Six months.  

That’s how long it usually takes a designer and their team to put together a couture collection.

Eight weeks.

That’s how much time the new Creative Director for Dior, Raf Simons,  had to create a couture collection. It was his first collection for one of the most famed fashion houses, Christian Dior. Simons had never done a couture collection. He was a ready-to-wear designer. But he didn’t have much time to get ready. 

You can watch how it all unfolded in the new documentary “Dior and I”. It’s a must see for any fashionista who ever wondered how couture is done. But this collection, Simons’ debut collection in 2012, is done on hyperspeed. Good thing the seamstresses in the atelier know exactly how to construct beautiful frocks. Some of them have been there over 40 years. 

This movie is as much about Simons’ first collection as it is about the people behind the scenes. The women in the atelier who sew beads one by one, who make sure there isn’t a thread out of place. 

The seamstresses swear Christian Dior still roams the halls of the atelier he opened in 1946. They say Dior watches over them when they work. Throughout the movie you hear someone reading from Dior’s book: Dior and I. But if you really listen, you start to think that Dior does still have a presence in those halls. That he does watch the work being done. And that he approves. 

The movie gives us an inside look into how the seamstresses work. And how much they work. They’re a funny and very close bunch. During a stressful moment one of them pulls out a box of candy to make everyone laugh. One of the seamstresses in charge, she’s known as a Premiere,  talks about the changes the House has gone through. She says, “Designers come and go, but the atelier stays the same.”  

Meanwhile, Simons is looking for inspiration. He says the Dior legacy is “daunting”.  He wants to stay with the traditional aesthetic of Dior, but also wants to move it forward. Not an easy task. He looks at a vintage dress,  pours over vintage pieces of fabric from some of Christian Dior’s collections. But his greatest influence is from American artist, Sterling Ruby,  And from that, the collection starts coming together.

Simons studies a vintage Dior dress

And what an amazing collection it was. The backdrop was a beautiful house in Paris. Simons had the walls covered in flowers. And of course, before any fashion show starts, there was a visit from Anna Wintour. Wouldn’t have been the same without her. She shows up three hours before the first model walked and gave her approval. Much to the delight, and I’m sure relief, for Simons.

Dress based on the artwork of Sterling Ruby

It’s hard to imagine, even after seeing it, that it all came together in just 8 short weeks. But it did. And it was fantastic. 

See where the movie is playing near you  http://www.diorandimovie.com/

Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUIvJQUhB5I

Watch Raf Simons’ first Haute Couture Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faeORRbdluk