Raf Simons showed his first pret-a-porter collection for Dior for Spring 2013 this past week in Paris. It was super highly anticipated and while it did gain wonderful reviews, and there are many, many looks and ideas here that I love… for me it was not as intuitively excellent as what he showed for couture last June.

Simons opened the show with looks in black, jackets with full peplums that swayed gently over skinny trousers, and variations in dresses that were essentially modified double breasted jackets. The silhouettes were a nod to some of Dior’s original shapes and did well revisited here. The show moved into some lovely dresses in embellished fabrics that photographs will not do justice.

Some of the black dresses in the second half of the show were my favorites- the best version of that hi-low hem I’ve seen appeared towards the end, as well as some ankle length tulle overlays on beaded sheaths that were ladylike but very fresh. The looks Simons showed with mini dresses or asymmetrical draped tops over black shorts were some of my favorite.

My one real issue with the collection was color. There were color combinations in certain looks that just blatantly did not work and the palette of the show overall was not focused enough. Fortunately, the shoes (the black pointy heels go on my wishlist asap) were awesome enough to balance everything out. -RS (Images via Vogue.com)