In what seems to be a popular trend for this couture season, Dior’s Raf Simons combined tradition with the futuristic for fall/winter 2014-15. The show took place at the Jardin du Musée Rodin gardens, where a white cylindrical structure transformed the gardens into a spaceship-like, futuristic setting that provided the perfect backdrop to jump through decades.
Beginning with wide-skirted, corseted, pannier-dresses, the collection took a turn for the Rococo and pre-revolutionary France. From Antoinette, it shifted into more wearable, loose, NASA-esque coveralls that featured pastels and floral embroidery. Fitted skirts with petal-like edges went out with easy silk tanks, which were then succeeded by monochrome ensembles. Bright, flowered velvet jackets in white, mint, red, and pink provided a burst of color to these more conventional looks. Early 20th-century shift dresses and warm greatcoats followed. Next came wide-collared coats until the eventual return of the flared dress, this time with delicate lines and tulle skirts.
Courtesy of Dior
The cyclical wavering between pant, skirt, dress, and coat signified a variety uncommon in haute couture. Yet Simons’ weaving between decades revealed that his true focus was less on a type of garment and more on discovery. He explained, “I was interested in the process of finding something extremely modern, through something very historical.”
