Christian Dior Haute Couture S/S 2013 Paris

[angel222]

Galliano must be smirking somewhere after a couple of put downs he's received from RS. :-)

 

[CholoChic]

AN EXAMPLE? Raf Simons didn't shock the fashion-world as Galliano did.
CondeNast reviewers are so kindly, Well labels pay their lives.

But I just remember the first Galliano Collections, they feed fashionlover souls
with an energy never seen before a generation have their eyes crying wiht so many-fantasies. Who cares if theye weren't wereable, at stores you could buy amazins-inspired-wereable-pieces.

Now Dior is like Kate Moss without Pete Doherty in fashions: happylife boring clothes. that's our time.

I just dont care controled-lines I just wanna feel fashion and feel uncontroled.

 

[Marc10]

Raf Simons didn't shock the fashion-world as Galliano did.

And that's supposed to be a bad thing? No all designer need to build careers based on shock value.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

you know that slit thing is such a antwerpian thing to do too. that wit by creating not just the illusion of sexiness and exuberance but there's such an intelligent geometry about it that i appreciate as well.

i think raf like so many before him will eventually find that right balanced chord and become a better designer here just as he did at jil sander. don't underestimate the power of his talent because as soon as even i have been a bit disappointed he's blown me away once more.

I thought that dress was interesting but poorly executed, like most of his dresses and couture pieces. It didn't leave me thinking "oh, she looks great" but rather "oh man, what's going on with that gap in her dress?" As interesting as the design detail was it felt unnecessary and gimmicky. What does it actually do to make a woman look better? Perhaps if the design didn't make what was surely super expensive fabric look so cheap, or if the construction didn't look so burdened and the shape so clumsy, it may have worked for me.

I have a lot of craft issues with Simon's Dior. He doesn't really seem to have an understanding of dress construction and that deficiency becomes even more of a handicap when it comes to the couture. Which is odd because he's now working with some of the best dressmakers in the world. He's mangling the skills of the petite mains, having them do these dresses which defy the natural properties of the fabric while creating heavy, unflattering, and most of the time ill-fitting structures that just look sloppy. I don't think any of the celebrities wearing Dior looked good, all the dresses look a bit like Project Runway red carpet challenges. If buying out Jennifer Lawrence and Marion Cotillard is supposed to increase the brand's profile they may be in for trouble, I highly doubt the average woman who responds to red carpet glamour is going to be attracted to Simon's dresses. I highly doubt any woman would choose those dresses unless they were being paid to.

Simon's two Dior collections have been uneventful. His creations, though interesting in their awkwardness, do very little to substantiate and redirect Christian Dior's dressmaking and tailoring legacy in the manner Simons thinks they do. Is this really the new look for women of the 21st century? A new way of dressing? Hardly. It's full of so much half-formed, po-mo, poorly executed thoughts that reads more like a BFA thesis show than something you'd expect from a world class luxury brand. His references to old Dior styles are obvious and trite. I would even forgive these confusing and sometimes ugly clothes if I thought they actually inspired desire or if they could actually make women look better and feel better, which is why I give leeway to designers like Zac Posens who can manage a stunning red carpet gown more often than not, but I don't think it's possible with Dior. And I'd even give his couture some leeway if I thought the RTW could pick up the slack, but I don't think that's going to happen either. I am very, very curious to see how Simons' Dior sells and if he stays for another three years.

 

[Marc10]

I think it's rather pretentious to give critiques on the construction of garments, especially Couture, just by looking at pictures and videos.

 

[HeatherAnne]

I think it's rather pretentious to give critiques on the construction of garments, especially Couture, just by looking at pictures and videos.

Weak.

After all, couldn't the same be said for praising it to the high heavens just by looking at pictures and videos?

It's not as if seeing these creations in-person would magically make some of these significant issues disappear.

 

[Marc10]

Weak.

After all, couldn't the same be said for praising it to the high heavens just by looking at pictures and videos?

It's not as if seeing these creations in-person would magically make some of these significant issues disappear.

Well I can't speak for others but I never criticize or praise things I don't know for sure. When I praise these collections is purely based on the overall aesthetic, or what it "looks like" based on my resources (HQ pics, details videos, inside info by the designer, etc). I can't go on and write that the construction and execution of Raf's dresses are poor, because that's something I CAN'T say for sure without looking these dresses up close. For me, based on an aesthetic point of view, they look well done.

