RAF SIMONS FOR CHRISTIAN DIOR: WHAT IS HE REALLY LIKE, AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?

Posted by Melanie Rickey,  Fashion Editor at Large

Belgian modernist Raf Simons was announced as Creative Director of Christian Dior yesterday, thus bringing to a close the biggest fashion recruitment drama since Tom Ford left the Gucci job vacant back in 2004.

“It is with the utmost respect for its tremendous history, its unparalleled knowledge and craftsmanship that I am joining the magnificent house of Dior. Mr. Christian Dior has always been for me the most inspiring couturier,” Simons said in a statement today. “I am truly humbled and honored to become artistic director of the most celebrated French house in the world.”

His is a truly fascinating and forward thinking appointment that can only mean very fresh and exciting times ahead for Christian Dior's overall women and men's business. Not least because of the stark differences between Dior's former Kingpin John Galliano and the incoming Simons who will put on his first Dior show for the Haute Couture in July.

As designers and personalities, John and Raf are chalk and cheese. While John Galliano is a dramatic, historical dress-loving romantic and rough diamond geezer genius, Raf Simons is -  according to those I've spoken to who have worked directly with him - a clinically organised, philosophically minded and deeply emotional man who relishes process and is in a thrall to form, contemporary art and modernity.

Not to mention that one of his favourite ever albums is The XX's amazing 2009 debut, and that the fashion designers he considers his "main people" of influence are Martin Margiela and Helmut Lang in the contemporary arena, and historically Dior and Balenciaga. These traits sit well with Raf Simons' status as one of the world's most highly regarded menswear designers.  His recent women's collections for Jil Sander have been massively influential and critically acclaimed, yet not widely bought and worn.

Raf Simons shot by Willy Vanderperre for W Magazine

For the last two months I've had tear sheets from the March 2012 edition of W Magazine up on my pinboard; a wonderful story Raf worked on with Alice Rawsthorn, the design critic of the International Herald Tribune, called "What Makes Raf Run?".  In the story he details to Alice his lifelong obsessions from music to art to furniture and even the fashion show that moved him to tears.

I have spent all morning reading more deeply about and viewing the work of the artist, ceramicist, furniture designer, film-maker and architect Raf loves, listened to the music he craves and got to know the available multi-layers of the man and his aesthetic taste and have been utterly inspired and shaken awake by the whole experience. Later in this post he talks about a day he drove around L.A to find John Lautner designed houses; I did exactly the same thing a few years ago to see Lautner and Frank Lloyd Wright houses, and went one further booking appointments with estate agents to view one or two, ending up in an awesome empty Lloyd Wright house that was crumbling like Grey Gardens.

All this provides a fascinating insight into the man, and gives tantalising clues into what we may expect to inform his new era at Christian Dior. Certainly from a cultural point of view the brand of Christian Dior is about to a have an earthquake of newness flushed through its veins. I can't wait. In the meantime, meet Raf Simons.

 RAF LOVES HARDCORE TECHNO MUSIC

Raf's Favourite EVER Album. Consumed, by Plastikman. A bit of trance, not for dancing. Press PLAY and listen while you read.

"I’m a club kid at heart, and not a day goes by that I don’t listen to Plastikman, aka Richie Hawtin. I first saw Richie years ago, when I was 20-something, at I Love Techno, one of the huge live events we have in Belgium that 60,000 or 70,000 kids go to. He is such a master: the hardest, the best, technologically the most innovative. He grew up near Detroit, so he’s connected to the innovators there, though he spends a lot of time in Berlin now. For years I have had a total obsession with Kraftwerk, and I think Richie is the Kraftwerk of today."

