Simone Bellotti’s debut at Jil Sander marked a precise exploration of what menswear can become when discipline and openness meet. Shown inside the label’s Milan headquarters, the presentation unfolded in a stark white environment broken only by a black-lined runway, setting the stage for a meditation on reduction, clarity, and contrast. For Bellotti, questions of control and freedom, strictness and lightness, became the guiding forces of his first men’s outing.
SPRING SUMMER 2026
The silhouette was unmistakably vertical, sharpened by high-buttoned tailoring that conveyed a sense of readiness. Jackets and coats carried a rational exactness, but were disrupted by folds, raw hems, and subtle twists in structure that introduced movement into the rigor. Double-faced wools and leathers, stripped of excess, carried architectural weight without heaviness, embodying the designer’s interest in precision balanced with tactility.
Bellotti pushed beyond tailoring into knitwear and shirting, where utility and elegance overlapped. Zip-up knits and taut jumpers suggested an athletic energy, while shirts maintained a crispness that felt both studied and immediate. Transparency, slits, and cut-outs hinted at the body beneath, underscoring Bellotti’s attention to physicality as a design element.
Color played a deliberate role in framing the contrasts at the heart of the collection. Somber neutrals and dusty pastels provided a restrained backdrop, while unexpected bursts of vibrant hues punctuated the lineup. The effect was one of tension and release: restraint giving way to flourishes of playfulness.
Accessories reinforced the menswear story with clarity. Square-toed lace-ups, kitten-heeled brogues, and cut-out ballerinas extended the dialogue between severity and ease. The introduction of the new Pivot bag, presented in clean yet fluid lines, suggested versatility as a modern necessity, adaptable to multiple attitudes and occasions.
With this first collection, Bellotti established a language rooted in Jil Sander’s history of reduction yet willing to embrace questions without fixed answers. His menswear was both shield and exposure, discipline and discovery, a foundation that signals his intent to shape the future of the house with restraint sharpened by curiosity.
