ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories: Simons For Dior

April 9 2012 - Dior has confirmed that Raf Simons has taken the place of John Galliano at the house. The designer, who left his post as creative director of Jil Sander in February, will show his first collection for Dior during Couture Week in July, and will hold the official title of "artistic director".

"It is with the utmost respect for its tremendous history, its unparalleled knowledge and craftsmanship that I am joining the magnificent house of Dior," Simons said today. "Mr Christian Dior has always been for me the most inspiring couturier. Around the globe, the name Dior symbolises the ultimate in elegance and refinement. I am truly humbled and honoured to become artistic director of the most celebrated French house in the world." "Raf Simons is an extraordinarily talented designer," said Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman on hearing the news. "He combines great skill and vision with modernity and a point of view, which is essential for leading fashion houses today."

Enjoy the video 'Fashion Insiders On Jil Sanders Return to JIL SANDER' at the end of this post! LoL, Andrea

“BEAUTY is an idea which possesses features widely attributed to attractiveness and perfection. In its most profound sense, beauty may raise an extraordinary experience of positive reflection about the meaning of one’s own existence,” Simons reported about his Jil Sander Summer 2012 collection.

Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2012 collection by Raf Simons

'Must-Have' - Stephen Jones' veiled hats for Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2012

Get the 'Veiled Beanie' by Jil Sander here >> MyTheresa.com

For Spring/Summer 2012 Simons started with sheer white linen collarless dresses that were folded and layered over each other to avoid too much translucency. Some had small glittering brooches at the back, while others were buttoned up high to the neck to herald a very precise austerity. The white was then interrupted by a gorgeous neon pink, green and blue-on-white paisley print on dresses featuring the same demure, tailored shapes which, on closer inspection, had roughly shredded surfaces. There were shorts with matching blazers, or dresses with low backs or deep cutaways at the front – each one unique and equally desirable – and they were all worn with mid-calf length white leather laced boots.

Stephen Jones’ veiled hats – like squashed chef’s hats in dark blue or white – had an elegant Fifties air about them. The paisley reappeared in green and black or a red, white, blue and black brocade version and then the mood lightened to include light mesh tube dresses – or a pair of shorts in the same spongy fabric whose criss-cross detailing was mirrored in the leather cage white boots and punctured leather jacket it was teamed with. “I’ll take you to the candy shop,” sang 50 Cent from the soundtrack and it was tempting to start making a shopping list (for Raf’s clothes rather than 50’s promises), as Picasso’s faces were splashed across knitted sweaters (the Picasso family were thanked in the show notes).

They came with softly tailored trousers in blue and white gingham before a tartan, of green and purple or red and blue gauzy fabric, took over with a kitschy, retro appeal. It finished with a return to bright white – a strapless dress with a full white skirt surely worthy of a future Jil Sander bride and then a run of ballooning cotton floor-length dresses that proved beyond doubt that long is these days most definitely not just for evening.

About Raf Simons

Raf Simons was born in Belgium in 1968 and, aside from his sub-culturally-inspired and independent aesthetic, is a designer best-known for his dramatic career change - from the world of industrial and furniture design to the world of menswear. Simons launched his label in 1995 and, ten years later, in 2005 was appointed creative director of Jil Sander - a role in which he flourished, even though it was one he had to take on without having met the label's eponymous founder first.
"So I approached it in the way I thought of the brand - I loved and respected the brand, it was one of my favourites," he said. (The first time he did meet Sander was at a hotdog stand).

Simons graduated in Industrial Design and Furniture Design in 1991 and went on to start working as a furniture designer for various galleries, having previously interned at the design studio of Walter Van Beirendonck.

Encouraged by Linda Loppa, head of the fashion department at the Antwerp Royal Academy, Simons - self-trained - became a menswear designer and launched his Raf Simons label.

He designed the menswear outfits for Ruffo Research for spring/summer 1999 and autumn/winter 1999-2000.

In March 2000, Simons shut down his company to take a sabbatical. Following a new deal with Belgian manufacturer, Gysemans Clothing Industry, the company was started back up again in 2001.

Simons was appointed head professor of the fashion department of the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria in October 2000 - a position he held until June 2005.

He won the Swiss Textiles Award in November 2003.

In June 2005, the new Raf by Raf Simons line launched.

To coincide with the label's 10^th anniversary, Raf Simons Redux, a book by Peter De Potter and Simons, was published.

Simons was named creative director of Jil Sander - menswear and womenswear - in July 2005.

He developed a seasonal special edition collection for Fred Perry in 2008 - a collaboration which is ongoing.

Simons is inspired by the world around him, fuelled by his love for both rebellious youth cultures and traditional menswear. His look is all about modern proportions, pure construction and new shapes.

He lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium.

On December 13 2011, Simons was said to be finalising contracts which would see him replace John Galliano as creative director of Dior following Galliano's dismissal earlier in the year.

On February 23 2012, it was announced that Simons would leave Jil Sander following the presentation of the label's autumn/winter 2012-13 women's collection. Shortly after, it was revealed that Simons would be replaced by the label's founder Jil Sander, who would return to the label having previously left in 2004.

On April 9 2012, it was confirmed that Simons had taken over as the new creative director of Dior and would show his first collection during the Couture collections in July.