RAF LOVES STERLING RUBY'S ART

SP58 by Sterling Ruby, 2008 Acrylic and spray paint on canvas/ (via The Saatchi Gallery)

"I started to look at art when I was really, really young—long before I discovered design and fashion—but I didn’t collect it until I began teaching at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna in 2000. It was a side job, so I thought I’d use the extra money to buy art, and I decided early on to buy work only from artists of my generation. There were different people coming up at the time, and one of them was Sterling Ruby. He is the artist that I collect the most, and I am very, very happy to have a daily confrontation with it. His work touches so many different disciplines—collage, photography, painting, sculpture, performance. Often you don’t know what you are looking at, but it goes into my head, and it doesn’t come out.”

RAF LOVES MICHAEL CLARK'S CHOREOGRAPHY

Michael Clark dancers in the David Bowie tribute  (Will Vanderperre via W Magazine) 

"I discovered Michael Clark in i-D magazine when I was 17 or 18, probably because of his links to Mark E. Smith’s band the Fall. For years I only knew Michael’s work from images; eventually I started to look at films of it on the Internet, but I never saw it live. Last summer I was curating an event for Mercedes in Berlin and realised that I would love for Michael to do something for it. Eventually he said, “Okay, I’ll do it as a tribute to David Bowie.” It brought the whole thing together for me. I didn’t go to the rehearsal. I wanted to wait for the performance, and when I saw it, I found it mind-blowing. So punk. So anarchic. So sculptural. And I was very, very impressed ­technically: The projections were amazing, and Stevie Stewart’s costumes were beautiful. My friends were so moved that some of them were crying. Me too! I cried three times."

RAF CRIED AT MARTIN MARGIELA'S THIRD SHOW 

Shots from the 1989 playground show by Martin Margiela. From the Maison Martin Margiela book ( Rizzoli 2009)

"The main people for me when I started to look at fashion were Martin Margiela and Helmut Lang.  Historically, Dior and Balenciaga influenced me the most. Nothing in fashion, though, has had more emotional impact on me than Martin Margiela’s third show. It was 1989, and I was an intern for Walter Van Beirendonck.  Martin’s show was in a playground. They’d asked the kids’ parents for permission to use the playground, and they said, “Yes, but only if our kids can come.” The models appeared in long white clothes, and suddenly the kids started to play with them. It was so moving. Everyone was crying. Me too. Martin is the one who made me decide to do fashion—and when he left fashion, I decided to collect his clothes. I know his collections inside out, so I started to build an archive of them alongside my own."

RAF IS ADDICTED TO COLLECTING CERAMICS 

Work by Valentine Schlegel (courtesy Galerie Jacques Lacoste/Mathieu Ferrier)

"I’ve always liked ceramics. The craft is so simple: earth, hands, water. It sounds so stupid to say it, but making something all by yourself with few ingredients can be very powerful. When I started to read books on the subject, I discovered Valentine Schlegel. Her work is beyond genius. It specifically expresses everything I love about ceramics from that period: It has a roughness, along with something sculptural, always in very weird shapes, inspired by seeds and plants. Her work wasn’t industrialized, and she made very little. I only have one piece by her. For years I have been looking for more, but they’re impossible to find." 

RAF ADORES JOHN LAUTNER'S ARCHITECTURE (ME TOO)

"Chemosphere" by John Lautner (via John Lautner Foundation) 

"The first time I went to Los Angeles, I was determined to see John Lautner’s house, the Chemosphere, so I rented a car. And for two hours we drove up and down Mulholland Drive trying to find it. Eventually I called a friend, the L.A. gallerist Marc Foxx, and he said, “It’s up there. Just look up and you’ll see it.” I was sitting in the car staring up at the hills, and then suddenly there it was.

I like how he integrates furniture into his architecture: Often it’s embedded right into the house, with sofas growing out of the concrete. I find that really beautiful, along with the inside-outside feel of his work. It’s very Americano, of course—but I like Americano."

For the full W Article go here. 

