Wednesday 4 July 2012

Raf Simmons for Christian Dior - Fall 2012 Couture

It was back to basics for Raf Simmons debut collection for Christian Dior; the opening garment of the show, the classic structured woman suit. Honouring the house's elegant best selling item, during this times when the message spread is one of austerity. Having laid the core of his vision, Raf Simmons displayed his skills. Structure and shape kept loyal to Christian Dior's vision, following similar lines to the infamous Corolla collection. Although after receiving the Simmons treatment, the signature new look was brought into our context, transforming elements like contrast, deconstruction and textures.

The work with dynamic textures blew me away, mirroring the walls created for the show. The way Simmons translated the rich and lux effect of heavy foliage, into fabric was sublime. It amuses me to think that Christian Dior's love of nature and obsession with organic lines, was inherited by Raf Simmons; he managed to pay homage to the essence of Dior's new look silhouette, throwing in the mix the intricate design of clover leaf skirting. Some line got to a level of simplicity that could easily fall into the pret-a-porter category. The take on Haute Couture was somehow questioned, maybe there is such a need; in order to break the predefined, the pre stablished the good old known. In my opinion Dior's soul is intact.

As for the collection, I was surprised to see that many peplums, some fashion critics had given up on them already, I guess that is not happening any time soon; an opportunity to go shop for yours. I loved the deconstructed version of the peplum, it was cut as a wave around the body, it was something else. The collection's accessories had hints of neon and super smooth polished surfaces to contribute to the game of textures. 


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