 

[Zazie]

Yes, I think only close-ups will do haute couture justice. One of the worst issues with Dior HC under Galliano was that the close-ups of many details were terrible...I would have preferred less "noisy" gowns but perfected to be almost flawless than crooked bows and badly stitched bodices seen in close-ups.


Opinions and tastes are personal...I find these column dresses (dark blue and yellow) beautifully constructed and elegant, aesthetically pleasing, very modern and different from all the other cliched unmemorable gowns out there with their sweetheart necklines, thigh-high slits and mermaid's tails.

They are much more refined than those at Jil Sander's, showing just what an accomplished atelier like Dior is capable of.

I wonder when the very first column dress with a thigh-high slit was worn, were people saying it looked "ripped"? It has the same "discrete peek" effect, it brings something new to fashion and makes many sit up and notice.

There isn't another gown like it - and it has created quite a buzz, more than the safer gown worn by Marion Cotillard. By making headlines and getting featured in all mentions of the awards occasion while other big brand names are already forgotten, it has achieved huge success for such an understated, quiet gown, i.e. from the point of marketing.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

I think it's rather pretentious to give critiques on the construction of garments, especially Couture, just by looking at pictures and videos.

It's really not, you can see from a mile away if a garment is constructed well; just on the street you can see whether a jacket fits the wearer like it should, or if a hem isn't sewn invisibly when it's trying to be, etc.

I love how subtle that sheer panel detail was that everyone mistook for a tear - that's a true couture detail, only known to the wearer, yet it echoes the visible sheer panels in the other dresses, such as that great yellow one.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I think it's rather pretentious to give critiques on the construction of garments, especially Couture, just by looking at pictures and videos.

Who said I was going off the pics and videos?

Anyways, there are some things even the hype and fury of a fashion show can't hide.

 

[Scott]

I have a lot of craft issues with Simon's Dior. He doesn't really seem to have an understanding of dress construction and that deficiency becomes even more of a handicap when it comes to the couture.

again,i still don't understand this rush for instantaneous judgement about his technique here when this has only been his second HC collection(ever!!) and first fully envisioned collection for the HC.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

again,i still don't understand this rush for instantaneous judgement about his technique here when this has only been his second HC collection(ever!!) and first fully envisioned collection for the HC.

Instantaneous? First of all, he had as much time for his first HC collection as all the the other couturiers. Second of all, he's had two seasons under his belt. That's a long time for any experienced designer to get an understanding of the workroom and what its abilities are. It's certainly not the first time he's taken over a house with a talented atelier. Third, do you know how much LVMH pays him to do this? He's making more off this Dior deal than I will in my whole life. And fourth, there are at least half a dozen other designers who would not be having such ridiculous fit and construction issues if they were given one of the world's top workrooms to make due with. He deserves to be scrutinized.

 

[Littleathquakes]

But doesn't it say more about the Dior ateliers, rather than Raf himself, regarding the craftsmanship of the clothes?

 

[Zazie]

I love how subtle that sheer panel detail was that everyone mistook for a tear - that's a true couture detail, only known to the wearer, yet it echoes the visible sheer panels in the other dresses, such as that great yellow one.

Yes, I feel that what is seen as "mistakes" in the gown are actually intentional, eg. "tear", "badly constructed layers", as seen in the other gowns in the HC shows. It's just that RS is using a different construction design, a different proportion for the gowns, a different silhouette, a different approach, which is also what I appreciated in this HC show. Instead of the usual fluted, flared, trumpet, mermaid, etc. trains and trailing skirt finishes usually seen on the red carpet, this gown was truly unique.

The bodice fitted Jennifer Lawrence beautifully, elegantly, comfortably, not as if she was squeezed or cinched into the dress, not in-your-face sexy in the Dita von Teese way despite her fuller figure. When she moves, the separate construction of the three-piece segmented gown means the bottom moves while the fitted dress on top remains static and streamlined at all times. Usually, such gowns are made with an hour-glass bustier which then flares out into a billowy skirt. It makes it interesting, as it behaves differently from other gowns. This is how it struck me immediately.

