Raf Simons has had a long storied career in fashion. Now at the helm of womenswear for Dior, many in fashion felt that own namesake label was placed on backburner for the past few seasons. This strong Spring/Summer 2014 collection should dispel that notion. Taking place 30 minutes outside Paris at the Gagosian Gallery surrounded by the work of artists Alexander Calder and Jean Prouvé, this show was Raf’s attempt at creating a memorable fashion moment.
Now that his label has survived through 20 years in the business, Raf had a chance to breathe and re-collect his thoughts. Bits and pieces of his past designs show up here, the bright optimistic flashes of color, the modernist graphics, and a certain youthful nonchalance expressed by each model who walked by. Something Raf himself commented on in his interview with Dazed :
“All the boys were natural tonight. There was nobody who did the hair for them. We showed them as they come so it was very much about the way of dressing, the way of choosing the clothes as a way to express yourself. It was not a camouflage in terms of how you can create yourself with hair or product or styling. You think about the collection and that is what is interesting right now. You can just take it or leave it but hopefully take it. “
With the length of the shirting and jackets being purposefully long and paired with shorts that were inches from the knee, there was a androgynous edge in the collection but the pieces themselves are versatile enough to be worn many manner of ways. I particuarly liked the black perforated tech-jacket and the bright sneakers/boots which looked like Jetsons pop-art versions of Art Maxes and hiking boots. Suffice to say, this will be a collection that will appeal to fans of Raf Simons.
See all the looks after the jump
Words by Rocky Li
Photos via Dazed
