fashionologie

LVMH Buys Stake in Rumored Dior Candidate Maxime Simoens

Justin Fenner — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:17:25 PDT

>> Maxime Simoens might not have gotten the top job at Dior, but a recent cash infusion from Dior and LVMH owner Bernard Arnault should be a comforting consolation prize.

Arnault is reported to have purchased a stake in Simoens's eponymous two-year-old fashion label. The size of Arnault's stake in the business is unknown, but his investment indicates that he wants to keep tabs on Simoens. At 27, Simeons is so well-regarded in the French design world that he was widely rumored to be in the running to replace John Galliano at Dior. Until recently, Simoens was also the creative director of French label Leonard, but he left that post earlier this month - which made many believe that he would in fact take over for Galliano. It was announced shortly afterward that the job went to Raf Simons.

But just because Simoens isn't at Dior now doesn't mean he won't be in the future. A source suggested to WWD that LVMH may be interested in parlaying Simeons's talent into a future role at one of its bigger fashion houses, which include Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, and Fendi, among others.

The last time Dior bought a stake in a smaller fashion company was 2009, when it acquired 49 percent of Edun, the eco-friendly line founded by U2 frontman Bono.

A look at highlights from Simoens's past collections in the gallery.

Photo: Maxime Simoens takes a bow at a presentation of his clothing in Singapore, October 2011.

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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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Raf Simons Is in at Dior

fashionologie — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:25:44 PDT

>> After over a year of searching for a creative director to replace John Galliano, Dior has finally selected Raf Simons to lead the storied French fashion house.

Simons, who was recently ousted from the director's chair at Jil Sander, will pick up the reins at Dior this week. The house will make the official announcement on Wednesday, and Simons will present his first collection for the brand in July during Paris's Fall 2012 haute couture shows.

Simons's selection makes sense - his final collection for Jil Sander featured clothing that experimented with couture techniques and drew on midcentury silhouettes, rendered in Dior's signature reds, beiges, and pale pinks. It lent credence to the idea that Simons was auditioning for the role - or was at least being considered for it - but media speculation pointed more directly at other designers, like Marc Jacobs and Haider Ackermann.

But Simons will be a fresh start for a house that for a long time was led by a isolated artist. Cathy Horyn noted that Simons is the opposite of Galliano in his approach to creating fashion - an idea the designer echoes. "I'm someone who takes responsibility," he said. "I'm not an isolated person. The more I connect to people, the more I have the feeling that things work."

The job became available in March 2011, when longtime Dior creative director John Galliano was fired for making a string of anti-Semitic remarks in public. Bill Gaytten, Dior's studio director, has been filling in for Galliano in the interim. But Simons wasn't a candidate until October or November of last year, when he began meeting with Dior CEO Sidney Toledano and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault about the job.

Simons hasn't started designing his first collection for Dior yet, but he said he is looking forward to the challenge of interpreting the house's history for the 21st century.

"Mr. Dior was very innovative during a short time span. And it was in the middle of the 20th century, a period I am very interested in, whether it’s linked to fashion, architecture or art," he said.

Haider Ackermann Hints At Move To Dior - Or Chanel

fashionologie — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 08:17:22 PDT

>> Because there wasn't enough speculation about the Dior job already, fashion news minders have honed in on a Haider Ackermann quote that suggests he wants to take over the reins at the storied French fashion house.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Ackermann revealed that he has his eye set on not just one creative director's chair, but two.

"There are two houses I would be interested in," Ackermann said. "Two where I feel there is shared sensibility, and I could bring something else of myself to the house, which isn't expressed in my own line."

Ackermann declined to tell FT which houses he was talking about, but did admit that his dream is to work on a couture collection. He's been rumored to be in the running for the Dior job since the house's last creative director, John Galliano, was fired last March, and Karl Lagerfeld told Numero in 2010 that he wanted Ackermann to succeed him at Chanel.

