Raf Simons comes full circle at Dior

At his fourth Dior couture show in Paris today Raf Simons, literally and metaphorically, came full circle. Not only was this the motif that gave structure to and made statements with the clothes, as geometric and half-moon cut-outs or extruded petals, but there was also a sense of continuity in even the most modern-feeling garments (and there were a lot of those), looping in this prestigious house’s heritage even as Simons pushes it into the future.

The shownotes said he had been inspired by ‘the personal, almost private and unseen world of women’. The clothes he offered to reflect that were very delicate indeed, but somehow found shape and backbone within it, as if the bunching and gathering – the sheer volume – of all this light-as-air fabric made them sturdier. As with the ‘holes’ in the tulle layers, so petals of organza structured bristling separates, long-line tunics and even voluminous skater skirts.

There were the trademark Dior pieces, such as bar jackets, bustier dresses and even cigarette pants, made from an organza-like mesh material, where circles were cut-out or folded, slashed and layered in transparency and dimension to create movement and structure within the clothes. White and black were prominent, but there were flashes of a pink so pale you could barely namecheck it, and a watery turquoise on duchesse satin and gazar.

Then there were the sporty touches that Simons always weaves in with such ergonomic elegance: crystal-covered slip-on trainers, trapeze-line shapes and simple shifts. It was these nuances that made even the frothiest pieces seem accessibly ‘now’.

But there were nods to the shapes pioneered by Dior himself during the golden age, too: sack-backs on shell tops, vests and T-shirt dresses; sweetheart necklines on dresses that were both fluid and structured thanks to sheer panels and step-hems; bunched panniers and bustles held in place by deliberately unwieldy tabs of black elastic. Highly technical effects, combined with nostalgic references, are part of Simons’ remodelling not only of the female wardrobe but of the red carpet canon too.

Simons is intent on modernising couture, not only at this label but across the board. He wants to make it a discipline that speaks to the woman who can afford to buy it as a quotidian treat rather than reserved for a special occasion. And, as if showing willing, sales of haute couture increased by nearly 25 per cent in his first year at the label.

Pared back make-up and identikit side-sweep fringes created a beauty look that was almost everyday, and there was even a pair of singularly haute jogging bottoms in the show (well, they had an elasticated ankle, at least). Where once a Dior couture dress was a once-in-a-lifetime investment, Simons suggests it as a clear-headed regular uniform, just as it was before the rise of ready-to-wear in the 60s. Full circle indeed.

Click the gallery to see all the looks from the Dior spring 2014 couture show