Dior Homme - Life after death. March 26th, 2008
Spring is here, the SS08 campaigns are in motion and SS08 collections have been up for grabs since February. It’s widely known that Kris Van Assche is the captain of the boat at DH following the dismissal of Hedi Slimane. Van Assche’s design direction is radically different from Hedi’s which made me anticipate a reshuffle this spring at all DH stores ranging from décor to the merchandise. But visits to all London’s Dior retailers proved my anticipation to be pure fiction, everything is like as if Hedi has not left the building.
Realistically a reshuffle happens over a few years since a new designer needs time to reinvent the brand. As a DH fan I had a chitty chat with a DH sales assistant and asked him whether DH’s jeans will de discontinued anytime soon. Thankfully the answer I got was positive, the jeans will remain on the shelves for an indefinite period of time. Hedi’s work for DH has been like a nuclear bomb, the long terms effects are more severe than the impact himself. He left DH as a martyr and has a big fan base of saluting followers on the internet.
The jeans have become a modern day classics and my Spiderman senses are telling me that they are here to stay, even Marc Jacobs wear them! To the average person they don’t look much than the average pair of premium jeans which is something is can’t object to because it true. But the magic is in the fit, it’s absolutely perfect. They are of the slim type but the fit isn’t tight or discomforting. What’s great as well is that they aren’t too narrow in thighs marking them very wearable for us mortals who don’t have tights the circumference of a 1.5L coca cola bottle.
As one would expect the Dior tag does come with a price tag commanding a premium price. The cheapest pair of basic blue/black jeans begins at €/$175 with the top of the line waxed and luster jeans setting you back just under €/$500. Except for the different width(17.5cm, 19 and 21cm) at the bottom of the jeans all of them pretty much have the same fit which is a fantastic concept. That alone with perfect fit the superb quality makes them worth the price. The absence of logos, monograms or embroidery on the pockets makes them very timeless and suitable for all occasions. I’m a happy owner of a pair, the feel of the materials and the fit is just as if they were new.
DH SS05 is probably one of Hedi’s best collections ever and is the ultimate exhibition of DH’s jeans.