Ackermann says no matter which job he does next, he's prepared for the pressure. "This is fashion, it's not surgery," he said. "It's a job; a job with a lot of dreams woven in."

John Galliano Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:15:46 PST

>> What's a Galliano collection without a little subversion - even if John Galliano isn't the one dishing it out? Bill Gaytten is well-aware of the signature Galliano ingredient, and for Fall 2012, the designer - now in his second season at the label's helm - offered it in the form supershort hems, hourglass silhouettes, thigh-high hosiery, and see-through gowns. But it wasn't all undone Victoriana, even if the main inspiration was the art nouveau eroticism of illustrator Aubrey Beardsley. Stephen Jones-designed hats, fur-trimmed capes, and easy-wearing dresses looked plenty romantic, as did the belted and ruffled riding coats that dominated the show. It may not have been over-the-top theatrical - but it sure made for a lovely mix.

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Jean Paul Gaultier Calls Anna Wintour "Monstrous," Defends John Galliano

fashionologie — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:36:31 PDT

>> Jean Paul Gaultier is quick to defend John Galliano: "I know John a little and I must say that what he does for his work shows he is not a racist . . . When you see the video, you can see it is someone teasing him . . . John is very talented. He has done some beautiful things for Dior. I think it is completely sad that he doesn't have his own label anymore. I think it's bad." His feelings for Anna Wintour, however, seem quite different - he says he didn't care for The Devil Wears Prada because "Anna Wintour is a lot more monstrous than she is described!" And when asked whether Wintour is a positive figure, he simply replied, "She is a figure." [Independent UK]

Pink Eyelashes and Stuck-Out Tongues - Backstage at Givenchy, Viktor & Rolf, John Galliano, Costume National, and Issey Miyake

fashionologie — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:42:43 PDT

>> Color seeped into beauty looks at Issey Miyake and Viktor & Rolf - in the form of long pink eyelashes at the latter; Gisele Bundchen stuck her tongue out - more than once - backstage at Givenchy; plus, see appearances by Miranda Kerr, Erin Wasson, and Naomi Campbell as you flip through the latest backstage snaps from those shows, John Galliano, and Costume National.

Photos by Greg Kessler

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John Galliano Spring 2012

fashionologie — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:12:48 PDT

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Bill Gaytten Suggests John Galliano Wants to Return to Fashion; Marc Jacobs Talks with Dior Said Recently at Standstill

fashionologie — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:13:22 PDT

>> What does the future hold for John Galliano? Acting Dior and John Galliano studio head Bill Gaytten and frequent Galliano collaborator Stephen Jones say they have both talked to Galliano, and that he is recovering well.

“John knows it’s a long path, and he’s taking it very seriously,” Jones says.When asked about the prospect of Galliano returning to fashion, Gaytten coyly replies: “We’ll see. It’s not over until it’s over. I can’t say any more than that right now.”

As for Galliano's replacement at Dior, an announcement is expected in the next few weeks; WWD reports that while Marc Jacobs is still the frontrunner, talks have been tough and recently at a standstill.

Franca Sozzani on Carine Roitfeld's Celebrity, Supporting John Galliano

fashionologie — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:20:41 PDT

>> Franca Sozzani, who publicly stated her allegiance to John Galliano right after he was fired from Dior in February, hasn't changed her tune: “Hire back John Galliano."

She continues: “Look. I understand their point of view [at Dior]. I understand they couldn’t just say, ‘Bad boy! We forgive you! Come back!’ But it’s really a pity. And I will never believe he believed what he said. I think he was drunk and alone in a bar. When people go crazy, they go crazy. It’s a human case, it’s not political or religious. He didn’t kill anyone!”

She also gives an opinion on her former Vogue colleague Carine Roitfeld, who she says was “very good at building up her own image.” Sozzani suggests that Roitfeld forgot she worked for Conde Nast and became too interested in having her picture taken. “I’m not a celebrity, I’m an editor,” Sozzani says. “If you feel that to be the editor of Vogue you have to be a celebrity, something is wrong in your life.”