Raf Simons F/W 2022.23 London

[vogue28]

VOGUE.COM

 

[vogue28]

VOGUE.COM

 

[RaisinBoy]

All I'm gonna say about this is that it's not his worst. But still not worthy of existence.

I'm wondering: did Miuccia co-designed some of the looks? Raf's vision — or lack thereof — makes his brand and Prada almost indistinguishable.

 

[JohannesL]

Ever since he left Jil Sander, Raf Simons has totally lost his sensibility as a womenswear designer, supposing he had it! The red print cape coat with hands holding flowers is probably the best piece of this collection because the rest are pseudo-intellectual.

 

[Machinegumm]

Too desperate to recreate his grand finale at JS. It's okay, but nothing special.

 

[Deleted member 141309]

I hated Prada, because it simply was not Prada at all, but this is unexpectedly nice. I do enjoy this, very Simons, sterile and clean, but in actual Raf way this time. The weird sterilisation of everything with a tiny twist and hint of this and that (a bit of colour, a strange fabric, a twisted construction) fits this. I might add quite brutalist as well, not in a pretentious Bottega or Balenciaga manner, actual brutalist manner.

 

[sore]

(theverge)

 

[Melancholybaby]

^Raf's and Heidi's careers in one single meme.

 

[reese06]

I feel like he just releases the same collection each season these days.

 

[dior_couture1245]

It’s time for him to be put out to pasture.

 

[jeanclaude]

The more he insists on being avant-garde, the farthest he is from it.

 

[YohjiAddict]

He’s done worse than this but it still doesn’t interest me, the construction is lazy and the quality looks as questionable as ever.

It wouldn’t even cross my head to call this avant-garde, it’s very safe and predictable, I don’t see which ideas he’s trying to move forward through fashion…

Hopefully Prada has some more fully formed concepts…not holding my breath though.

 

[TianCouture]

what's wild to me is that the few couture sensibility cocoon trompe de l'oeil sweater dress things could have really been smashing with tight, jil sander spring 2012 hair and those bucket hat beanie things and really sleek, simple elevated super pointed pumps. if he stayed on that track and eliminated the "i have to churn butter at 2 but be at an orgy at 3" dress and the club kid collage/logo/ransom letter imagery this would have actually be a really sophisticated collection from him. those 3 knit pieces are the most interesting thing he has done in a very, very long time.

 

[Fulton St Critique]

The collection has all the Raf signatures neatly packaged into a “subversive” and “edgy” font as to make a 27 year old male more enticed to purchase a knit in hopes to capture even a glimpse of the perceived cool factor that is attached to this brand.

That being said, I didn’t mind the collection. What I do mind is Raf’s quality. From a gram weight perspective you are better off buying a coat from Theory or Reese than purchasing a majority of his off the rack apparel.

I do have to admit that Raf is one of the only designers today who makes me anticipate each look coming down the runway. Whether they are a hit or a miss, I find myself wanting to see each collection in its entirety in hopes of viewing something progressive.

Lastly, I believe this idea of “critical thought” has largely absent in his recent collections. For example, we know he loves to show a good boxy blazer, but aside from his “styling tricks” with the coat, why doe he hesitate to reimagine it like Martin would have done? Just a thought….

 

[Frederic01]

BAYOUCOOL2

 

[VogueDisciple93]

Those trains on the bags are absolutely hideous.

 

[Frederic01]

This is a pretty intense and interesting collection. I'll take this over anything else that has been shown at LFW any day! It may not appeal to everybody, but at least Raf has a signature aesthetic and these clothes not plastered with logos and the standard hype beast signatures that have been dominating fashion in the last few years.

To be honest, this collection is quite a departure for Raf in the way that it feels so grown-up compared to previous seasons. I don't see how any of this would appeal to a young clientele? Maybe one or two nylon bomber jackets, but otherwise, this is probably one of his most mature collections to date. These are serious clothes. Just look at the textiles he used: patent leather, silk, brushed leather, expensive and dense wools. I don't envision this on young people. On the contrary I see this being appreciated more by a kind of Frieze Art Fair crowd. A gallerist, a vintage dealer from Antwerp, etc.

 

[Norden]

Its a good collection for Raf, very focused and clear in its ideas. The strength here is in its accessories and its nice to see him expand on that.
Fabrications are super cool and its good to see the return of more fitted shapes and knits.

What I enjoy less is the very high contrast between very fitted and very boxy, im personally very done with the oversized jackets and shapes.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

I dunno how to feel about the collection. It's kind of polarising because what works is done really, really well but what doesn't is so tedious and frigid it takes away from the nicer pieces.

I'll admit I've never been a Raf Simons person. He's done some interesting work and some of his Jil Sander collections are just gorgeous, I just can't see past his constant self-serious demeanor. Leaves me feeling a little put off, as if his collections are always trying to speak down to me because I don't get "it" despite it never being that deep.

 

[perfect blue]