Raf Simons' debut couture collection has already had more than a handful of red carpet moments but the sheer importance of the debut makes me feel the need to continue to do a bit of Dior couture spotting and the latest star to be given the chance to sport a piece is Jennifer Lawrence.
Over the weekend the 22 year-old actress opted for this printed strapless number teamed with black Dior shoes and a Tiffany & Co, Rubedo rose gold cuff and ring. As a big Dior fan I really wanted to like this look but something doesn't quite work. Lawrence doesn't carry it off quite like Rachel Weisz and Jessica Biel did with their gowns and her new dark hair looks a bit too harsh.
Marion Cotillard was lucky enough to be the first celebrity to sport Raf Simons' Dior couture debut on the red carpet and last night, Rachel Weisz became the second.
The actress stepped out at the premiere of her film, 'The Bourne Legacy, in New York wearing a black strapless calf-length dress with a high side slit from the collection and everything about it works. While Weisz may not always set you alight with her magazine covers, her classic approach to red carpet styling generally goes down really well and the simplicity of the dress is the perfect match for her. She finished the look off with Charlotte Olympia's 'Pandora Domino' clutch and Christian Louboutin's 'Bow Bow' sandals.
It's going to be interesting to see which other celebrities get the chance to wear it on the red carpet. Something tells me there won't be many.
For the past few weeks I have been stalking my newsagent to see whether the autumn/winter 2012 issue of ELLE Collections had been released and now I am pleased to confirm that the issue has finally hit newsstands.
Today, just about every magazine has a runway magazine but sadly, very few offer anything that extends beyond simply providing a round-up of images from the big shows (hello, Style.com). As Joe Zee said at the IFBCon a while ago, the onslaught of the digital space has meant that editors have been forced to do just that, edit and Avril Mair, the magazine's editor, has mastered this.
While the magazine always features images of the top 10 shows, it also features street style photography from Tommy Ton, fun numbers round-ups and invite images along with a string of great stories. The main story in the latest issue centres around the appointment of Hedi Slimane at Yves Saint Laurent and Raf Simons at Christian Dior. In the piece, writer Holly Shackleton weighs in on how both appointments will impact the way we all dress in future and asked five industry heavyweights what they think we can expect from their highly anticipated shows this September.
With Raf Simons showing his highly anticipated debut collection at Christian Dior this week, his name has scarcely been out of the headlines. What many didn't expect, though, was that Simons would be sharing the spotlight with the brand's former creative director, John Galliano.
Aside from one sighting shortly after his trial, Galliano has been pretty much incognito but this week an Instgram user, Albert Pang, uploaded an image of what look liked AnnaWintour dining with Galliano at the L'Espadon restaurant at the Ritz in Paris. What makes the photo even more interesting is that it revealed that the pair met up on the same day as Simons' Dior debut.
[He] arrived alone and took a seat outdoor[s] where I was, and ordered a drink (not sure what drink, [I] couldn't see it [be]cause I was two tables away). The picture with a few people was someone from the table who knew Galliano, and they said hi. Then about 10 or 15 minutes later Anna Wintour came and she seemed very excited, with hurried steps to Galliano. If I remember correctly, they hugged. But I couldn't hear a thing. Then they moved indoors for dinner.
Does this mean that we might be planning a return? I sure hope so.
As the picture above shows, when Raf Simons came out to take his bow at the Dior couture show it was a far cry from his final bow at Jil Sander. This time the tears were replaced with a beaming smile and he has every reason to.
Talking to Style.com after the show, he explained that he's tried to change the way people look at couture so that the pieces have longevity rather than being limited to the being seen through the lens of one red carpet moment:
[I am trying] to change the psychology of people who are interested in couture. The way I’ve been looking at it so far is as a still image, something you look at for that moment. I think lots of people see it as a still, an image from the red carpet. I want to make it more dynamic, appeal to a person who has a different energy. A younger person, in mind, not necessarily in age. And I think couture is very much about curating something unique for women. Fashion is so mass-produced now; I hope there will come a refocus on how people see couture. And I would also hope for a new focus on the craft.
His approach has paid off. Everyone from Cathy Horyn to Alber Elbaz have produced complimentary reviews of his debut and if the praise for couture is anything to go by, we have a lot to expect for his debut ready-to-wear collection in October.
Today's Jil Sander menswear show was always going to be a big one, as it marked the return of the label's founder after an eight year hiatus. Despite the fact that it was Sander who started the label and created the minimalist aesthetic that continues to hold the house in good stead, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that the pressure was on today. RafSimons did such a great job at the house so it was always going to be interesting to see how the brand would fair under her leadership again.
Not much has changed. The S/S13 collection featured pieces that epitomised Sander's paired back, fuss-free style. This season in particular tailoring was a focus and manifested itself on crisp white shirts teamed with black trousers and double breasted blazers or oversized waistcoats. Colour blocking came on cardigans in various combinations of yellow, green, cream and blue and colour blocking was also created by the way models appeared on the runway, as head-to-toe blue looks developed into yellow followed by burgundy.
While the collection was typically Sander and will undoubtedly do well, it didn't have the energy that we've become accustomed to from the brand under Simons' leadership.
With the couture shows just around the corner, speculation about what we can expect to see from Raf Simons in his debut collection at Christian Dior is growing. As far as the collection is concerned, everything is still hush hush but according to WWD, Simons is currently looking for a new location.
Usually the brand shows their couture collections in the garden of the Rodin Museum or in their salon on Avenue Montaigne but the designers is reportedly looking at using a hotel on the Avenue d’Iéna. The move sounds like a conscious decision on Simons' part to mark his own stamp on the label. Luckily for us, though, him doing so doesn't result in a name change like Hedi Slimane has done at Yves Saint Laurent.
Are you excited to see the show?
UPDATE: Today Stephen Jones spoke to WWD about what we can expect from Simons' debut couture show for the house, describing the collection as 'beautiful and new'. And we can take his word for it, as he's responsible for designing the hats for the July 2 show.
With his debut menswear and couture collection for Dior just around the corner, to say that the pressure is on Raf Simons would be quite the understatement. That's not stopping him, though. In fact, the Dior creative director has just announced that he is working with Fred Perry too.
The designer, whose eponymous brand partnered with the British label from A/W08 to S/S11, has been asked to come on board again to reignite the Fred Perry menswear line. According to Telegraph Fashion, the 28-piece collection will be unveiled during Paris Men's Fashion Week next month. 'We have great appreciation for the heritage of the brand as well as their dynamism in guiding the brand towards the future,' a spokesperson from his label said.
The model couldn't look any further than she did in the other cover she's fronting this month for Vogue China, but it really works. This isn't the last cover option available because eight in total will be on offer when the issue hits newsstands on Friday.
Raf Simons' has always been under the microscope, especially during his time at Jil Sander, but that went to a completely new level when he was confirmed as the new creative director of Dior last month. With all eyes on him in the run up to his debut at Dior for the brand's Haute Couture show in Paris this July, it makes sense that i-D chose him to cover their 'Lights, Camera, Action' summer issue shot by Willy Vanderperre.
Will you buy the issue when it hits newsstands on May 10?
