I know I rarely post separate entries for collections (aside from Givenchy haute couture), but this is an exception. I would not call myself a Raf Simons stan, but man, was I drowned in a tsunami of emotions while watching his last show for Jil Sander! I have loved Raf's collections for Jil since I started getting into fashion. When I discovered menswear only a few months ago, his own label because one of my favorites.
Raf has done such a great job at Jil Sander. He has this talent of being ahead of the curve with his masterful shapes and brilliant use of colors. Minimalist, yet always surprising, and never boring. I can't really explain it, but Raf at Jil, will be different from Raf at Dior, and it will definitely be different from Jil at Jil. It's like there's a certain aesthetic that Raf was doing at Jil and I feel like if he leaves, I might never see that again. So I'm in mourning right now.
Designers leaving is always so crazy. There's the consolation that Raf isn't actually going to stop designing, but still, that perfect mesh of Raf Simons and the Jil Sander label created a certain style that won't be the same again. I mean, just look at Olivier Theyskens. His work at Nina Ricci was so flawless and gorgeous. Then he left and now his work at Theory is so subpar. I know that definitely won't happen to Raf, because Dior is a much bigger house, but the style is definitely different. How will Raf work with it? I have a thousand questions, but all I can do is really wait. They haven't even announced Raf for Dior so I am probably getting ahead of myself.
Anyway, here's the flawfree last collection of Raf for Jil Sander. It may be hard to see through the tears, but the collection is absolutely amazing, which makes it even harder to deal with Raf's leaving.
