Paris Fashion Week: Raf Simons' signature modernity dazzles at Dior as Rihanna sits front row

With much to buy on offer, the collection is sure to delight the loyal Dior customer

Towing the party line need never be boring - and never more so than if you're Raf Simons's and the collection you're designing is for Christian Dior.

A lesson in balancing a personal desire to be creative with the complex demands of a prestigious French fashion institution, Simons's latest collection is one that showed him in perfect harmony with Dior's legacy.

Sure to delight the loyal Dior customer - there was much to buy on offer today with a two-tone court shoe and Simons's latest take on the house's iconic "bar" jacket certain to keep tills ringing when it arrives in store next summer.

But it was the flourishes of design, easily traced back to Simons's own cabinet of ideas, that leant this collection it's most memorable moments.

Dior at Paris Fashion Week

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To that end, this was a symphony which leapt from tried and tested Dior codes to crescendos points in which Simons' signature modernity dazzled.

Rekindling his affection for linear simplicity - a craft mastered during his time at Jil Sander - parkas baring block colour stripes were among the most coveted on the catwalk today.

Rihanna smiles outside the Dior runway venue
AP Photo/Thibault Camus

Knitwear, a surprising inclusion for a spring/summer collection, also played a key role with cropped sweaters in navy and cream strewn over scalloped slip dresses.

Romantic but also achingly modern, organza mini skirts and lingerie tops were presented underneath transparent dresses with blouson sleeves. Inspired by opposition and the contrast between whimsical softness and extreme strength, the collection married elegance with hard edged glamour and fused notions of purity with a typically Simons' futuristic aesthetic.

For the fashion purist, Dior's latest vision will inevitably bring with it a host of new trends. Among them the evening sweater, cropped and cut to fall above waist height - expect to see them all over the high street and worn over evening gowns next season. A new take on the house's Lady bag which sees the style reinterpreted in acid yellow and silver also look set to inspire.

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