Christian Dior Pre-Fall Presentation Photos

Raf Simons's first pre-fall collection for Dior was a test as pre-fall is the most "real" collection a designer can show, because of its commercial impact. The first outfit in Simons' lookbook made a particularly convincing manifesto. Dior's hourglass Bar jacket is a couture emblem. After offering it at its most rigorous in his couture collection, Simons paired it here with a slouchy pant. Rigor relaxed. He made his point even stronger by showing the same outfit in a Japanese denim. And he raised the Bar—a higher waistline is a more flattering cut for short-waisted women. (Sarah Burton effected the same sensitive, sensible change at McQueen.) The last outfit in the lookbook also spoke its own particular volume. A billowing skirt—tied at the waist, dipping to the floor in back—had a classical couture stateliness, but it was paired with a cashmere/silk knit T-shirt. This kind of casual glamour could be a Simons signature at Dior.