 

[Zazie]

Did anyone notice that the 3 segments are constructed like a crustacean, i.e. the way the exoskeleton of a crustacean enables movement? The delicate but strong tulle underlay is used so that the separate segments are visible and displayed as intentional. Too bad it's mistaken as a tear, instead of a new discrete way to show some skin.

Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...wards-wardrobe-malfunction.html#axzz2JfAX4EGO



To me, the HC quality of such a gown is first in its new, innovative concept, the process of designing the pattern, the actual construction, etc., not in how elaborate the petits mains worked.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Did anyone notice that the 3 segments are constructed like a crustacean, i.e. the way the exoskeleton of a crustacean enables movement? The delicate but strong tulle underlay is used so that the separate segments are visible and displayed as intentional. Too bad it's mistaken as a tear, instead of a new discrete way to show some skin.

Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...wards-wardrobe-malfunction.html#axzz2JfAX4EGO

To me, the HC quality of such a gown is first in its new, innovative concept, the process of designing the pattern, the actual construction, etc., not in how elaborate the petits mains worked.

If my idea of the construction of the dress is correct, the sheer panels beneath are both beautiful and practical - instead of creating this dress by layering the silk, layer on layer, which would have made the dress bulkier and heavier, he has seamed the lower layers to the sheer fabric, so all one need to do is pull at the skirt to ascend some steps (for example, Jennifer Lawrence) and this beautiful lightness and hidden sexiness is revealed.
This technique brings back stories of couture jackets with semi-sheer linings as so the wearer can see exactly how the jacket is constructed, while it still be comfortable and of course, of a much lighter weight.

 

[Zazie]

If my idea of the construction of the dress is correct, the sheer panels beneath are both beautiful and practical - instead of creating this dress by layering the silk, layer on layer, which would have made the dress bulkier and heavier, he has seamed the lower layers to the sheer fabric, so all one need to do is pull at the skirt to ascend some steps (for example, Jennifer Lawrence) and this beautiful lightness and hidden sexiness is revealed.
This technique brings back stories of couture jackets with semi-sheer linings as so the wearer can see exactly how the jacket is constructed, while it still be comfortable and of course, of a much lighter weight.

Yes, I understand what you mean - i have a beloved cashmere jacket lined in transparent silk, the sensation is amazing, lighter, warmer, and you see the normally hidden details. In this gown, I am also looking at the curved one-piece segment, over the train, seen more clearly form the side and back, both are intriguing in construction. The usual solution is a gored, fluted or flared back to accommodate the body's curves, this looks new, unless I've been missing out on red carpet gowns. I don't watch such award shows normally, so perhaps I'm getting excited over something that's already ubiquitous.

 

[HeatherAnne]

The gorgeous hidden sheer panel was the only good thing about that dress. Rather that the entire dress did, to me, seem slightly too heavy and bulky. A half-step off from being amazing. Though, admittedly, even if perfectly executed, Lawrence would be the last person I'd want trying to carry off my designs.

And, again, I'll scream: I think he'll get there, and nail it, and it will be amazing -- revolutionary, even.

 

[Zazie]

Though, admittedly, even if perfectly executed, Lawrence would be the last person I'd want trying to carry off my designs.

And, again, I'll scream: I think he'll get there, and nail it, and it will be amazing -- revolutionary, even.

I was annoyed by her ignorant comments, and she gave the impression that the dress was torn, instead of telling the truth, that the design was meant to be this way.

The closer I looked at some of these HC pieces, the better I thought of his efforts - they do bear close scrutiny. I need to be more patient, being one of the most critical so far about his "conservatism"..

I only noticed this dress and its concept when it made it to the news. However, I respect him for pushing the envelope and working very, very hard, offering something new and different without resorting to the theatrics.

 

[tricotineacetat]

It's an OK collection with a realistic understanding of just how much minimalism a house like Dior can bear for it's couture - this should be able to please those with a somewhat traditional view of what couture shall look like...

A lot of the dress shapes are indeed dangerously close to Olivier Theyskens' work for Rochas and Nina Ricci, as had already been pointed out - Though his concepts of ornamentation and fabric usage always had a much more unexpected, edgy twist that I personally would have preferred over Simons' reliance on excessive floral embroidery.

Oddly enough, this collection falls rather flat with jackets and coats, taking into account though how ill some of the tailleur jackets are fitting, though, it may be for the better that he's focussed so much on the dresses.