Christian Dior Haute Couture F/W 2013.14 Paris

[Label Basher]

I want to defend but I can't. 90% is just terrible and the examples above prove that. Have the seamstresses gone on holiday. There are a couple of gowns that are nice but they could be from any designer.

 

[KKnardi]

dior_couture1245 Those flaws are actually no flaws, the clothes are made by hand and they'll have a "home-made" feel to them. They are not made with machines and therefore not "perfectly" executed.

 

[Creative]

This is inexplicable. It's not just "terrible" in every aspect a fashion collection may be terrible. It's sad; so sad I'm not even going to criticize Raf. Something really awful must have happened to him. Maybe he can't handle the pressure?

 

[IAmLordZen]

dreadful. my goodness. his couture collections don't seem to live up to the hype.

 

[Rigida]

a... ma... zing....

 

[Littleathquakes]

I think the diversity of the casting is really the only good thing I can say about it. There are some good pieces, dare I say, even romantic and classic Dior in spirit. But nowhere near enough of those to save the collection.

The boobs - I'm no prude, but I also don't like when models walk exposed like that for no real reason. Galliano had nudity on the runway, but his was a sensual display. His clothes had layers pulled back/peeled, it was like a walking burlesque show with each look. Here, the two pieces seem forced, as if for no other purpose but to be controversial. It's not leading the house in a modern direction, it's just weird. And it's this display of false appreciation for the heritage of the brand that I agree with others who've touched upon the subject in prior posts. There is something very insincere about this. It's designed by Raf, for Dior, but it's not Raf for Dior.

 

[arlekindearrabal]

What a triumph for Raf. It's mindblowing. A new path being forged.

 

[vandekamp]

Oh my god I am completely in love with this collection. Absolute perfection.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

dior_couture1245 Those flaws are actually no flaws, the clothes are made by hand and they'll have a "home-made" feel to them. They are not made with machines and therefore not "perfectly" executed.

This perspective on couture sewing is troubling. The point of couture is not the novelty of something being done by hand but the quality and technical superiority of a skilled hand being able to do what even machines can't. Granted some hand stitches don't always photograph that well but this is just a total lack of understanding of how to make a dress and pick fabrics that work for a design... quite basic.

Note that Dior never had these dressmaking errors before raf came. and you never see Chanel couture with seam pucker.

 

[bennyboy]

Raf = menswear designer
Raf = no boobs
Raf = no BLACK

then why we need Raf for Dior . Please bring Galliano back. the real king left too long!!!!!

 

[j.cruz146]

This is just.. Horrible. The whole collection is terribly manufactured and you didn't even need the highlights that a member before posted to see them..

This just looks like a cheap mash up of Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton's past collections..

 

[GivenchyHomme]

This looks like it was made in a week, it's not surprising that the craftsmanship looks like sh*t. The seamstresses were probably rushed or they've employed a cheaper and less experienced team. What a joke of a "collection".

This is despicable:

And this is just rubbish:

stylebistro

 

[JacquelineJane]

Haters gone hate! I really responded well to this collection. So many pieces are beautiful - I can see the Dior girls owning a lot of those evening gowns on the red carpet, the coats and jackets are exquisite, I love the Japanese "shibori detailing" on a couple of the looks. Some of the looks were definitely misses, but on the whole it was an interesting collection that had a spark of personality and charm to it that no other season (other than Resort 14) under Raf's reign had. I think it's an exciting step in the right direction.

 

[reesewu]

I've changed my mind after seeing the rest of the collection in HQ. The crafmanship is bad, the fabric is bad, and the design is also bad. A few looks are beautiful, but the rest ranged from just acceptable, rtw level to astrocious; especially the ones towards the end.

I actually thought, oh well this one might be another white-washed show, but I'm glad that he actually used some models of color. That, sadly, is the only good thing about this show imo.

 

[IloveDiorHomme]

There is no coherence in this collection.

Too many colors, effects, fabrics, lenghts etc. It looks so awkward.