THE HAT YOU NEED

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

One of the many highlights of my trip to Paris last week was discovering Bernstock Speirs and their super cute hats. The FashEd is already a big fan and I'm not surprised as their Bunny hat seems to me like a Summer version of the much admired Marie Mercie hat which she is so in love with. We're noticing a playful, childish mood come through for next Summer so we're tipping this as the accessory you never knew you needed. And the perfect model is Thelma Speirs herself who began the business in 1982 with partner Paul Bernstock and has been having a great time doing it ever since! Drop by their store on Brick Lane on buy online.

Trust us when we say yellow is the colour to go for...

The Bunny hat is £45 and come in all sorts of colours

 If you're partial to something a little more classic, then Bernstock Speirs also have the most darling boater hats for next Summer. Just add a prom skirt for flirty, feminine, Mary Poppins-y charm.

Boater at Emporio Armani

John Galliano SS12

Catwalk images- catwalking.com. All other pictures Fashion Junior at Large

THE WEEK IN FASHION 20TH-24TH JUNE

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

This week in fashion has been all about making up, breaking up, love and hate. It's been emotional.  Here's our look at the goings on from the fashion playground over the last 5 days...

 Galliano's last couture collection for Christian Dior. There will probably never be anything like this ever again.

1) The big one. John Galliano's trial took place on Wednesday at the Paris magistrates court. Just in case you were under a rock/in rehab/on the moon when the scandal broke, Galliano is being sued on moral grounds for an alleged anti-semitic, racist, and generally offensive rant directed towards three people in a Paris cafe earlier this year. He also subsequently lost his job at both Dior and his own label. It's a really sorry state of affairs, which has seen a former shining light of the industry reduced to a shadow of his normal gregarious self; hidden away in a rehabilitation program since the alleged attack, his future remaining highly uncertain and bleak.

He appeared in court to explain his behaviour (apparently a consequence of problems with drink, drugs and stress) and the result of the trial will be announced in September. This is undoubtedly a very dark moment for both the designer and the industry, and the case should be given the coverage it deserves - however is the slew of commentary about the outfit he wore for his court appearance really necessary? With that in mind, I won't be posting a picture. If you do crave a blow by blow account, the Telegraph have it covered in their live blog.

 

Tania Fares, Bella Freud and Lulu Kennedy, all in Lulu &Co

2) In a much friendlier turn of events, this week Lulu Kennedy hosted a lunch to celebrate the launch of the latest Lulu and Co collection. According to a certain Fashion editor at Large who happened to be in attendance, "the whole of London" turned out for the fashion feast, proving that there is a lot of love for Lulu. The new collection will be in stores from August.
 
3) Back to the business of bitching, and Azzedine Alaia has exploded with the outburst to end all outbursts, and the subjects of his disapproval are one Karl Lagerfeld and one Anna Wintour.

 Grace Jones and Azzadine Alaia. Who do you reckon is scarier? Read on to find out...

Lucky it was no-one important, eh? According to Alaia, Karl "has never touched a pair of scissors in his life", and "no-one will remember" Anna Wintour. Despite her scary rep, Alaia claims that when the Editor-in-chief of US Vogue sees him, "she is the scared one." Somehow, we're not surprised! 

4) As far as fashion relationships go, this week has been more on and off than Made in Chelsea's Caggie and Spencer (oh! the drama!). After joining in the whoops and hollers that followed the announcement of a Versace and H&M collaboration, the industry was subdued by the news that Jil Sander will no longer be designing for Uniqlo, and the next J+ collection will be the last. There were audible sobs emitting from fashion editor's offices across the city. If you are a fan of the Sander/Uniqlo collab, you better start preparing for the last offering now; it will no doubt be elbows at dawn when it hits stores.

Jil Sander: no longer + Uniqlo

5) Florence Welch 'got the love' from Nylon magazine (sorry, that was terrible) when she hosted a party at the Mondrian Hotel in New York, to celebrate their music issue, of which she is the cover star. Florence can do no wrong in my eyes; she is consistently beautiful, inspiring and unique. Her choice of this quirky Anna Sui dress for the party has divided opinion, but the people who don't like it are, well, wrong.

