Raf Simons

Raf Simons's last Jil Sander show, Fall 2012, Milan, February 25, 2012 His exit had been announced only the week before, and the audience knew it. Simons answered with his most romantic collection for the house: coats the color of face powder worn open like robes, with florist Mark Colle's flowers framing designs about femininity and fragility. Editors, stylists and photographers rose for a standing ovation, a rare sight at the end of a runway show, and he took a modest bow before retreating backstage. Seven years after arriving at Jil Sander as a menswear designer new to womenswear, he left on the collection that made his move to Dior feel inevitable.