sasha luss for dior addict.

From Kate Moss to Daphne Groeneveld, the Dior Addict campaigns have always only featured the best, if not the top models of the season. And who better to front the campaign than girl of the moment, Sasha Luss. The Russian clotheshorse has enchanted the fashion world with her platinum blonde locks and stunning ice-blue eyes, and the Dior Addict Spring 2014 campaign perfectly captures her unique beauty in a series of youthful yet elegant shots, styled by Carine Roitfeld and lensed by Steven Meisel. Walking in almost every notable show across the Big 4 fashion weeks and scoring both Chanel and Lanvin S/S 2014 campaigns, Sasha Luss is undoubtedly one of the most in-demand faces of the season {and can you believe she's only 21!}. Her success on the runway as well as commercially is rare for many models, and with the launch of this major campaign there is no doubt that her career can only blossom from here.

Love it? Or prefer Daphne Groeneveld as the face of Dior Addict?

dior couture fall 2015

For Raf Simons, haute couture at Dior was always about modern relevance. While previous couture collections were modern designs inspired by the current age, Couture 2015 was modern designs inspired by past, present and future eras. Starting off Paris Couture Week he presented a brilliant collection, featuring a modern twist on looks from both previous centuries and Dior archives, and infusing them with the grandeur that could only come with haute couture. Residence of past Dior collections, the Parisian gardens of the Musée Rodin were transformed into a silvery spaceship this season, covered with the most delicate white orchids reminisce of Fall 2012, while swishing white doors lining the grounds opened up to reveal an army of models catwalking from all directions.

The couture offerings this season once again took on Simons' signature stream-lined silhouettes, pretty fleur references Dior has become famous for and quirky-chic touches.The collection was era-hopping in so many ways : starting from embroidered Marie Antoinette-esque frock coats over tailored pants to dazzling astronaut spacesuits, to luxurious Edwardian furs and sweeping gowns then forward to the modern working woman's pantsuit. And who could forget the famous Bar Jacket, which was given an exaggerated peplum in cream and navy over a selection of elegant chiffon soiree dresses.

And like any Dior couture collection, there were gowns {with college-esque pockets of course} : voluminous, luxurious, impossibly beautiful works of haute couture by Simons' atelier that undoubtedly brought out the princess in everyone. Strikingly icy pastels set an aristocratic tone to the pieces – baby blue to hydrangea green, cream and pale blush. These hues would mostly look out of place on the high street, but in Dior's ornate setting they were just right at home. 

Embroidered emblems added pops of colour to the monochrome looks, while rich sumptuous furs trimmed the lush jacquard coats. These touches were refreshing especially in a sea of couturiers competing for who has more pearls/beads/embroidery per inch of fabric, the craftmanship being alluringly restrained — subtle fleur accents on stunning white gowns, frocks embellished with intricate high-tech resin, and outerwear bedecked with embroidery that was exquisite without being overbearing.

I've always loved Dior, and when Raf Simons took over as creative director he has never stopped pushing the boundaries of couture and challenging our notion of it, bringing a breath of fresh air into the art by continually introducing items previously only found in prêt-à-porter : pants, jackets and even knee-length skirts, all this without sacrificing a painstaking attention to detail and the ethereal elegance exclusive to haute couture. Couture 2015 has once again proved the timeless appeal of his contemporary approach, and this combined with a dream cast of top models wearing couture fit for modern-day royalty, definitely makes for an unforgettable show in the Paris Haute Couture Week calendar.

What do you think of this collection?

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Reinventions and Lightness at Dior

"She's a woman of today, sophisticated but contemporary, delicate but energetic, a flower-woman in perpetual motion. It's not hard to imagine her kicking off her glamorous evening shoes to slip into a pair of sneakers and jump off the runway, unfettered, free to run and to dance all night long."

"IT'S A WOMAN, on top of the world." explained by Raf Simons, yet that was exactly how I felt when I eyed the first of the fifty-two looks that made up the Dior spring couture show presented in the Musée Rodin in Paris.The collection had a totally new approach {that also appeared in the Chanel show}, which was that it modernised and brought a fresh, light touch to couture : a sight rarely seen in previous collections. Soft and delicate, the pieces were inspired by the movement in clothes which Christian Dior himself had a love of : lattice-like cutwork, overlays, veils of silk and lace, polka-dotted gabrics made everything in the collection either swinging or shimmying in an impossibly free manner. There were flowy peekaboo shawls, cocktail dresses and gowns worthy of an A-list soiree, the famous Bar jacket with ballooning sleeves and tailored trousers, and sneakers for a modern edge - but my two utter favourites were a black voluminous jacquard frock adorned with a mysterious image and surrounded by glossy leaf-like shapes, as well as the opening look with an off-shoulder top and asymmetrical ruffled volume skirt that floats gracefully with the model's every step.

I couldn't choose which one was my favourite piece, both were free and light, yet they possessed a certain structure to the silhouette that suggested the amount of construction that went into them {but of course, it's haute couture after all}. This collection to me is one of Raf Simons' most creative work for Dior yet, and his sweet, youthful approach matched with the ethereal spring aura of the clothes definitely made for a delightful couture show.

