fashionologie

Watch: The Full Dior Secret Garden Film

Christina Perez — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:32:14 PDT

It's finally here - and it's totally gorgeous. Filmed in Versailles by fashion image masters Inez and Vinoodh, Dior's latest film, Secret Garden, features models Daria Strokous, Melissa Stasiuk, and Xiao Wen Ju running like mad through the breathtaking hallways and gardens of the famed chateau. Dressed (and at times also slightly undressed) in the label's pre-Fall 2012 collection, the girls are the picture of elegance, while Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" provides the perfect, haunting soundtrack.

This isn't the first time the iconic label has used Versailles as inspiration. Christian Dior made direct reference to the palace in several of his first collections, and in 1955 even created an embroidery thread which he dubbed the "Versailles gold braid." In 2007, the house's then designer John Galliano staged the label's 60th anniversary couture show in the palace's Orangerie. More recently, the 2011 Dior J'adore fragrance ad starring Charlize Theron was filmed by Jean-Jacques Annaud in the castle's storied Hall of Mirrors.

See the latest Dior-Versailles endeavor below, and for more Versailles-gorgeousness, see our roundup of Versailles-shot fashion editorials.

Video courtesy of Dior

Sneak Peek: See the Teaser For Dior's Secret Garden Film

Christina Perez — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:11:51 PDT

This season's Dior film won't be released until May 3, but here's a look at the exclusive teaser. Titled Secret Garden, the sneak peek shows models Daria Strokous, Melissa Stasiuk, and Xiao Wen Ju strolling eerily through the gilded hallways of Versailles wearing the label's Fall 2012 collection. Set to the tune of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence," the mostly black-and-white teaser is punctuated by flashes of color, which reveal each girl's underpinnings - or new outfits entirely - as she walks and poses. Words are very unnecessary, indeed.
Video courtesy of Dior.

What Will Raf Simons's Version of Dior Look Like?

fashionologie — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:20:51 PDT

>> Today is Raf Simons's first day of work as artistic director of Dior, and one of the first things he did was assure the world that his work there won't be primarily concerned with minimalism.

While Simons isn't revealing any hard and fast plans for the French fashion house yet, he says his point of view for Dior will skew more feminine and romantic that stark and simple - even if stark and simple is what he's been known for in the past.

"I don't think it's wrong to call me a minimalist. It's wrong to call me a minimalist only," he told WWD. "When I'm married to a house, I will fully embrace its original intention, its original heritage and meaning. I wouldn't go to that place if I only had minimalism in mind. I'm very aware of what the environment is about."

Look no further for proof of that than Simons's Fall 2012 collection for Jil Sander, where he had been creative director since 2005. Many saw the simple and elegant clothing he presented there as a sort of audition for his new role at Dior, as it echoed elements and sentiments of midcentury couture without imitating it outright.

Dior announced that it would hire Simons to replace John Galliano on Monday. Simons's first show for the house will be in July during Paris Fall 2012 Haute Couture Week.

Photo: The finale of Raf Simons's Fall 2012 runway show for Jil Sander.

The Dior That Was - A Look at the John Galliano Era, 1996-2011

fashionologie — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:33:25 PDT

>> With John Galliano out the door at Dior, so, too, went the theatrics, the elaborate sets, and the exaggerated makeup and silhouettes. And, with the recent news that Raf Simons - a designer celebrated for his refined sensibility and minimalist aesthetic - has been named artistic director, it's safe to say that the era of exposed posteriors and breasts that dominated Galliano's tenure is definitely gone for good as well. Here, a look back at the Dior that was, 1996-2011. (NSFW)

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Christian Dior Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:40:16 PST

>>With all the nonstop gossip and all the guessing games that have surrounded Dior as of late, it can be easy to forget what the label is supposed to be about. Thank goodness there is Bill Gaytten to remind us. Today in Paris, the designer - or "acting" creative director - offered up a Fall 2012 collection that felt refined, lovely, and classic Dior. Silhouettes were ballet-inspired and flowing, colors were modern and soothing, and - perhaps most importantly - there were countless pieces that one might actually love to wear.

