June 1, 2023 |
When Raf Simons retired from his post at the helm of Christian Dior for “personal reasons” in 2015 – with his SS16 collection being his last – we were shocked; but nonetheless, his departure was amicable. Unlike his predecessor, John Galliano, who was fired in 2011, there was no fall out, no drama, no meltdown. The night before the announcement was made, Simons was actually out dancing around Paris at a party he hosted for Gagosian Gallery in celebration of the artist Sterling Ruby, a good friend and collaborator. But regardless of where he would end up thereafter – we now know it would be Calvin Klein followed by Prada – he left in his wake an orgy of beautiful fantasy frocks and sleek suiting, second to none, that would be worn by the world’s most heavenly bodies.
Simons spent three-and-a-half-years at the Parisian maison, from 2012 to 2015, working on an astounding 20 collections during the tenure and presenting a total of six different collections each year. Now, fashion enthusiasts and art lovers alike can (re)discover the many facets of Simons’ style during his “Dior years” inside a new tome simply entitled, Dior by Raf Simons.
Exuding sheer creative brilliance, the book arrives as the sixth in a series of books published by Assouline that are dedicated to each of the maison’s artistic directors and culminate as the ultimate compendium of the most memorable haute couture creations of the house of Dior.
It reveals the creative vision of the Belgian couturier through “portraits of dresses” taken by Laziz Hamani – a Paris-based still life photographer who has collaborated with Assouline on more than thirty titles. The 344 pages highlight the shared passions and precious affinities that unite Simons and Christian Dior – architecture, art and gardens – alongside 225 poignant illustrations. Inside the articulate object of desire and history, perceptive text by Tim Blanks – editor-at-large for The Business of Fashion – accompanies the content, bringing the viewer into dialogue with the imagery by merging Simons’ streamlined aesthetic and innovative approach with Dior’s poetic femininity.
Simons’ first haute couture show for the house debuted during the AW12/13 season and set a new signature aesthetic marked by an avant-gardist spirit that would follow the rest of his career: sharp tailoring, eclectic textures, radical colour blocking combinations and a reinterpretation of Christian Dior’s original vocation, the iconic New Look, as not-quite-long-enough-to-be-a-minidress tops layered over slim trousers. Always with a sense of levity, his masterful use of translucent panelling would become part of Dior’s dynamically elegant DNA.
The Belgian designer was also instrumental in catapulting the single statement earring trend that same season and later, cementing 2014 as the year of the couture sneaker by pairing the flower-bedazzled kicks with opulent gowns and lattice cutwork overlays for Dior’s Spring 2014 haute couture collection. Somehow, he convinced the masses that we all needed a sequin turtleneck for layering, a silk scarf to drape nonchalantly over our necks and a pair of Simons’ rendition of the surreal Comma Heel, first created by Roger Vivier during his time at the brand. And let’s not forget how he multiplied the references assumed by Dior’s founding couturier, filling the show space salons to the brim with orchids, delphinium and mimosa flowers and infusing his designs with the same botanical beauties. Simons staged massive theatrical shows, even though his clothes never were, which was something he remained adamant about since his start, vying to drive a distance between his interpretation of Dior and his predecessor’s.
Fusing heritage and reinvention, the powerful essence of his tenure at the house and an infinitely contemporary sense of purity and unique simplicity, this volume is an impeccable vision of Raf Simons’ debonair Dior bound by a glossy, obsidian hardcover.
Photography by Laziz Hamani.
From left: model Nicole Pollard wearing Look 32, haute couture Autumn-Winter 2012, Dior magazine, Fall 2012. © Willy Vanderperre/Art + Commerce, and Raf Simons, 2012. © Willy Vanderperre/Art +Commerce
