Jil's back. To speculate on what happened in between, is really fruitless, boring, and not useful," Kalinsky said.
Joan Kaner, senior vice president and fashion director of Neiman Marcus, which has continued to retail Sander for the last three years, said: "We carried the line, even in her absence, but are delighted at the news that she's returning. She's been sorely missed."
Of Vukmirovic's tenure, she would only say: "The prices were lower, so it brought a younger customer, who we think will remain."
Kaner believes the old Jil customer will also return immediately. She wouldn't go as far as to say that that group had wholly rejected the collection under Vukmirovic, but she did say: "She was a designer that had her own imprint and it was important to the people who wore her clothes -- and they were very loyal."
Before the news of Sander's return to the house broke on Tuesday, Vukmirovic had planned to go to Cannes after his stay in New York. Now the whereabouts of Milan, one of the most popular figures in the industry, are unknown.