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Christian Dior Spring 2012 Couture

Christina Perez — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:41:20 PST

>> Bill Gaytten went for pure nostalgia at Dior's Spring 2012 couture show in Paris earlier today. "All the structure of iconic Dior, thanks to lots of fittings, but all of it see-through," Gaytten explained. And so, the house's New Look silhouettes were done up in layers of ultra-femme chiffon, organza, gauze, and - for a bit of tough-edged modernity - croc-stamped leather and checks. Frocks were full-skirted and nipped at the waist, or slim-lined with artfully folded pleats, while jackets wrapped in deep, off-the-shoulder vees. "It was the complete opposite to John Galliano-fantasy. It was very wearable," commented a Vogue UK editor who was at the show.

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Christian Dior Pre-Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:13:34 PST

>> Bill Gaytten kept it classic for Pre-Fall 2012. Below-the-knee pencil skirts, peplum jackets, bell-shaped tulip skirts, and round-collar capes were offered up in lovely, pared-down versions - with just a dash of drama found in liquid-like vinyl and graphic plaid.

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Dior Taps Mila Kunis

Christina Perez — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:44:49 PST

>> Mila Kunis has been named the new face of Christian Dior. The actress - who also appeared on some of the top-selling magazine covers of 2011 - will front Dior's 2012 worldwide media plan, including the Spring ad campaign. Photographed by Mikael Jansson, the campaign will debut in China on January 15, and will hit the US January 29 when it appears in The New York Times. "Mila Kunis is a very talented young actress; she embodies the true modern woman." Delphine Arnault, deputy general manager at Dior told WWD. "We are looking forward to a long relationship with her."

Kunis agrees. "I find that Dior is an incredibly grounded house. I always thought what Dior does is so sophisticated, feminine and beautiful," the actress said. "They made me feel incredibly comfortable. I can’t say it was the hardest thing to do."

Kunis joins a long list of acclaimed actresses - Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Marrion Cotillard - who have served as the brand's models and ambassadors. "Christian Dior designed several costumes for the movies and maintained personal relationships with such actresses as Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor and Grace Kelly," Arnault explained. "It is thus only natural for the house of Dior to continue to develop a very specific and personal relationship with actresses."

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Raf Simons May Be Dior's New Designer

fashionologie — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:39:28 PST

>> With Marc Jacobs out of the picture, Raf Simons - who recently came under consideration, alongside Jason Wu and Alexander Wang - has emerged as frontrunner for the Dior job.

According to WWD's sources, Dior is closing in on a contract with 43-year-old Simons, although the deal has yet to be concluded. Among the details that still need to be worked out: a start date (Simons, who has been at Jil Sander since 2005, reportedly just recently extended his contract with that house for an unknown duration) and when his first Dior collection would debut (likely not for Spring 2012 couture in January nor Fall 2012 in March).

Dior CEO Sidney Toledano is currently traveling in Asia and was not immediately reachable for comment, and Simons did not return phone calls.

Marc Jacobs-Dior Talks Halt; Alexander Wang, Raf Simons, and Jason Wu Now Being Considered

fashionologie — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:24:26 PST

>> Marc Jacobs, long the favorite to take over at Dior, may not be headed to the house after all. Talks between the two parties have once again halted, WWD reports, and Dior has stepped up both the pace and depth of negotiations with other designers - Alexander Wang, Raf Simons, and Jason Wu, in particular. Riccardo Tisci is also still in the mix, but given his strong momentum at Givenchy, is viewed as unlikely to be appointed.

Although last month, talks between Jacobs and Dior were said to be progressing - Bernard Arnault reportedly flew into Manhattan to meet with Jacobs - and there was no explosive breakdown, Arnault and Dior recently decided to move onto another scenario - in part because Jacobs requested that he take his Vuitton design team to Dior, which would leave Vuitton without creative support, and Phoebe Philo, the preferred candidate to take over at Vuitton, reportedly prefers to continue at Celine.

The Dior search is said to be focused on finding a designer - young or mature - with an affinity and respect for the brand's glamorous DNA, and a vision for taking it forward, post-Galliano. However, one source told WWD: “It is not impossible that [Arnault] resumes his talks with Marc.”