Friday, March 1, 2013

Christian Dior by Raf Simons Fall 2013 Paris



Okay so maybe I need to eat a little crow today.  After having seen the fall 2013 presentation I can honestly say that Raf Simons is up to the task of his present employment situation.  Fall 2013 is going to be a bonanza for Dior as the collection is extremely commercial and yet has not lost any of its panache or style.  I can say that it has lost some of its high drama but as we all know, high drama is not something that translates readily to sales.  Yes, it is a boring way of looking at things but after all this is a business  that pumps 100’s of millions of dollars every year and editorial doesn’t count for much of that bottom line.  Dior hardly needs any name recognition and they advertise healthfully.  Okay, enough of this and let’s get to it….

I think the best way for me to describe what I saw is that I will offer up a stream of consciousness about the collection, so here goes: the de rigeur tailleurs superbly tailored many with a full legged pant, coats and coatdresses also beautiful in grey flannel and black, I will call them “slanted” hems, a focus on asymmetry, tie necks, the one shoulder capelet, chemise dresses and some unflattering u-necks as well as some very very not pretty crocheted pieces!

I saw references to YSL, to Schiaparelli, to Lagerfeld …think of the water faucet period, a nod to the20’s and flappers, surrealism, beautiful houndstooth pieces, an exquisite astrakhan or broadtail coat/dress, shoes that will sell and handbags that engender waiting lists.





If I had to criticize the show I would say that unfortunately there was no grand finale or for that matter no real ending... it was just over.  A momentary loss of abandon to indulge one’s fantasies or regard to salability would have been welcomed at that point.  The truth is...it doesn’t really make a rat’s ass worth of difference as this is where fashion and business converge and render a very happy ending for all.

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