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Dior Homme
Seven years that shook the world? Hedi Slimane's reign at Dior Homme. Slimane single-handedly revolutionized not only the brand, but menswear itself, with his lean, mean approach to suiting. His runway models drew as much attention as the clothes: skinny teenagers, handpicked at rock shows and off city streets by Slimane himself, helped round out the zeitgeist. Karl Lagerfeld reportedly lost 90 pounds just to squeeze into super-slim-fit Dior Homme pants, and chic he-celebs like Mick Jagger and Kanye West were ardent fans. Even women (from mere mortals all the way to Kate Moss) wanted in on his suiting. Despite this, LVMH wouldn't launch an eponymous womenswear label for Hedi, and tension between Slimane and Dior manifested through angry blog posts on the designer's part. Bernard Arnault named Hedi's former assistant, Kris Van Assche, head of Dior Homme in 2007. Van Assche, who is Belgian, has re-adapted the label to encompass more of the traditional elegance for which he feels Dior is known. It took time for him to find his footing, but he appears to be gathering momentum. Lagerfeld himself snagged a front-row seat for his spring 2009 show, and rumors swirl that he may have been smiling. A very good sign.
