Raf Simons treated Paris Fashion Week to its first blockbuster of the season this afternoon.
Presenting his autumn/winter collection for Christian Dior, the designer - now in his second season at the house - kept the fashion industry onside with another solid performance in which he carefully whisked his signature cool, clean aesthetic with a host of the label's tried and tested codes.
Of course, there were few who expected it to go any other way. Still riding high from Dior's success at the Oscars, Simons - thanks to a little help from Jennifer Lawrence - is undoubtedly the hottest designer on the planet at the moment. And he's got the clout to prove it.
While Paris design heavyweights so often conform to the idea that elegance is impossible without extravagance, on Simons' watch the notion equates to low-key, cleverly thought through clothes which are not only easy to wear but easy to look at too. And designers across the world are following his lead.
Recalling a scrap book which mapped Simons' journey as a designer with the life of Christian Dior, the collection unveiled today was a perfect marriage of two remarkably different eras in fashion. It served as a telling reminder of why LVMH bosses chose the former Jil Sander designer as the perfect fit for the label which suffered following the demise of John Galliano.
A number of beautifully crafted all-black looks gave this collection a solid foundation and allowed Simons to remind us of his masterful skill as a tailor with a shrewd understanding of body shape.
Riffing on Dior's classic Bar jacket, the designer unveiled sharp blazers in heavy duty chambray and tweed. Strapless dresses in houndstooth were layed with swathes of sheer silk in contrasting shades.
Andy Warhol's iconic "Unidentified female" sketches found homes on rectangular tote bags and on asymmetric draped silk gowns.
Simons also took the opportunity to debut a curved-heel court shoe which recalled those captured in print by Warhol.