Flo: it's good to see you back. New music soon please!

6) Fashion doesn't get much more friendly than bestest buds Leith Clark (Ed of Lula) and Kirsten Dunst, who are rarely seen at events without each other, and have obviously been having a bit of a girly week out and about in London town. These two are so close, they are even co-ordinating outfits like schoolgirl best friends do - but you know what? They are so cool, they can get away with it.

 Leith and Kirsten looking demure yet achingly stylish at Wimbledon  (nice sunnies, Ms Clark!) ...

...and just a little bit naughtier as they skip out of The Box in matching trenchcoats. Kirsten&Leith4Eva!

7) And finally, a little bit of eye candy to put a spring in your step this sunny Friday afternoon. The SS12 Menswear shows have been happening over the past week and yesterday's offerings from Paris were causing ripples all the way over this side of the Channel. Friend of the Fash Ed, Kim Jones, sent his debut Louis Vuitton collection down the catwalk to rave reviews, with critics hailing his arrival as the best thing to happen to the label since Marc Jacobs.

 Louis Vuitton SS12

However, before Kim Jones took Paris by storm, one other designer had got everyone hot and bothered. Twitter exploded, pictures were being sent round the world, journos who normally pay no attention to the menswear collections were suddenly clicking onto Style.com like there was no tomorrow.

Five words: Nicola Formichetti, Mugler, ARMOUR BOY.

Mugler SS12

Images: Splash, Getty, AFP, Style.com

MY PARIS AW11 A TUMBLE OF IMAGES

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

It was a monumental Paris. A game-changer, at least in terms of the business of fashion. The last time there was more to report on than the customary new trends and fashion shows was in the late 90s and early 2000's when LVMH and Gucci Group were snapping up designers and brands for their respective conglomerates.

Who knows what will happen between now and September/October when the next runway shows take place. Will Riccardo be moved to Dior as is the word in all quarters? Is Haider Ackermann commercial enough for a move into Givenchy? Can John Galliano recover enough to be seen in public, and can he hope to resurrect his career? Is Sarah Burton designing the Royal wedding dress; or is she, as she protests, busy working on the McQueen brands' hugely significant Met Museum exhibiton, and dressing the attendees of the accompanying ball (three days after the wedding) instead? One thing is certain, right now the fashion industry is the perfect muse for a contemporary Shakespeare. The actual fashion isn't bad either. I'm working on that too. As is customary post the catwalk shows, for the next week I will be sitting in a darkened room with the fashion junior creating a trend report of the season before it all dissolves from my mind...

So welcome to my Paris fashion week tumble.

At the end of the Dior show, which was pretty but surreal after years of seeing the Galliano spectacle, atelier staff came out to take a bow in place of John Galliano. The team, in their white coats, stood and modestly clapped us the audience, while we clapped them. It was a masterful and emotional moment, reminding us - following a decade in fashion that championed fashion designers as stars - that while the creative talent of a fashion house can be disposable, the fashion house itself remains sacrosanct.

This little book is indispensable to me throughout Paris, telling me where to go, when, and who to see about what.

David Bowie taken from Phoebe Philo's inspiration book, placed on seats at the Celine show. Phoebe has hit her stride at Celine. Her show was solid.

Rather loved the Jean Paul Gaultier invitation, and the show was the first one of his I have loved in a long time..

The Jean Paul Gaultier show finale

The Givenchy invitation tickled me; this is a close-up of the Jaguar head featured on one side of the invite. The eyes reflect the silhouettes of a naked make and female. I wonder if this is the exact print Riccardo used in his collection? (below) On closer inspection I don't think so, more's the pity.

The Hakaan invitation was beautiful; this is going into a memory box for future use.  

