The 'New Look' at Dior

RAF SIMONS, the new designer at CHRISTIAN DIOR; Alexander Klein/Agence France-Presse -Getty Images

As you probably already know from various sources, the New York Times has announced that Raf Simons (the until-recently head designer at Jil Sander) will take the reigns at Dior. The fashion world has been holding its breath as Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH, the luxury fashion conglomerate that owns Christian Dior, has struggled to find a successor after former head designer John Galliano's much-publicized anti-Semitic remarks led to Galliano's termination last Spring.

Jil Sander Spring 2011 -style.com

Marc Jacobs was for a long time the obvious first choice, but he fell out of the running, along with several others, due to arguments over compensation. A few other names that have been named as possible successors: Alber Elbaz of Lanvin, Christian Lacroix, Haider Ackermann, Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, and those are only a handful of the speculated choices.

Simons was among the speculated group as well, though many considered his minimalist streak at Jil Sander to be conflicting with the opulence and extravagance of Dior and thus disregarded him as just another name thrown into the ring. I myself was rooting for Christian Lacroix, who seemed most fit to handle the couture aspect of Dior, and whose creations I have always found absolutely tantalizing, but it seems I have been mistaken.

While the fashion world eagerly waited, we entered into Fall 2012 Fashion Week, and the rumors began swirling once again. With Marc Jacobs out of the running by this point, Dior's mystery designer was anyone's guess. The recent shuffling around of designers from house to house added new names to the already long list of possibilities, and while Raf Simons was still one of the top contenders, he was only one in many names to be considered.

Then the news hit: three days before the Jil Sander Show, it was announced that Raf Simons had been fired and replaced by the brand's founder, who was staging a comeback. The Fall 2012 show, therefore, was bittersweet, as it was possibly Simon's best collection to date. At Jil Sander, Simons has become one of the leaders in minimalist fashions, and so it was somewhat shocking to see blush pinks, feminine cuts, and modest hemlines grace the catwalk. It was decidedly vintage and, looking back on it now, reminiscent of the "New Look" that Christian Dior himself made famous in 1947. Was Simons perhaps giving us a hint of what was yet to come?

Jil Sander Fall 2012 -style.com

With Simons out of a job and the Dior position still wide open, his name of course soared to the top of the list, and his latest collection sollidified the belief for many hopefuls that Raf Simons would be finally named the new head designer of Dior. Now, finally, we can rest peacefully knowing that Bill Gayten will not have to create another awful couture collection for the celebrated French couture house.

It will be quite interesting to see how Raf Simons manages to do couture, as the Fall 2012 Couture show will most likely be his first for Dior. Here's hoping for the best!

What are your thoughts on Raf for Dior?