Elsy Jane

Home Archive for October 2015

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It's been rumoured for a while now, however I always hoped it was just a rumour- Raf Simons will be leaving Christian Dior. After three years of working with the luxury brand, Simons won't be renewing his contract and instead will work on his other interests and his own brand. His show which he presented in Paris for S/S 2016 was his last show for the French fashion house, and we will now see more of his work with his own label.

His first show was back in 2012, since his first couture show he has earned himself universal critical acclaim; modernizing Dior and bringing new ambassadors such as Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence.

Below is a quick guide to a few of his shows, in honor of him leaving.

Debut Show - April 2012

A show many will have stuck in their minds, not only for the couture, but also for the location. He presented the collection amidst walls of flowers, each room a different kind, like something out of Alice in Wonderland. The place looked (and smelt amazing). Then there was the clothes- this was Simons first couture collection he'd ever designed and his debut collection.

The collection kept it's traditional silhouettes, but Simons added his stamp too. The dress above was inspired by a painting which they worked hard on to transfer from canvas to material, the painting had also been transferred to coats. The elegant collection also included cigarette trousers paired with big dresses and strapless embroidered gowns with large pockets - architectural and feminine.

Other Favourites with Raf Simons

Spring Summer 2014 - Floral print skirts and high-waisted tailored shorts floated down the middle of the decorated tent in Paris, black jackets were paired with bursts of colour and I think it was a collection that the world really saw Raf's visions more that Diors traditions, unlike his Jill Sanders collections, at Dior he had less space to express himself but this collection we saw more of him than ever before.

Autumn/Winter 2015 - 'A garden of earthly delights' was how Raf invisioned this couture collection, another one of my favourites. He mixed this idea of 'pretty' with something darker, I loved the flow of the dresses and scarf necklines the continual use of black with brighter, louder colours.

The collection was exciting, each look was fresh and new but they all linked to each other, nothing was like anything you'd seen before and that to me is a step towards a perfect collection.

Last Collection - S/S 2016

He's going out on a high note if you're looking at Dior's latest collection, although not my favourite collection, the necklace/chockers (is that what they are?) were a really nice addition to the outfits. The scalloped organdie white two-pieces would be a perfect addition to any wardrobe, and anyone could learn from Simon's scientific layering with knitted jumpers.

As always, Simons accomplished his vision of creating a sense of purity; 'femininity, fragility and sensitivity' makes up his mission statement and I think he did all of these well, not only in this collection but all his collections.

For more on Raf Simons at Dior, I recommend the 'Dior and I' documentary, it's in french so English subtitles are recommended, just like 'McQueen and I' I loved the documentary and seeing the visions of Raf as well as the team that work at Dior, also I feel I know him and the brand more personally now.

After recapping all Raf Simon's achievements at Dior it leads to the question, who will be the next designer at Dior and will they live up to the great line of previous designers?

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It's been rumoured for a while now, however I always hoped it was just a rumour- Raf Simons will be leaving Christian Dior. After three...

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Clunky headsets have always been looked on as typical gamer equipment but what happens if they made it into the fashion world? Seems unlikely, but retailers are jumping at the chance of introducing v-commerce to their brand. V-Commerce is a headset given to users to show a 3D virtual reality of past runways and other major events.

Tommy Hilfiger was the first major brand to try the technology, shoppers were given the opportunity to take rent a virtual trip to their New York Fashion Week Collection in their major stores around Europe and America. The store set up this virtual catwalk experience in their stores in an attempt to stay relevant in a technology crazy world and give costumers who may never get the experience of being front row at their show a chance to see it. Daniel Grieder, Tommy Hilfiger's chief executive said 'It's not about turnover by square foot anymore. It's about surprise by square foot, or newness.' As they compete with other brands for shoppers attention, Tommy Hilfiger hopes that this will win over many being one of the first retailers to do this however adoption of the technology (from We-Make-VR) has been slow, as problems were ironed out and consumer models were brought to the market.

Could this be the start to a new age in the fashion industry? Or is it still another fad that will never take off? Designers are desperately looking for new ways to promote their brands and meanwhile software companies are looking for ways to improve these far from perfect headsets. 'Cinema in 3-d was a trick, a gimmick but VR can be relevant. We're applying the technology beyond the gimmick' said Avinish Changa the We-Make-VR's chief executive. It leads to the question, could we one day be shopping from a v-commerce headset at home and ordering something straight to out door? But technology designing, we must remember, is slow, and all of this is unlikely to be ready by next month. Unlike Samsung's consumer version of its GearVR, which uses a phone as a processor and the display which will be in story in November. Then, next year, Facebook's Oculus VR is expected to start selling VR headsets while Sony will sell their own headsets for their PlayStation 4 console, know as Project Morpheus during the first half of next year.

So what do you think will be the future of fashion, will technology change the industry as we know it?

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Clunky headsets have always been looked on as typical gamer equipment but what happens if they made it into the fashion world? Seems ...

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London Fashion Week was last week (which is now last month..) and I didn't have time to look at all the shows. So today I've been looking at them all and there is so much I wanted to talk about I thought I'd do a few posts on it. Starting with the first day.

Roksanda - Blouses and culottes, airy over-jackets and jumpsuits created a soft and light ensemble of silks and sheer material which made a change to Roksanda's last collection;bold and vibrant. The blossom tones mixed with black gave a beautiful collection which I'm yet to fault.

Peter Pilotto - A designer which I wasn't very familiar with, but caught my eye on the London Fashion Week site, I love the amount of skill and technique that has gone into each piece. Embroidery met hints of the '70's with large collars and lots of pencil silhouettes.

Simone Rocha - I hope at 7 months pregnant I can manage opening a store and design a stunning Spring/Summer collection, because that's what Rocha is doing. From the silicone mesh plastic bodices to the pale princess dresses, Rocha brought a cloud like silhouette and an array of prints to her runway.

Issa - The first word that came to mind at this collection was classy, Issa's collections featuring rich blue's, black's and whites was both elegant and sophisticated. Teamed with the coloured heels the whole collection was a favourite of mine and I could see myself in some of the tailored pieces which walked the catwalk.

Ashish - Ashish's collections represent a different side of fashion, and it's no wonder he won the new generation award three times, firstly I'll talk about the clothes- sequins, as expected, teamed with sheer materials, denim and stars, He adds his touch to the collection like he does every show. Ashish as a designer; as I said earlier, is something different in the fashion world, he's filled a whole in the industry which promotes choice. Something that I'd love to see so much more.

So here are just some of the collections which were shown on the first day, it started as it meant to go on -strong and as usual impressive. Which were your favourite collections?

For more coverage on London Fashion week go here.

Photo credit for all photos

London Fashion Week was last week (which is now last month..) and I didn't have time to look at all the shows. So today I've been l...

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Elsy Jane

Autumn's Top Trends to Know

This Weeks Reading List

A Guide to Raf Simons work with Dior

Virtual Reality meets Fashion - Is this the Future?

London Fashion Week - Day 1

Does Fast Fashion Kill?