Dior should have kept Gaytten designins the collections; it was well-crafted and sober. This Dior show just looks like an expensive joke to me

 

[AustralianaBoy]

This is the future of couture. Deal with it.

 

[bbofbalenciaga]

Don't you think he was auditioning, though? It's no coincidence to me that (in retrospect) his last several collections for Jil were so Dior (I've even heard rumors that LVMH was trying to get rid of Galliano prior to his meltdown, so it's not like there weren't whispers amongst industry insiders that the position would potentially be available in the near future). And honestly, if he could reproduce that same effect here as he did there, I'd be much happier with his work (my avatar still happens to be from the Jil Sander FW11 collection - I loved what he did at Jil).

It's beginning to seem like, to me, he took the job for a big pay-increase and for the fame it would afford. Not because the Dior heritage was truly calling his name.

The problem of everything is LVMH, they push Galliano in his last years to do this horrible version of Dior he did, and they are doing the same now with Raf.

Honestly i don't think you have to blame Raf for not having a real passion for the heritage of Dior, I don't think Tisci had a great knowledge and passion about Givenchy(is a complete different history, because Givenchy heritage is incomparable to Dior)...and so does Nicolas in the first years in Balenciaga...but they had a real freedom to build the basement for the brands they worked for....and anyway, I totally understand LVMH...I would be afraid of somebody ruining Dior...may be they don't think Raf is such a talented designer to give the freedom they gave to Galliano, may be they just hired Raf because all the buzz that was happening around him and those couture inspired collections he did ( although i dont think those collection were just a causality...as you said, there were rumors that LVMH wanted to get rid off Galliano..it was obvious).

 

[dior_couture1245]

dior_couture1245 Those flaws are actually no flaws, the clothes are made by hand and they'll have a "home-made" feel to them. They are not made with machines and therefore not "perfectly" executed.

That is absolutely not true. The whole point of Couture is that is it sewn by hand TO PERFECTION. It is a far higher quality than anything sewn by machine in many ways - one single example being that the garments will almost always be softer and more supple to wear because seams are closed up with one thread when sewn by hand, and two threads when sewn by machine (anyone that's used a sewing machine knows you have the top thread and the bobbin).

The flaws pointed out in the pictures look like home-made, yes. Home-made by an amateur with a portable sewing machine. Certainly not a professional seamstress who has spent her entire life learning the craft.

 

[Littleathquakes]

This looks like it was made in a week, it's not surprising that the craftsmanship looks like sh*t. The seamstresses were probably rushed or they've employed a cheaper and less experienced team. What a joke of a "collection".

I think that has to be the case. Maybe some original pieces of his were completely scrapped and LVMH demanded new material? I can't think of any other reasonable explanation as to why the craftsmanship could be so bad in an haute couture collection.

 

[ogepma]

After looking at the HQ pictures and detailed shots over and over again, I have tried my best to look for something to dislike about this collection but I just can't, I absolutely adore it and Raf's frame of mind at this moment. Granted, it may not be the most cohesive collection from a visual point of view and it may have one or two extremely hideous pieces, it however makes a lot of sense based on what his was inspired by. The colours, the embroidery, the shapes, the tailoring (yes, the tailoring, I said it); was all interesting and new. I also loved the accessories sans some of the shoes and the casting was his best yet at Dior.

This is a new kind of haute couture. They were lots of experiments going on here and I could definitely see him pushing the envelope and creating a clearer platform of where he wants to take the brand to. I have mentioned several times, I am a huge fan of Galliano but the truth is that towards the end of his time at Dior, his work, in haute couture to be specific, was looking less relevant and was definitely not the best he could do. It felt so embroiled in fantasy that I could hardly see it leaving the catwalk most of the time. And this is what is usually expected of couture. In this case however, there is a dose of reality in this clothes and I think that's what makes it really interesting. I can actually see many types of women wearing this and still stand out in a crowd without looking like an attention wh*re.