fashionologie

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.”

Raf Simons Pondering a Move to New York

fashionologie — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:47:58 PDT

>> Raf Simons lives alone in Antwerp - although he is obligated to spend almost 110 days a year in Milan, working on Jil Sander - but it sounds like he is considering a move. Berlin and New York are both prospects, with New York the frontrunner because of its art world connections and because he prefers it to Berlin, Simons says. "In this business, I know I could work somewhere else one day," he adds. "But I'll always keep this apartment [in Antwerp]." There were recently unconfirmed rumors that Simons may be collaborating with Kanye West on his impending line; no word as to whether such a collaboration - if the rumors are true - might prompt such a move. [WSJ]

Tilda Swinton Works With a Creative Director for Her Red Carpet Looks Instead of a Stylist

fashionologie — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:11:00 PDT

>> Tilda Swinton has played muse for Viktor & Rolf and Haider Ackermann - she met both, as well as Alber Elbaz, Stefano Pilati, Phoebe Philo, and Raf Simons (who designed her wardrobe for the 2010 film I Am Love) - through her close friend Jerry Stafford, the creative director of a French production company, who she works with in place of a stylist. “He’s my playmate,” she says. “It’s a game, and we have great fun with it.”

Swinton cites David Bowie and her father, Major General Sir John Swinton, as her style icons, and says of working with friends on what she wears for the red carpet: “For someone to know what you need to make you comfortable, they need to know who you are. Having them make clothes for me is like being cooked for by someone who knows what you like to eat.”

For the one-sleeve black Lanvin sheath she wore to the 2008 Oscars, for instance, she told Elbaz she wanted “to attract as little attention as possible and to feel as comfortable as if I were wearing pajamas. Little did I know that the really simple, chic dress one might have worn in Paris or Berlin would stick out like a sore thumb in Los Angeles.”

Stafford also creative directed Swinton's cover story for the August 2011 issue of W (left) - together they created a mood board for the shoot.

Industry Players on Who They Want to See at Christian Dior; A Decision Isn't Expected for Some Time

fashionologie — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:56:09 PST

>> There's been plenty a rumor about who might succeed John Galliano at Christian Dior, and in the video above, insiders give their two cents on who they think will take the role. While the Vogue contingent won't comment, Fabien Baron suggests Riccardo Tisci or Haider Ackermann, Stefano Tonchi offers up Peter Dundas's name, and Cathy Horyn opines, "People talk about Riccardo Tisci, [but he's] too gloomy for Dior," saying she'd instead like to see Tom Ford, Raf Simons, or Alber Elbaz.

Despite all the speculation, Dior is apparently in no hurry to name a successor; it's also not legally able, under French employment regulations, to do so until the process to terminate Galliano - which can take several weeks - has been completed. “There won’t be any choice for quite a while,” according to one source familiar with LVMH. “They’re receiving offers.”

Among the candidates Bernard Arnault's advisers have been pitching, according to WWD sources: Haider Ackermann, Hedi Slimane and Riccardo Tisci. Delphine Arnault, deputy managing director at Dior and Bernard Arnault's daughter, is said to be partial to Tisci. And overtures were apparently recently made to Ackermann as a possible candidate for Dior, or to succeed Tisci at Givenchy if he moves to Dior.

Raf Simons Introduces Scandinavian-Inspired Colors and Colorblocking For Jil Sander's Pre-Fall 2011 Collection

Chi Diem Chau — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:27:41 PST

>> Raf Simons utilized what he is best known for - razor-sharp tailoring - in the production of Jil Sander's Pre-Fall 2011 collection. Scandinavian furniture-fabric swatches influenced the color-blocked prints and Simons's choice of hues like currant, forest green, and mustard. And silk dresses decorated with heavy brushstroke prints were inspired by Russian artist Serge Poliakoff.

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Stefano Pilati Said to Have Renewed Contract at Yves Saint Laurent; Karl Lagerfeld Rumored to Be Retiring in 2012

fashionologie — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:44:11 PDT

>> In response to the rumors of Stefano Pilati's tenuous footing at Yves Saint Laurent, more rumors: Balmain's Christophe Decarnin, former Saint Laurent men's designer Hedi Slimane, and Raf Simons were all reportedly approached for the job, but nonetheless, Pilati is said to have recently extended his contract for another three years. Word is, Hint reports: "Pierre Bergé has no interest in seeing the YSL brand continue. He'd rather see it killed and the legacy remain untouchable, observed only from afar through exhibitions, films, auctions, etc. As his foundation still controls the YSL archives, he can and does make life difficult for whomever wants a closer look at the house's DNA," which may have contributed to the potential replacements turning Pilati's position down. There's also speculation that Karl Lagerfeld plans to retire on his 30th anniversary at Chanel in 2012 - "it's thought he'll stage a massive, never-before-seen, no-expense-spared farewell" - leaving Alber Elbaz to take his place and Olivier Theyskens to take the reins at Lanvin. [Hint]

Jil Sander: The Collection of Spring 2011, Thus Far

fashionologie — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:16:25 PDT

>> Raf Simons seems to hold the honor of electrifying the fashion audience the most thus far this Spring 2011 season. Suzy Menkes wrote of his Jil Sander collection: "This was a show that projected fashion into this new decade." Vogue UK lauded: "And in the space of 15 minutes, Raf Simons stole the show. The Jil Sander collection this afternoon did just what he does so well: make everybody forget everything they’ve seen before by giving them brilliantly conceived, complete distraction."

Joe Zee Tweeted: "I think Raf Simons has officially made me a color convert with his Jil Sander collection. So incredibly major! With a capital M," later replying "COSIGN" to Kelly Cutrone's Tweet: "Fashion Prediction: Raf for Jill Sander - show stopper - Takes the season." The Los Angeles Times's Booth Moore agreed: "At Jil Sander, designer Raf Simons' extreme color story packed more of a punch than almost anything else we'd seen so far this season."

WWD called the collection "extraordinary" and "fantastic," and Cathy Horyn wrote: "Mr. Simons has shown some exceptional collections at Jil in the past five years, but in this one he dealt more assuredly with the fundamentals of fashion - shape, volume, proportion, new materials - and pushed past the old frontiers to create a new example of minimalist dressing . . . Reaction to the show seemed very enthusiastic, with an immediate burst of applause at the end."

Paris: Raf Simons Spring 2011

coutorture — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:08:40 PDT

Paris 06/26/10 WireImage

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Jil Sander's Lower-Priced Brand Extension to Focus on Unconstructed Jersey and Knitwear

coutorture — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:37:35 PDT

The Jil Sander Group announced today the creation of a lower-priced label, called Jil Sander Navy. The new line will be a casual, unconstructed counterpoint to the main collection's sharply tailored silhouettes (at left: spring 2010) consisting of loose outerwear, lightweight jersey and easy knitwear. The range includes T-shirts, dresses, pants, skirts, jackets, and jeans as well as a selection of accessories (handbags, footwear, and belts).

"I will continue to open up the Jil Sander brand by pushing its boundaries and introducing new elements to reinforce and widen the attraction to the house," stated creative director Raf Simons via press release. Simons also recently designed a collection of jewelry with Damiani.

Jil Sander Navy will launch globally in stores and online next January with a spring 2011 collection.

Source: WireImage