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The immediate reaction of buyers and editors to Jil Sander’s first women’s collection shown here since her latest return to the house that bears her name can be summed up thus: Better than they could have hoped.

This is no small achievement in an industry that loves to hold a grudge, and the circumstances of Ms. Sander’s current comeback to a label she founded in 1973 had left many longtime supporters a little wary, to say the least.

Milan Fashion Week Coverage from in and around the Milan shows.

A brief recap: The popular Belgian designer Raf Simons, who had designed Jil Sander since 2005 and brought back much of its former glory, left the house under cloudy circumstances in February, right around the time that German tabloids began reporting rumors of Ms. Sander’s imminent return to her own label. (Ms. Sander, who is 68, had last left the company in 2004, after disagreements with Prada, its owner at the time. Most recently, she had designed a fast fashion collection for Uniqlo.)

Mr. Simons, of course, landed on his feet, or actually in a much better position at the house of Dior, where he showed a well-regarded couture collection, his very first, in July. So you could not feel too sorry for him, or begrudge Ms. Sander’s return to Milan.

Still, some people saw this all as a bit shady, and the mood outside the Jil Sander offices on via Luca Beltrami before the show on Saturday was both anticipatory and a bit anxious. It was still the big show of the Milan Fashion Week. Would it be any good? Could Ms. Sander update her 1990s minimalism for modern audiences? An hour later, as she took her bow, Ms. Sander herself looked quite nervous, wearing a navy pantsuit and clunky black shoes.

Backstage, she was quickly surrounded by critics and magazine editors, who multiplied in number by each moment, until Ms. Sander appeared to be browsing a buffet of micro recorders.

“I felt more emotional than I thought I would, because we have so much pressure already over the last eight months,” she said. “I feel great to be here with a lot of friends I have known from my long work. I hope you enjoyed the first step.”

Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters, left; Luca Bruno/Associated Press, center; Matteo Bazzi/European Pressphoto Agency

It was a fairly straightforward vision: Rounder shapes and a simple palette of white, burgundy and navy on tunics, dresses and coats that had a loose fit. Some crisp white shirts were tucked into white A-line skirts and dresses covered with iridescent or clear dots. The shoes were largely two-tone, either ankle boots with a contrasting front flap, or two-tone boats that were calf high, bisected with a zipper that ran diagonally across the front. Her press notes were direct, beginning with “Verticality, rocket style. Reset to zero…”

On Twitter, the reaction was largely enthusiastic. Edward Enninful of W Magazine used the word “amazing.” The British edition of Elle went with “wow!” Here’s what a few top retailers had to say on the matter, after the show:

Marilyn Blaszka, an owner of Blake in Chicago: “I liked the look of the show and what I saw. For me, it’s going to come down to the fabrics when I’m there in the showroom. I like the double-face, but I don’t like double-face cashmere for a summer runway delivery. I like the feeling of the blouse and the A-line skirt, and, in the pieces at the end, I liked one of the dresses with the clear dots, but not the iridescent ones. I always think of a modern bride.”

Ronald Frasch, the president and chief merchandising officer of Saks Fifth Avenue: “My first reaction was, ‘She’s back!’ We had spoken with her back during the June men’s market, and spent some time listening to her vision of what she was going to create. The simplicity of the beautiful shapes is exactly what she expressed. It’s clean, it’s beautiful, it’s elegant. I loved the proportions. The color palette may be a little tough for the spring, but overall, I give her an ‘A.’”

Linda Fargo, the fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman: “She evolved. She was so influential in that D.N.A. that she had set up over time, and she evolved it beautifully. It seemed softened, and I don’t mean to hypothesize, but it seems a bit more mature. She used to be a little bit linear, and everything was about geometry. There was nothing superfluous here. Everything was intentional.”