‎Christian Dior Couture AW13 | A perfect and elegant deconstruction

Raf Simons mixed the Dior heritage with his Antwerp roots ... a new found freedom

Raf Simons brought a new kind of couture to Paris this time. His contemporary silhouettes and modernist way to doing things, was conveyed for the first look to the last. 

The Antwerp roots of a perfect deconstruction were there, a new found freedom I guess . from the strict Parisian Couture rules. His multitude of inspiration came from many sources ... The Japanese culture, African tribes, the different parts of the world, his clients and Christian Dior himself. 

He said this about his clients and freedom:

"But it's so much more satisfying to give freedom to people and see what happens." 

The catwalk was not a coonventional one, but a room with large screens, cinema looking. Patrick Demarchelier, Terry Richardson, Paolo Roversi, and Willy Vanderperre's photos of the collection were an anticaption of what to see ... Raf Simon's antithetic twist to classic couture. 

 His inspirations turned into beautiful dresses, jackets, and accessories, couture worthy. Details were on the necklines especially with the many strapless dresses. From day dresses to ball gowns he inserted many layers and draping ... very dramatic and demure. 

A modernist at heart he reivented the Bar jacket once again and played around with Christian Dior's houndstooth print and the suit,  accenting the waist with the Japanese Opi belts.

The reinvented Bar jacket by Raf Simons for Christian Dior Haute Couture
His details included buttons, beneath the knee lengths, long gowns, sculptured silhouettes and foulards very reminiscent of Christian Dior, keeping his woman feminine with a powerful seductive confidence. 

Sheer and mesh, one of Raf Simon's trade marks and gloves featured everywhere. A new detail, was added with jewellery, this came from the African inspiration. 

Details: Gloves

Details: Spacey Shibori (the Japanese process that produces that peculiar spiky fabric

Details: Jewellery 

Details: Layers

His trade mark mesh and sheer

 This is his third couture collection for Chrstian Dior and we have seen his ever lasting contemporary nature as he was with Jil Sander he kept it going here. He knows how to mix Dior's legacy and HIMSELF very well and lastly what he did was take haute couture global and looking at a real future. 

Raf Simons I'm your biggest fan!

Pictures from www.vogue.co.uk