Which Dior Fall 2013 Couture Pieces Will Marion Cotillard Don???

Ooh, it's hot and gross out. Let's play fantasy dream sequence and try and guess which pieces from Raf Simons' Fall 2013 couture collection hired face, Marion Cotillard, will wear? 

Lunch Lady

It doesn't matter that it's 96 degrees in the shade, Marion stays cool as a cucumber in her layered skirt shift, perfect for a power-high-tea at Mariage Freres





Deep Blue Something

Yes, diva! Marion knows Madame only has one chance to make a grand entrance. Enter the room with bold, royal colors to let everyone know whose Fiefdom this is, honey! 

Gym Clothes

Braving the elements doesn't mean you can't bear a little leg. Afterall, the misses does not attend the Cerles de la Forme for rien, mon ami! 

Fashion Column

M. Cotillard just loves a column dress, cheri. And now, thanks to dear, dear Raf, the column dress can actually look like a column. Finalement! Someone who gets it. 

Sometimes It Can Be: Dior Ready to Wear Fall 2013

Now THIS Raf, is some Dior I can get behind!!!!

I knew you had it in you. 

And I'll ignore this

For now....

While I was in Baltimore....

This happened....



Michelle Obama wore a Thom Browne coat to the inauguration and shut it the F down! 

(Stride of Pride)

Choosing a designer most widely known for his menswear and the reinvention of men's suiting proportion (don't believe me, check out the Fall 2013 men's lines in Milan and Paris. It's all about the Thom Browne-esque cropped pant and fit) is a bold fashion leap. This coat says "authority, risk taker, structure and strength." LOVE LOVE LOVE 

The accessories were perfect pops of feminine contrast and I liked how the slim raspberry leather gloves shout back to Sasha and Malia's coats. Perfection, Shelly. 

However, not everything was sartorial bliss. The Spring 2013 Haute Couture shows started in Paris this weekend and THIS happened: 

Look I know this is gonna be a controversial stance since the rest of the fashion press seems to have drank the Kool-Aid or is too frightened to challenge the favorite son of LVMH's Bernard Arnault, but this is BAD

Why must Raf Simons take my beloved Dior and make it look like 90's polyester nite out looks from the Deb? 

Oh god, tonal stockings, really?????

and sheer netting right at your junk, that's what upper crust couture clients want, right? 

Raf, get it right, please! This 'New Look' is making M. Dior spin. 

Katie Grand Tweets First Image of Dior SS2013 Ad

Stylist, Katie Grand (@kegrand), Tweeted this Spring 2013 Dior ad image on Twitter today, and proves once more how masterfully she can make clothing look so CHIC. 

Cuz that tie neck suit ain't easy to pull off. 

Let's Talk about Dior, Baby

The damsels of Dior have been out and about showcasing the new looks from Raf Simons. 

But as underwhelming as the Spring Couture and Spring 2013 collections were in my humble opinion, some stylish ladies made it look hot, while some, did not. 



The best

                     (Marion Cotillard)                     (Leelee Sobieski)                              (Marisa Tomei)




Marion Cotillard is the face of Dior and she, more than anyone else, has been rocking the catalog of couture and ready to wear. This strapless and long skirt combo is French fashion's version of casual cute. 


Marisa Tomei worked choppy stripes and ankle monitor pumps, honey.


But the best of the best, HAS to be Leelee Sobieski: ladylike, sleek lines and a devil may care nonchalance. Ohh la la, darlin! 





The Yuk

              (Emma Watson)                                (Jessica Biel)                      (Jennifer Lawrence)



Emma Watson has the excuse of being too young to remember that awful 90's pants under a dress trend. However, I assume she has a mirror? 



Side well pockets? Yes, because women want girth added to their hips. And the length of this mess is making Jessica Biel look short and stumpy. 



Wow. Jennifer Lawrence. Wow. 

Enjoy a Dior Couture Fourth!

Happy Fourth from Dior couture, Raf Simons' premiere collection for Dior

and It Can't All Be Dior xx  

Bill Gaytten's Last Hurrah at Dior

On Friday, Bill Gaytten showed his last interim head designer Dior collection leaving the door open for Raf Simons' Spring 2013 debut. But there were really beautiful and fun pieces in this serviceable swan song 

Crisp calico shirting feels so fresh. And love the piping trim.  

Full and tulle = Springtime cool. 

