Raf Simons Departures Dior

October 23, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

When this information hit us all yesterday in the evening, there was a “what has just happened” moment. Raf Simons, both spontaneously and officially, said good-bye to Dior, the Parisian mega-house. Simons has revitalised and modernised the brand throughout the three-year tenure, after John Galliano was fired due to his public, anti-semitic affair. The reason of this sudden change is not that surprising, though – Raf Simons leads his own, eponymous label for men and he has always called his journey at Dior as a “temporary, but beautiful adventure, which really lets him discover the feminine part of fashion“. Observing Simons since his first, haute couture collection in 2012, it was clear from the very first moment that the brand will go through a major refreshment – minimal silhouettes, simple forms and mind-blowing, floral show settings accompanied Raf from the beginning. I can’t say that I am super sad about Raf leaving the brand – I must admit, that some of the collections felt monotonous and exhausting (just like his last, spring-summer 2016 show which was presented three weeks ago). However, up to now I am impressed with his Monaco-based resort 2016, historically influenced autumn-winter 2015 couture and abstract spring-summer 2013 – all of them seem to look far into the future of woman’s wardrobe. Certainly, the time spent by Raf Simons at Dior ultimately defined those three years of fashion – “conceptual design” and “futuristic femininity” fit this period well.

The thing is, the new designer of Dior will be named soon – and I hope, that LVMH won’t elect a designer, who will simply not match the codes of Dior. There are some rumours, that the luxury concern can give Alexander Wang a fair chance to take this place – but please, remind yourself the hard times that Wang spent at Balenciaga – his fashion bored everyone and depressed the owners of the brands due to low ready-to-wear incomes. So guys, leave Wang alone. Also, there are high chances for Phoebe Philo and Riccardo Tisci (her contract will soon end at Celine, while his at Givenchy). I see Philo at Dior, but she matches Celine so perfectly… and Tisci will make Dior a 500-euro-t-shirt brand. Personally, I would give a chance to somebody totally unknown – like Gucci did with Alessandro Michele. Sometimes, the most unexpected choice gives the best results. And coming back to Simons, I am happy for him and his decision – I wish him even more successes in expanding his own, eccentric brand!

Haute Couture AW12

SS13

Haute Couture SS13

AW13

Haute Couture AW13

Resort 2015

SS14

Haute Couture AW14

SS16

Haute Couture AW15

Resort 2016

Haute Couture SS15

Pre-Fall 2015

Haute Couture AW14

Haute Couture SS15

Haute Couture AW15

Raf Simons, the conceptual, Belgian fashion designer.

Neo – Nostalgic. Dior SS16

October 8, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Raf Simons and his tenure at Dior is recently all about revisiting the house’s history. Take the “1947” charm featured on the knitted collars – it reminds us of the year Monsieur Dior founded his renowned house. The delicate, organza dresses and hand-embroidered gilets had a studio feeling, as if they were just taken from the brand’s atelier. The collection was feminine, airy and absolutely Dior – even though it did not shock or excite as in case of previous seasons. It seems that Raf feels safe with doing well tailored blazers and clothes which are beautiful in its simplicity. A big plus for the gorgeous, kitten-heels with buckles.

Photography Morgan O’Donovan

HC – Eartly Delights. Dior AW15

July 7, 2015July 7, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Eartly Delights – this is how the creative director of Dior, Raf Simons, entitled his haute couture collection. Full of Flemish art references and historic symbols, it is looking far into the future. Here are the three major things worth to know about this truly remarkable collection.

The venue. Raf Simons described the stunning set for Dior’s couture show as part church, part garden, part nightclub in Ibiza. The pointillist-painted panels could have been stained-glass windows or flowers. The purple carpet worked perfectly well as a psychodelic, quite fantastical element. In fact, a hallucinatory vibe penetrated the entire presentation. But the biggest fascination was caused by the pastel shaded melons, which were scattered around the place. Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights clearly appeared in everybody’s mind.

The idea. An ethereal collection but with Simons twist? This collection is just that. “Dior is always a fairy tale, no matter what I’m doing,” Simons said with a laugh, but yesterday’s show had a special magic, which wasn’t moved so intensely by the designer since his arrival to the house. During his backstage moment, Raf also explained the meaning of the title – “Coming out of the austerity of the Second World War, Dior was inspired by something he wasn’t supposed to be inspired by,” he said. “Glamour, excess, too much.” Seventy years later, Raf Simons is coming to the same point: forbidden fruit tastes sweetest. Just like the power of imagination.

The textures. Raf Simons is not only obsessed with today and the past at his namesake brand, but also at Dior. That is why his AW15 couture collection was a fusion of old and new. This is strongly visible in his outerwear – Simons’ dose of his own Belgian heritage into Dior’s referred back to “the Flemish masters and the sculptural drape, the velvety weight that men like Vermeer were able to communicate in paint, their models serenely poised with arms folded” as Tim Blanks translates. A coat/cape hybrid was the result of neoprene, couture embroidery and a fur stole which is all about mixing old with new.

Men’s – Time Elapse. Raf Simons SS16

June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The message behind Raf Simons‘ SS16 is quite melancholic, but so, so true – everything passes away as time goes by. In this collection, Raf presented the difference in fashion that ruled at the times of his grandpa, and at the time of today’s youth – knitted polos versus hoodies, fancy coats contrasting with whie sneakers. But in reality, the hoods were the biggest clue, giving the models and the show venue an eerie atmosphere. Half of the models walked with heads wrapped in checked textile (vision obscured to the point where at least a couple of them pitched off the raised catwalk). Hoodies have become a contemporary emblem of teenager, but Simons made his hoods medieval in shape. Monastic. And that automatically created a connection between the brotherhood of a medieval monastery and the brotherhood of a 21st-century gang of boys. Also, I feel like this collection wanted to represent the topic of martyrs, which was briefly moved by the chains carried by the models which staggered through the runway. But this mystery can be revealed only by the designer.

Bubble – Trouble. Dior Resort’16

May 12, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Pierre Cardin’s famous Palais Bulles was fashion central yesterday with celebrities, journalists, and Cardin himself gathered for Raf Simons’ Dior Resort 2016 show. Le Palais Bulles is just that—a palace of terra-cotta bubbles set into a cliffside halfway between Cannes and Monaco. It’s utopian and kind of goofy in its infantile design .”Playful, sweet…childish, almost,” said Raf Simons, as he reflected on a venue he fell in love with five years ago, when he was first brought here. “The house is big but intimate, and it doesn’t behave like an authority,” he continued. “And Dior can do that sometimes, especially if you look at it from an architectural point of view.” But coming to the clothes – the warm, chilled-out shade of terra-cotta was mostly everywhere, on the silk mini-skirts to checked blouses. My total favourite was this dress above – made out of mesh and knitwear, it seems to be light, soft and fleecy. And the shoes which were inspired by Marie Antoinette are great, too. That was a lovely collection, Raf.