Tokyo. Dior Pre-Fall’15

December 13, 2014December 13, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Raf Simons seems to have two personalities- one at his namesake label for men, where he doesn’t care about the rules; another at Dior, where he definitely obeys the bosses. Last season (SS15), in my opinion was trash. I truly couldn’t understand it. It felt like Simons explained it only by “oh, look, it’s like this, but look at those couture embroideries”… yawn. Come on, who cares about embroideries, if the clothes are so boring? Thankfully, Dior thought of something new for the house, which was smart. The pre-fall 2015 which was presented few days ago was organised in Tokyo- the place were Dior has it’s boutiques on nearly every street. Commercially, this is genius for the house. But for fashion? Raf Simons had his model walk zigzags in a huge sumo wrestling arena, inspired by the scenes of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner movie. With fuses of futuristic influences (that badly reminded me of Paco Rabanne gold years) like silver sequined turtlenecks, jacquard motifs and wax cotton coats, Simons brought a lifey twist into his Dior timeline. And what’s interesting although the fact the show was in Tokyo, Japan, we didn’t notice even one kimono, manga print or anything of Japanese stereotypical fashion. Definitely, Raf looked at Japanese woman of the future- stomper boots, wide trousers and clean lines with neon elements. Plus, corn-rows and super kawaii eye-brows. Personally, I have no offend to Raf Simons- sometimes, he is just not on the point. However, this dynamic show proved one thing: not only that Raf has better and worse days in his life, but also that Tokyo is an amazing, energetic city of fashion.

Just to be in the Japan mood- here are some amazing vintage posters from Wafu Works…

Fashion History. Dior SS15

September 28, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

The music was so bad, that Anna Wintour run away in the middle of the show, screaming “horrible fashion”. Well. Half that’s true. The music certainly was bad, and the clothes were also not really good… Raf Simons continues the same idea as during his last couture- to show history of fashion changing throughout one show. First we had medival gowns, pilgrim caftans. Then, lady-like skirt-and-tops. At the end, cosmic jumpsuits. Mostly all-white collection, with few drops of red velvet and blue tulle, felt for me not so good. It kind of didn’t have this thing that Raf usually brings to Dior. This modernity of past or how he calls it, starts to be boring. And I still can’t forgive the shoes. They looked to heavy, and destroyed nearly all looks. I don’t want to hate, but this thing doesn’t work on me. Hope Dior is not falling down again…

HC: Modern Medieval. Dior AW14

July 9, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

The word that describes Raf Simons at Dior perfectly is future. But this time for Dior, he did it in a bit different way. In a Star Trek like chamber in Musee Rodin, where the whiteness of the orchidees and the marble floors striked the guests eyes, we had a venture through different centuries. Simons was interested, the program notes explained, about the way different time periods informed and influenced fashion. And more than that, he said afterward, he found himself thinking about Christian Dior’s fascination with the Belle Époque and asking himself, “If I had been [working] at that time, what would be my interest, conceptually or technically or architecturally? What would I be excited about?” The show was divided into eight groups, hopping not decades but centuries—for example, from the Marie Antoinette-inspired pannier silhouettes of the opening to astronauts’ jumpsuits, back to embroidered court jackets and forward again to twenties volumes. The floor lenght fur coats worn with over-sized trousers were my favourite. Looking at the collection, yes, indeed, it was beautiful. The embroidered bar jackets from 50’s and sweeping, long-line coats inspired by Edwardian era were all a fantasy. And Raf made all ultra pure and ultra modern, after all. With a tease of past.

Men’s: What’s Hot (6.7.14)

Image | July 6, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Men’s: Memories. Raf Simons SS15

June 27, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Raf Simons got really sentimental this season. In an industrial space, with guests standing instead of seating, the designer served a portion of unexplained things. And as he said, they are hard to analyse. But first of all, the backs of the coats and tops “Like mood boards you’d pin your favorite images to,” Raf said backstage. Friends, family, a fluffy kitty, a roller coaster, Mt. Fuji painted by Hokusai, a koi pond, a shark, a swimmer in peril, an astronaut…it seemed furiously random until Simons parsed the images. And these were all his memories and inspirations that he thought of while putting them live, on the models. Sharks- he loves Jaw movie and horrors. The astronaut was isolation. Roller coaster, the one he rode with his friends Olivier Rizzo and Willy Vanderperre decades ago. The Japanese influence was his thank-you to the first retailers who ever supported him. That was a truly psychological idea, too. In other words, Raf Simons made us all a bit shaky after the show. And the clothes were very him! The sneakers, the sophisticated suits, colourful tops and sharp tailored trousers. The AW14 collaboration with artist Sterling Ruby was a sweet surrender that Simons said, “I could only go deep into myself to find another challenge.” He’s a supremely organized individual, but maybe Ruby left him with an appetite for chaos. “It’s interesting to let go,” he agreed.