My co-worker is obsessed with backless dresses and this one would be primo if she were not my co-worker and instead some lady who doesn't have to work for a living. Those shoes are an unfortunate pairing. 

Farewell, Mr Gaytten. Enjoy your Galliano namesake label makeover (he's at the helm there now) and It Can't All Be Dior awaits Raf's contributions with breathe that is bated. 

Did Raf Simons Drop Dior Hints at his last Jil Sander Show?

That scallywag, Raf, was all "Oh gee, I don't know... what am I gonna do" back in February, but if you look closely at his final Jil Sander offering he was winking at his new creative post all along!

(Keep in mind these are Fall looks. The colors and light femininity alone scream DIOR) 

One of the things that made Christian Dior radical in his time was his brazen disregard for post-war Europe's supply shortage

M. Dior favored outre, voluminous designs that flaunted lush taste and style in the face of conservative and pensive gravity

And of course, this new direction, this "New Look" was also defined by the nipped waist and full skirt pairing that accentuated a woman's divine form























I may have always been a little dubious of Mr Simons filling this grand courtier's shoes, but for the subtle cheek it took to elude to his new home, I tip my hat at you sir and await your creations for this storied fashion house.

Raf Simons Takes Dior!

"Bonjour, Dior!"

The who will replace Galliano tour de force has circulated mountains of rumors over the last year+, most we chose to ignore (Alexander Wang? Really?), but if the source is none other than The New York Times, you can bet it's pretty on point:


"On Wednesday, the Paris fashion house will announce that Raf Simons will take over immediately as artistic director, replacing John Galliano, who was fired from Dior last year after he made anti-Semitic remarks. His first collection is planned for July at the fall haute couture shows."




Wow! Go ahead Raf, your designs have never seemed the obvious heir of Monsieur Dior, but I look forward to what you'll wow us with and to the denouement of this absurd "Guess Who?" carousel of couture.






Original Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/fashion/simons-to-take-over-at-dior.html?_r=1

It Can't All Be Dior's Birthday Present #2

Gaultier in at Dior.






No one is even throwing his name around and with today's news of Raf Simon's departure at Jil Sander, his rumored appointment seems inevitable now.



While Raf's stark, modern minimalism would definitely be interesting to see play out at a house long known for over the top ruffles and trim, my heart is still pining for Gaultier. He truly gets the the drama and artistic femininity of the brand and would create confections women would swoon over














My hopes are not high, but hell, didn't I just ask for Ryan Gosling?


Clearly reality is loose on this list.

What am I Gonna do With All These Breasts?

The Fall 2012 men's shows heralded a bunch of new directions for us guys these past few weeks, but one that was featured more than a handful of times was an emphasis on double breasted looks

Loose and layered at Raf Simons

Of course references had to be made to the English dandies that nursed this style

                   Burberry Prorsum

                                                                                          Moschino

But there were reinventions specific to 2012 like this single button row at Paul Smith

And clever double breasted inclusions in unexpected places

Like grand desert war influenced capes at Dior

 Drape front double breasted shirting at Dries Van Noten

And Napoleonic but slim cut bike influenced plush velvet vests at Balmain

Double breasted styles are not for everyone. Unless deliberately oversize like the Dior and Raf examples,  Skinny! is the operative word. 

I have a glen plaid double breasted coat I've been wearing for a while that falls beautifully in trend (I love when that happens) although I wonder how many men will cop a feel for double breasted fashions. It's not an easy style to implant without looking like a boob. 

Doin' It: Intarsia Dinosaur Sweater

For now Raf Simons hasn't leapt from his creative director of Jil Sander position but he's still making news with his Fall 2012 menswear collection featuring sweaters with critters like...

Brontosaurus! 

Not Me But Lately I Want...

A Toggle Coat

Maybe it's because we're finally heading back into the cold, inclement weather after this icky run of balminess

(Raf Simons hooded long-sleeve double-faced wool over the placket toggle coat in camel, $1,134 at Park & Bond, http://www.parkandbond.com/product/76395808)

Maybe it's that reoccuring sailor chic spell I fall under

(Woolrich Woolen Mills 'Montgomery' stretch wool toggle trench, $795 at Need Supply Co., http://needsupply.com/mens/outerwear/montgomery-coat.html#)

or the way the coat walks the line between boy and man

(Shades of Grey wool blend plaid toggle coat, $363 at Bloomingdale's, http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/shades-of-grey-toggle-coat?ID=555316&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results)

Or maybe it's because boys look so good in them on the street! Purr...