'Dynamite'

In 2005, Belgian designer Raf Simons was appointed artistic director of German label Jil Sander. During his seven-year tenure, Simons minimalistic collections were much lauded, and proved to be an important contribution to contemporary fashion. Simons’s oeuvre is interwoven with references to, and influences from, the art world; having studied industrial design, he feels equally at home in both worlds. The most striking pieces in his Winter 2009 collection were inspired by the mid-century French ceramicist Pol Chambost, and include shapes with sculptural curves and spiraling, molded volumes. The Chambost references also lay in the glimpses of color—green, orange, yellow - flashing inside this garment’s funnel neck, a dipping hemline, or a peeled-away back view. This dress successfully conveys the curves of the 'corolla' shape of Pol Chambost vases.