Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Dior's Spring 2016 Couture Collection Will Make You Miss Raf Simons

Dior's Spring 2016 Couture Collection Will Make You Miss Raf Simons:

A look from the Dior Haute Couture spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
A look from the Dior Haute Couture spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
Paris Couture Week got into gear on Monday morning with what is usually a centerpiece of the biannual event: Christian Dior. Since his debut collection for the French house in 2012, Raf Simons consistently won over editors and buyers alike with his couture shows — from the stunning floral sets to the beautiful, impeccably tailored clothes that were wearable but still distinctive and couture-quality — that often featured dozens of red carpet-worthy gowns. But the house's first collection since his departure, shown at the Musée Rodin, undeniably (and, perhaps, inevitably) left something to be desired.

The responsibility for this collection fell into the hands of two longtime Dior employees: Serge Ruffieux and Lucie Meier, both head designers at the house. No doubt, it was a challenging task. Simons's influence was still there, with elements from his past couture collections sprinkled throughout this one, including: bar jackets re-imagined in various silhouettes, asymmetrical off-the-shoulder necklines, deconstructed coats, origami-like folding techniques and textural florals, to name just a few.

But without someone like Simons, whose perfectionist tendencies were well-documented in 2014 documentary "Dior and I," leading the charge, the end result was a little disappointing, and lacking in the excitement, newness and formality we've come to expect from Dior Couture shows. The tailoring also felt off, and there wasn't one dress that would really set our hearts aflutter if we saw it on an upcoming awards show red carpet. As Dior's fall 2016 ready-to-wear collection is also being designed without a creative director, Jennifer Lawrence may have a challenging year ahead of her. Let's just say we're starting to get excited about those Sarah Burton rumors.

See the full Dior spring 2016 couture collection below.

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