 What do you think of the collection? Which were your favourite pieces?

Dior Secret Garden III : Versailles

Dior has always been extremely fond of the Versailles Palace, where it had become the backdrop of many of its commercials, from J'Adore Dior to the magical Secret Garden series. And what's not to love? With it's smooth mural-covered walls and intricate architecture sprinkled with copious amounts of French glamour not to mention the famous well-trimmed gardens that surround the palace, Versailles has captured the hearts of so many around the globe as the epitome of French luxury. For the last two years, Dior has made the Versailles the home to its Secret Garden mini-series, portraying the elusive yet elegant Dior woman wandering around the palace grounds in nothing less than the latest pieces from the house.

This year, we are whisked away once again to the Château in Paris for more Dior fabulosity : the long-awaited third instalment of the Secret Garden campaign, shot again by fashion's famed duo Inez and Vinoodh. Inspired by the Three Graces of Antiquity, muses Daria Strokous, Fei Fei Sun and Katlin Aas embody the young contemporary woman while evoking "three different facets of joyous feminity". Dressed in the rich colours of pre-fall 2014, the models take a tour through the ornate corridors of the Palais swept up in a thrilling rush, dashing through luxurious pathways and weaving through perfectly manicured hedges.

With the palace's many hidden doors and secret shelters, the Versailles gives an air of mystique to this surreal escapade.Set to Depeche Mode's "Strangelove", Daria Strokous saunters down the hallway switching from sensual nude lingerie to modern eveningwear and in true Dior fashion, elegant in a little black dress paired with a Diorissimo bag, all in the time of one second flat. Like a fairytale with a twist, she discovers a secret passage while frolicking through the multicolor successions of doors that leads her to the palace's vast orangerie. The trio of models then meet in the geometric Gardens of Versailles lavishly draped in Raf Simon designed Dior surround a CD branded floral display before closing the door on Versailles.

Everything in the film was what it was meant to be : majestic yet dreamy and impossibly magical. The rich colours and fabrics of the palace and the collection complemented the stunning Versailles set, while the film shows us parts of the Versailles that aren't open to the everyday visitor. And who wouldn't want to be the elegant alluring and utterly luxurious Dior girl?

What do you think of the campaign?

Fashion Films | Chanel & Dior

Although they appear everywhere from stores to style magazines, ads are not enough for designers these days to promote their latest collections. Creative directors of luxury houses have started to take the director's seat, creating films that not only showcases the latest togs from the house, but also reflects the rich history and culture of the label. Today we look to two of the most iconic French luxury houses Chanel and Dior, as well as their latest films. Prepare to be awed.
Once Upon A Time by Karl Lagerfeld | Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld proves his directing skills once again in this delightfully French film "Once Upon A Time" which was made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the very first Chanel boutique set in the quaint seaside town of Deauville, France. Being the face of Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle parfum, Keira Knightley was the natural choice for the Kaiser to play the legendary designer in her early years. Featuring notable names from British model Stella Tennant to Brad Kroenig, French actress Clotilde Hemse (as her aunt Adrienne) to Tallulah Harlech, this film was premièred at Raffles Hotel in Singapore (I still can't believe Karl was came to Singapore!) a day before Chanel's Resort Cruise 2014 collection was showcased at Loewen Cluster. Teen supermodel Lindsey Wixson also made an appearance in the film, wearing a très chic black feathered hat. Fabuleux.

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Secret Garden - Versailles by Inez and Vinoodh | Dior

If you haven't noticed, Dior has a thing for gardens. From Raf Simons' 2012 Couture collection to now their Secret Garden film series, Dior always had a recurring garden theme in its collections. Lensed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, the films were shot in the most dreamy palace in the world --- Versailles.Last year's Secret Garden was filled with glamorous hallways with impossibly ornate décor, but the second extension of the series "Secret Garden 2 - Versailles" instead brings you to the lush forest grounds of the Château.

 A symbol of Dior's French tradition, the picturesque Château de Versailles brings to life the Dior Fall 2013 collection, starring Russian clotheshorse Daria Strokous as Maria Antoinette, Xiao Wen Ju and Melissa Stasiuk clad top-to-toe in Dior Fall '13 togs. Enter an enchanting world from the Petit Trianon to the surreal misty forests, complete with iconic Diorissimo handbags, colourful spring gowns and of course, stunning scenery. 

Being ever the art historian, Raf Simons even took inspiration from French artists! The scene before you click "play" is apparently inspired by Édouard Manet’s famed "Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe" or "Luncheon on the Grass", featuring three people reclining on the forest floor. In the film, they are replaced by Daria, Melissa and Xiao Wen still relaxing on the forest floor but instead donning full Dior regalia, with baskets of fruit and Diorissimo bags to match.
(Fun Fact : Did you know Dior means golden in French? Now you know.)

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What do you think? If these films aren't très français, I don't know what is.

       Charlotte