It’s fair to say that Raf Simons’ couture debut for Dior was the most hotly tipped show in Paris this week. And ever since the industry caught sight of that hot pink floor length bustier, the praise has been ringing in from around the fashion world, with names from Marc Jacobs to Donatella Versace speaking in admiration.

So, unsurprisingly we’re adding our voice to the applause. Truly this was the kind of couture that Twin just gets. There was a lightness of touch to the shapes that were at once a sketch of the past, proving that Simons’ famed minimalism can marry with the most classic of fashion houses.

Dramatic embroidered ball-gowns and cigarette pant suits reached back to the New Look but stripped away the nostalgia in favour of clean lines and brilliant colour that helped reveal the original architecture that made Dior so revolutionary in 1947. This was femininity, but in a way we could all recognise as relevant to contemporary fashion sensibilities, exemplified by the easy elegance of the models’ hands in pockets swagger. Even the abundance of fresh delphiniums and orchids on the walls were a triumph of structure over the riotous bouquet.

While Simons was only appointed four short months ago, we’ve been waiting 18 months to see the direction the house of Dior takes. The verdict fifty-four outfits later? Ok there were echoes of Simons’ later work at Jil Sander, but that’s certainly not a reason to complain. Indisputably the Dior DNA was all there. The collection showed Dior have bagged themselves a designer that’s going to put Dior on our list, and surely every sane fashionistas also.

Watch an interview with Raf Simons…

Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Tags: Dior, Dior Couture, Raf Siomns