As he did last season, Raf Simons invites us to a hangar on the outskirts of Paris for a standing show, with the catwalk high, almost at eye level, and models strolling at a steady pace. The 2016 model emerged with her face hidden by a scarf, and a large chain to hold her heavy backpack. Loose-fitting pants are paired with jackets or coats featuring studded diamonds or crosses. The fine knit sweater is worn ultra-short and finished in a patchwork of vintage fabrics, as if added at the last minute, the threads still dangling. It’s these artisanal finishes that make the difference. Unless it’s those few perfectly tailored black suits. It’s all about proportions. The waist becomes smaller while the pants seem to get bigger, the coat becomes an apron, covering like a protection, with graphic paint strokes, and Adidas Stan Smiths are de rigueur on the feet. The silhouette, like the attitude, seems at once outdated, vintage and already in the future, a way for Raf Simons to evoke the past (grandfathers’ wardrobes?) and the young, self-confident, energetic, moving about in gangs. It’s a parallel that the Belgian designer, who is also artistic director of Christian Dior, has thought through, felt and brought out with dynamism and grace.
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