“Time periods are confused.” Raf Simons has long refused to take inspiration from the past, with the pretext that nostalgia for a time gone by cannot satisfy a designer’s thirst for a future to be forged. And yet here he is, today recognizing all the beauty that the past century held. The artist has undertaken the task of grafting the romance of the 50s onto the experimentation of the 60s and the liberation of the 70s. The end result? Monsieur Dior’s female flower all dressed up with taste and dissonance. For each garment, the most delicate adornments embellish the most modern of fabrics, all superposing on top of one another in a complex technique that reveals the incredible work of this Avenue Montaigne mainstay’s ateliers.
The “female flower” through the prism of Raf Simons-esque aesthetics is slipped into a bustier dress with a supported waist and perfect geometry. By playing with volumes, the Belgian designer creates a hallucinogenic fusion between two of the brand’s strongest themes: the “tailleur bar” and the flower that, at his behest, is laden with pop references and technological experiments. The flower finds itself cut in sequins and embroidered in a sort of gimped lace, in a rich and deep navy blue. No doubt about it, the excellence of these haute couture workshops has been pushed to new limits. With the idea of adornments as architecture, the garment’s finishings get even more graphic. In the end, it’s haute couture itself that is pushed to new limits.
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