Below is the translation of Sidney Toledano's address from the beginning of the Dior show. While I respected and admire the manner in which the Dior brand reasserted its power, I still cannot help feeling sorry for John Galliano the man. I hope he will be forgiven for his outrageous conduct.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since its founding by Monsieur Dior, the House of Christian Dior has lived an extraordinary and wonderful story and has had the honor of embodying France’s image, and it’s values, all around the world. What has happened over the last week has been a terrible and wrenching ordeal for us all. It has been deeply painful to see the Dior name associated with the disgraceful statements attributed to its designer, however brilliant he may be. Such statements are intolerable because of our collective duty to never forget the Holocaust and its victims, and because of the respect for human dignity that is owed to each person and to all peoples.
These statements have deeply shocked and saddened all at Dior who give body and soul to their work, and it is particularly painful that they came from someone so admired for his remarkable creative talent. So now, more than ever, we must publicly re-commit ourselves to the values of the House of Dior.


Christian Dior founded his House in 1947.


His family had been ruined in the Crash of 1929 and his own beloved sister had been deported to Buchenwald. In the aftermath of the dark years of the war, he sought to free women, to give them back their sparkle and joyfulness.


Christian Dior’s values were those of excellence in all that he undertook, of elegance and of craftsmanship reflecting his unique talent. His mission was not only to make his clients – indeed all women – more beautiful, but also to make them happy, to help them dream. He saw himself as a magician who could give women confidence and make them ever more feminine, more sublime. He believed in the importance of respect and in the capacity of this fundamental value not only to bring out the beauty in women, but also bring out the best in all people.


His values, his genius and his legacy have contributed to enhancing France’s image and culture around the world for more than sixty years.


The values that Monsieur Dior taught us are unchanged today. Those values are carried on by the wonderful and diverse group of people within the House of Dior who devote all their talent and energy to achieving the ultimate in artisanship and femininity, respecting traditional skills and incorporating modern techniques.


The heart of the House of Dior, which beats unseen, is made up of its teams and studios, of its seamstresses and craftsmen, who work hard day after day, never counting the hours, and carrying on the value and the vision of Monsieur Dior.


What you are going to see now is the result of the extraordinary, creative, and marvelous efforts of these loyal, hardworking people.
Thank you.

Chanel AW11 by Karl Lagerfeld. Chanel I would wear.

More Chanel pour moi.

Roland Mouret always sends us a little note.

The show notes for Nina Ricci, one of the highlights of my Paris and one of my favourite catwalk looks. I am making it my business to profile Peter Copping, that is if he will let me after I compared his looks to an old photo of Monsieur Dior. He took it well though.  

It was lovely for Phoebe Philo to share some of her visual inspiration with us. I can totally see how these images have inspired her work.

Stella McCartney is another designer sweet enough to add the personal touch to her fashion show notes. In her show Stella had a bit of an 80s Miyake, Alaia and Montana big-shoulder-small-waist moment that I have a feeling will be mighty influential in the coming months.

Stella McCartney AW11. Is Stella studying 80s Miyake and Claude Montana "State of Claude Montana" silhouettes? I like this a lot.

Chloe show notes, and a look from a show that can only be Chloe. I hope Hannah MacGibbon stays on there. She has her own very good thing going on.

The novelty show of the week was Nicola Formichetti's work for Thierry Mugler, the show began a week that was topped and tailed by fetish inspired shows - Louis Vuitton ended the week. (Givenchy was also rather fetish, as was Giles show in London.) By the end of Paris fashion week I was taking the fetish trend seriously.

Mulger by Nicola Formichetti

It also begs the question: why can Lady Gaga get away with smoking on a runway, and Kate Moss can't?

 Lady Gaga smoking on the Mugler runway

Kate smoking on the Vuitton runway

Another still from Phoebe's book.

Finally, to my fashion-show music of the week; Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld seemed to take inspiration from the 1979 Cure track A Forest (my all-time favourite Cure number).

