FASHION Magazine

While the majority of our favourite looks are compiled in the Fall/Winter beauty trend report there were three in particular that we couldn’t stop thinking about. Whether you’re seeking the perfect pink lip or want to try a twist on the traditional manicure, we’re sure you’ll love them too.

See the looks we loved! »

We were so taken by Raf Simons’ debut couture collection for Dior that we didn’t fully absorb the beauty of the floor-to-ceiling, flora-studded walls until after reviewing the collection a few times. This behind-the-scenes video by Dior shows just how much work the stunning backdrop took, though: to be exact, the five themed rooms (Salon […]

The post How exactly did the Dior visual team get a million flowers on the walls for Raf’s first couture collection? Watch this video to find out appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

We’ve all had a few days since Raf Simons’ spectacular Dior couture debut was shown in Paris this past Sunday, and one of the things that keeps coming to mind is how oddly… sellable this collection is. While that may be the complete opposite goal of couture, we had no problem at all envisioning ourselves swinging by the brand’s Avenue Montaigne flagship and picking up a few pieces. Here are a few personal favourites from the FASHION team:

View our picks! »

To say that Raf Simons had a mountain of pressure weighing down on him for his couture collection for Dior would be an understatement. And yet somehow, Simons managed to pull off the impossible: his stunning 56-piece collection was a reverent nod to Dior’s heritage fused with Simon’s signature modernity. Even more impressive than the collection itself is the outpouring of approval from the tough-to-please fashion crowd, including Simons’ peers. Here are some of the reactions to the collection so far:

After John Galliano’s infamous anti-Semitic rant in Paris last April, many wondered how his sudden departure from Dior would affect the French fashion house.

According to the Financial Times, not only did Galliano’s departure leave the company relatively unscathed, but they actually ended up with their highest earnings per annum ever, hitting $1 billion in 2011. “I never considered that,” Sidney Toledano, the president of Dior said. “I always thought we absolutely needed an artistic director.”

It makes you wonder: how important is a charismatic designer to a fashion house? Is it worth the potential risk that sometimes accompanies a more flamboyant style of creative genius?

Toledano seems to think so. Though he admitted that Dior still fared well financially without Galliano, he did stress how important he felt designers were for shaping a label’s identity, likening designers to “a shorthand to help consumers understand the brand, and to embody it.”

Does that mean someone like the more demure Raf Simons, who is taking over Galliano’s post for Dior, might not have the same capacity to “embody” the brand? According to Toledano, it all comes down to the individual.

“If [charisma] works for the designer, then fine . . . but if not, it can be counterproductive, and it is better to avoid it. In the end, luxury is judged not by whether a designer’s face is on X number of posters, but by their work.”

Our bet is that if Simons’ tenure at Jil Sander was anything to go by, his work will more than speak for itself.

It’s recently come to our attention that Chloë Sevigny loves Raf Simons (or rather, approves of his move to Dior). And if she thinks something is “cool,” it most definitely is. The tastemaker-come-actress told The Cut all about “out of touch” ‘90s fashion houses and Simons’ über-elegance: “I think it’s cool. I think some of […]

The post Quotable: Chloë Sevigny thinks Raf Simons is cool appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

What with Raf Simons now officially at Dior, Hedi Slimane officially at YSL and Jil Sander officially at…Jil Sander, it seemed the fashion-land rumour mill was as good as retired. But how silly of us. (Re)enter Stefano Pilati, who was replaced as creative director of Yves Saint Laurent in late February. Sources (namely Jim Shi) […]

The post Gossip that rhymes: Pilati for Armani? appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Much has been said of what Raf Simons will do for the house of Dior, now that he’s landed the big gig, but how does he feel about it? Whilst we were all taking dibs on which of his many modern approaches he may take with the house, he revealed quite the opposite to The […]

The post Quotable: What Raf’s revealing about his approach at Dior appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

He said he was leaving Milan forever, but he never said anything about Paris. Yes, the longest-running game of Guess Who? the fashion world has ever seen is finally over. And cue the welcome party, because we couldn’t be happier.

Cathy Horyn broke the news today that Raf Simons will be taking over (effective immediately) as artistic director at Dior. His first collection with the house will be for the haute couture shows in July—somewhat fitting considering the colour-loving minimalist took a decidedly haute hand to his recent Jil Sander “Couture Trilogy” (before getting the boot, that is).

The news comes after over a year of headhunting on Dior’s part. The house famously went after Marc Jacobs last year (the two parties couldn’t agree on salary) and reportedly later Lanvin honcho Alber Elbaz (he turned down the offer). Simons’ name started popping up in late December and the rumour mill began churning like nobody’s business.

The juiciest part in all this? Yves Saint Laurent creative director Hedi Slimane has been a longtime menswear rival of Simons’. And now the two get to face off in the womenswear arena. Does this mean Dior versus YSL walk-offs are in our future?

Whether he was their first choice or not, he was most definitely ours. We’re still having dreams about his last Jil Sander collection. Those reds! Those pinks! This really couldn’t have turned out better.

Christopher Kane at Christian Dior? The prince of neon was placed into the Galliano-replacement ring earlier this week by Suzy Menkes, who claimed, in her International Herald Tribune column, that the 29-year-old designer was set to take a seat on the dizzying designer merry-go-round—but alas, he’s already put the rumour to rest. Kane says, “I […]

The post Well, you can cross Christopher Kane off the Galliano-replacement list at Dior appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

The Raf Simons rumour mill continues to turn, as WWD‘s Bridget Foley divulges that the designer was “unceremoniously dumped” to make way for founder Jil Sander’s return. Given how responsible Simons was for the brand’s recent success and return to importance, it seems, well, offensive that this could even be the case. But how did […]

The post Quotable: Raf Simons is “leaving Milan tomorrow, forever” appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Before I hand over the ready-to-wear reins to our editor-in-chief, Bernadette Morra, who will be reporting all the news from Paris Fashion Week, I give you my top 10 Milan must-haves for Fall 2012.

Check out our Milan top 10 »