Fashion Musical Chairs - Raf Simons, Jil Sander, Stefano Pilati and Hedi Slimane

Between being perennially sick for the past month or more, having only four 'official' weeks of my pregnancy to go, and my house/life being absolute chaos at the moment, I realized I am quite 'out of the loop' fashion-wise, when I found out through my friend's husband (yes, husband! For some reason he always has finger firmly placed on the fashion pulse, even though he is in no way involved in that field) that Stefano Pilati left YSL to be replaced by Hedi Slimane. And then, I found out through lovely Modediktat's tweet, that Raf Simons was to be the new designer for Dior!

I laughed to myself that this really is 'Fashion Musical Chairs', and lo and behold, today I received an update email from AnOther magazine, saying the exact same thing, with the diagram I had imagined in my head:

Fashion Musical Chairs 2012 Diagram by Laura Bradley
(AnOther Magazine)

Who? Raf Simons, Jil Sander, Hedi Slimane and Stefano Pilati – shifting places in the last 4 months.

What? It began with John Galliano's anti-Semitic comments last year and followed with the dismissal of the designer from Christian Dior; a position he had held since 1996. Next came the announcement in February that Jil Sander would return to her eponymous label she founded in 1968, leaving Raf Simons without a role as a womenswear designer. Following news that Stefano Pilati would leave Yves Saint Laurent, there were rumours that Simons was in talks with the Parisian house only to be quashed when the house announced Hedi Slimane as its new creative director. Simons destination was last night confirmed at Christian Dior, where he will oversee women's ready-to-wear, haute couture and accessory collections. Pilati's next move is yet to be announced.

Why? There are many interesting months ahead. In June, Hedi Slimane will debut women's resort and Sander, her men's ready-to-wear. In July, Simons will show his inaugural Dior couture collection. It's exciting to think about Simons' addition to the couture roster (and what difference it will make to the red carpet). "I am fascinated with what could be the relevance of the language of couture in the 21st Century", he told Cathy Horyn, a longstanding supporter of the Belgian designer, for The New York Times. Whilst it's still early days, it seems Simons is the perfect fit for the prestigious Parisian house. In his role at Jil Sander, he demonstrated an acute balance of modernity and elegance; particularly in his last two collections. In hindsight, the coat-clutching, Grace Kelly curls and sparkling jewellery were more in the vein of Dior than they were Sander, a house known for its minimalist codes. (...) Bring on the new Dior era.

(text above from AnOther magazine)

At first my mind boggled: Raf Simons for Dior???

But I agree with Laura Bradley that Raf's last collection did appear more Dior than Jil Sander:

pic via Garance Dore and Browns Fashion

How absolutely gorgeous is that dress on Browns Fashion? I swooned when I saw it, and swooned again when I saw its price tag...

"I don't think it's wrong to call me a minimalist. It's wrong to call me a minimalist only," Raf said. 'I am also a romantic person...when I'm married to a house, I will fully embrace its original intention, its heritage and meaning.' 'I wouldn't go to that place if I only had minimalism in mind. I'm very aware of what the environment is about.'

I cannot wait to see what he will bring to Dior's Couture show in July...