Hedi Slimane Diva

The Trouble with Hedi

Gentle reader,

Doesn’t it seem like ages since we were gearing up for the big battle between Raf Simons at Christian Dior and Saint Laurent’s Hedi Slimane at last month’s Paris Fashion Week?  They were both fashion-world darlings showing their first collections at their respective new houses, which are coincidentally the jewels in the crowns of competing luxury giants LVMH and PPR, so it seemed something exciting might happen.  Well, we all know now that nothing remotely resembling a battle really went down.  Simons showed a collection that was Dior-esque, I suppose, but without compromising his own minimalist aesthetic, which met with good reviews.  Mr. Slimane, on the other hand, designed a collection of Stevie Nicks/Rachel Zoe rocker chick costumes that didn’t go over so well and exposed a rift between him and the press that seems to be getting wider by the minute.

Money Makes the World Go Round: Paris Couture Fall 2012

Gentle reader,

The Haute Couture shows in Paris came hot on the heels of Paris Men’s Week and everyone in the fashion world is now talking about the new face of couture.  Since a single couture ensemble usually runs upwards of a hundred thousand dollars, I’m not really sure what impact that will have on most of us but I think a lot of it has to do with the evolution of couture cornerstone Christian Dior‘s aesthetic now that their new hotshot designer Raf Simons is finally in place.

I must admit that the Dior show was quite a moment in fashion as the Belgian designer made his distinct mark at the iconic house yet stayed true to its heritage but, in the end, I didn’t really like the clothes.  Sorry.  I’ve noticed that other observers, in the midst of their gushing praise, have fixated on the different colored flowers that covered the walls of each of the rooms where the show took place and I believe that’s rather telling.

Aside from that, if you’re feeling a bit spendy and didn’t catch the other shows, let me give you a quick overview: