Dior by Raf Simons: “Portraits of Gowns”
Dior by Raf Simons will be sold this year. This new work, the sixth in a series of books devoted to each of the Maison’s Creative Directors, features “portraits of gowns” by photographer Laziz Hamani and writings by fashion journalist Tim Blanks. It demonstrates the creative vision of the Belgian designer.
“I’m not romantic about the past, I’m romantic about the future”. This is how Raf Simons, who oversaw the women’s collections at Dior from 2012 to 2015 in the role of Creative Director, conjures up his vision of haute couture. The clothes he imagined embody this reflection, bridging the gap between the house of Dior’s storied past and a bold new future with timeless elegance. His collections, and especially his model casts, convey the narrative of his admiration for Christian Dior, with whom he shared many admirable traits.
For his debut haute couture collection, shown in the fall/winter of 2012/2013, he reimagined the timeless New Look shape as a sculptural pant suit. Christian Dior’s first calling was as an architect, and this credo pays homage to that. Season after season, Raf Simons infused his collections with a wide range of influences, including the natural world, gardening, design, and the arts that he shared with the house’s founder.
He picked up Monsieur Dior’s penchant for the cutting edge and his ambition to honour the house’s history from the vantage point of the future. Raf Simons proclaimed, “We must not forget the past, we must go beyond it.” His time spent at Dior was indicative of a new, more lyrical and avant-garde direction for the House.
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