Dior Enters New Era With Raf Simons ... Dior Resort 2013 Collection

I have to say that Raf Simons has done an absolutely great job in digressing John Galliano’s long-running influence away from maison Christian Dior.

Gone were the extreme theatrical approaches and aesthetics, red carpet-worthy frills and meticulous couture finesse — after all Dior is still a reigning haute couture house in Paris — and in are simple silhouettes with references taken from the maison’s evergreen archive (think Dior’s signature New Look) and beautiful mix of colours and prints for the palette.

Though fashionistas who have been used to Galliano’s over dosage of drama would be more or less, surprised by what Simons has in store for them, rest assured the Resort 2013 collection will open a new and fresh chapter in Maison Christian Dior’s extensive history.

Incorporating his renowned clean, minimalist designing aesthetics into the New Look nuances, the Resort 2013 collection boasts rich juxtaposition of textures, volume and feminine contours — refreshing features that liberally speak of a new, über-contemporary and reinvented Dior woman. 

For the Resort 2013 Collection, solid colours such as devilish red, burgundy, pastel shades, black and white seemed demure yet elegant at the same time. Enhancing the delicacy of this collection is the softness of the shapes, ubiquitous presence of cutouts at the back of the dresses, peplums with crisp gathers, double layered skirts and undulating gathers.

Perhaps alluding to Bianca Jagger’s renowned white suit style circa 1970s, Simons’ interpretation of the usual wardrobe staple is more laidback — despite the great tailoring approach Simons is known for — and meant for casual tea parties with ladies who lunch, rather than for some serious shareholder meetings in the sombre boardroom. 

All she needs is a raffia wide-brimmed hat and maybe a fancy brooch to complete the look.

Yet, just a glance at the full floral-print ensemble or belted dress with ample volume being pumped into the skirt, one could easily pass it as something from the High Street stores. Ditto the other dress in midnight blue with billowy tri-colour skirt. 

However, the Dior Bar suit with finely gathered tulle skirt ensemble is a true attention-catching classic look every man hunter should have, thanks to the sinful lipstick red hue that douses the chic ensemble. A hue that is known to make every man’s heart palpitating at an alarming rate!

That said, I believe the introduction of the Resort 2013 collection will certainly indicate the start of a new era of Dior — the Raf Simons era. 

Christian Dior Resort 2013 collection will be available at Christian Dior boutiques and selected mixed brand retailers and department stores worldwide by the third quarter of this year.

*Photos by Style.com/Dior

Christian Dior — G28, Indulge Floor, Starhill Gallery, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.