The rumors have been raging for a year now on who would be the lucky designer to replace John Galliano following his anti-Semitic outbursts/general nervous breakdown. Would it be Marc Jacobs, current director of his namesake lines and Louis Vuitton? Or the relatively new designer, Alexander Wang, known for his sporty street wear? The speculation was finally laid to rest yesterday when Raf Simons, former creative director of Jil Sander, was named Galliano's replacement.
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| Galliano's Couture Designs for Dior |
While Raf is an undeniably talented designer, I can't help but question if he is the right fit for the House of Dior. Dior is all about world-renowned couture, flouncy fabrics, femininity, and a sense of Parisian-fueled whimsy.
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| Bill Gaytten's couture designs for Dior |
Raf is well-known for his minimalistic sartorial flare and clean lines, targeted towards the no-nonsense working New Yorker. However, it should be noted that the Fall/Winter 2012 collection for Jil Sander (his last) was significantly more feminine than his prior collections.
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| Raf Simons' ready-to-wear designs for Jil Sander |
Raf's inexperience as a couturier is also nerve-wracking. Galliano was a noted couturier, and a talented one at that. Bill Gaytten, who quickly seized the reigns of head designer following Galliano's dismissal, had worked for Dior's atelier for years. Both Raf's namesake line and Jil Sander are relatively casual ready-to-wear lines.
Although they are obviously stunning, they simply do require the attention to detail and sheer skill that it takes to design even one piece of couture. Of course, we can't judge Raf before he even shows a collection, so we'll just have to wait until the S/S 2013 season to formulate an opinion!
Do you think that Raf is a good fit for Dior? If not, which designer did you hope would be named creative director?
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