Following the designer’s very unexpected exit from Calvin Klein, the Raf Simons Fall Winter 2019 Menswear collection show quickly became one of the most anticipated shows of the season. Set in the beautiful Shangri-La Hotel, the setting seemed a new chapter for the designer. Most, if not all, of his previous collections, were usually set up against cold and industrial like spaces.
The Raf Simons Fall Winter 2019 Menswear Collection is filled with long and elongated silhouettes. Slightly oversized coats, outerwear and jackets created a vintage feel. There is clearly a light military feel to the designs. Inspiration seems to have been drawn from the typical turn of the century officer’s coats to a much earlier 18th-century silhouette. The other-worldly headwear looked like a hybrid between a jockey cap, baseball cap, helmet and even a tricorn hat. A further interesting twist was the almost replication of the first half. The second part of the collection saw pieces very similar to the first but in bright colours. Iconic to the designer, the collection also saw printed image patches dotted throughout. With his new “second breath of creativity” and “creative freedom”, the entire industry is sitting up to see what Raf Simons will produce in shows to come.
