Dior and I

When Raf Simons joined Christian Dior in 2012, as critic's state, he may not have been the obvious candidate, but who knew he would take the brand by storm, conquering the fashion world in a mere eight weeks, to produce an unforgettable Haute Couture collection.
As I watched the film documentary 'Dior and I', based on the run up to Simon's Haute couture fall-winter debut in 2012, it really occurred to me, that fashion is not just about expensive labels and the big names haute couture tends to publicize, but it is about true art and craft, empowered by determination and emotion. This is especially translated visually in the documentary, as you watch Simons passion and overwhelming attitude, come to light in the lead up to the show.

I really admired the aspect that the document captured, illustrating the fact that the Dior team all had significant inputs in each garment they created, allowing extended twists and human elements to be influenced within the designs, to really create something dynamic. Simons work really shone in the documentary which really caught his strive for success as he stands in the shadows of the legend Mr Christian Dior himself, who may have only been in his couture atelier for ten years, but still managed to create a fashion image so revolutionary.

The interior for Simons show at 51 Avenue de Lena Paris, France, flourished with blooming gorgeous flowers such as orchids and mimosas, portraying an abstraction of nature, to really embrace an image of rejuvenation, growth and a freshness to the label. Almost reflecting Simon's own journey, moving up in the fashion world, from ready to wear to haute couture. Also of course, the interior represented a Parisian tenderness to show off a purity of women's traditional fashion that Dior has intentionally captured for the past 69 years. The documentary spends time discussing the collection, which focused on the 1950s, expanding on silhouettes famously designed by Christian Dior such as the Bar Jacket, A line and the H line. Simon's romanticized the collection, experimenting with his sublime taste which is predominantly inspired by art, to break away from the minimalistic expectations he gained working in menswear at Jil Sanders. Each piece was either indulged in embellishment or powerful colours which were fixated and merged into abstract patterns on the surface of the material. Garments included cigarette pants mixed with classic ball gown dresses shortened at the peplum and traditional silks which were fabricated to present a painting by Sterling Ruby. Therefore, elements of both the past and future trends were combined, still allowing Simons to inject some iconoclasm to the collection by putting his own spin on certain classic pieces that were significant to Dior.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching the documentary based on Dior's haute couture. It really showed how continuous motivation and determination can achieve something so outstanding and hard work does pay off, regardless of what sector of fashion you are in or what in sector of study or work you are in.


   
   

 

Thanks for reading,

Kate x