MILAN, Jun 24, 2007/ FW/ --- Opening the international fashion season with a bang, Raf Simons designing for Jil Sander touched on what would be the strongest trend for the first two days of the Milan menswear season – color!

Opening with a light blue suit, it was not just with the color that Raf Simons ‘lightened up,’ it was also with the fabrics. Nylon blazers and voile shirts dominated the collection, thus making this a basic wardrobe, but very contemporary that it is like seeing these ‘basic items’ for the first time.

An accomplished tailor, Simons has always excelled with his cut and execution. Though the silhouette is predominantly slim, he also proposed loose fitting pants for the gents who like to wear their clothes in ‘comfort.’

Though this might be an overused word in fashion, Simons also touched on ‘lifestyle dressing,’ i.e., ensuring that the gents have everything they need when they visit a Jil Sander location, thus they do not need to go elsewhere.

From the short sleeved voile shirts to the iridescent long-sleeved variety, Simons proposed ‘buttoning up’ though it is summer. With thin collars and thin plackets on the shirts, the suggestion is going without a tie even when wearing the slim fitting suits.

Though ties are optional, the formality of the eveningwear and of course the business wear cannot be denied.

And as always, it was the coats that brought down the house. From the maroon trench that was cut wide to the white coat with thin double lapels embellished with a single pleat in the front, all the way to the more traditional double-breasted trench coats, a man could almost wish that it would be a rainy summer so that he could strut in it.

The innovative rendition of the trench coat once proves that Raf Simons is truly the master of the coat.