Come closer and see
see into the trees
find the girl
while you can
Come closer and see
see into the dark
just follow your eyes
just follow your eyes

I hear her voice
calling my name
the sound is deep
in the dark
I hear her voice
and start to run
into the trees
into the trees

into the trees

Suddenly I stop
but i know it's too late
I'm lost in a forest
all alone
The girl was never there
it's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
again and again and again

The show setting felt like we were in the middle of a post-apocalyptic forest with the models stomping in their flat boots through scorched, smoking earth. The quality of the sound coming from the speakers was pretty awe-inspiring. Five days afer the show, the song is still going round in my head. The collection also had some great not-typically Chanel elements too - the butchy trousers, workman inspired boots and some fantastic tweed capes. I leave you with The Cure in 1979. Here, Robert Smith looks like Ben Affleck. Clearly his thick eye-liner and badly applied red lipstick wearing days were just around the corner.

Images: Modem, Celine (Artists Research Management and Anna Kustera Gallery), Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Modem, Hakaan, WWD, Chanel, Kenzo, Chanel, Roland Mouret, Chanel, Nina Ricci, Celine (Larry Fink, Sibylle Bergemann) Stella McCartney, Chloe, New York Times, Celine (The British Council), Christian Dior, Chanel All catwalk images: Chris Moore/Catwalking

GO RICCARDO!?

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Mr Tisci

The job of head designer at Givenchy is, traditionally, the "in-waiting" job for when a post at Dior comes up. John Galliano was drafted into Dior from Givenchy in 1996, that was when Alexander McQueen got the job at Givenchy. Such a long time ago.....

If what I hear coming out from very well placed sources in Paris is true, today Riccardo Tisci, the 35 year old Saint Martins trained, Madonna-loving Italian Roman Catholic boy from Givenchy is to be placed as the creative director at Christian Dior.

Part of me hopes its not true; I love what Tisci has been doing at Givenchy since 2005, when he arrived a virtual unknown and showed Givenchy collections that revealed his preoccupation with gothic romanticism, crucifixes, and playful S&M references and cartooons. That he understands women, and creates a powerful femininity is a given: this is a gay Italian man, with eight - yes EIGHT - sisters. I remember interviewing him when he had just completed a wardrobe for Madonna's Sticky & Sweet tour in 2008 and he talked effusively about how his sisters inspired him, and how he was not frightened of feminine strength. He sure knows how to make a woman look strong. And how to make a man who wants to be a woman (his former assistant Leo is now a transgender supermodel named Lea T) look dignified and wonderful.

His Haute Couture presentation in January was incredible to behold in close-up, with workmanship blending the modern and ancient technique. In turn his couture provided, for me, the best Oscar dress on Cate Blanchett and Grammy dress on Florence Welch for 2011.  Tisci at Givenchy makes a lot more sense than Alber Elbaz. Alber is perfection itself at Lanvin. It would be a travesty to take him away from the house. Givenchy on the other hand can take another bout of reinvention. Maybe from my personal tip for the Dior job, a certain Mr Peter Copping.  

The rumour mill suggests we should expect an announcement after Miu Miu finishes this afternoon, in time for the nightly TV news, and just before tired editors hang up their BlackBerrrys, iPhones and laptops for a couple of days rest as the month-long fashion marathon comes to an end. 

I'm not betting on it. I reckon LVMH should let this guessing game last a bit longer. After all, there are legal requirements in French employment law that mean a lot more hoops needs to be jumped through before Galliano's contract is officially dissolved. With John Galliano away at a rehab facility (as I have heard from close sources) this story does have a while to run.

If John successfully argues (as I have also heard on the rumour mill) that he was mentally ill, and sick from his alcoholism and medications at the time of his anti-Semitic rant then he may have a legal case of his own.  

ANYWAY: this all adds up to wonderful fashion drama and gossip, exactly what any dyed in the wool fashionista such as myself and my colleagues were put on this earth to report on.

Watch this space!