Designer Raf Simons Is Leaving Dior: Look Back at 7 of His Most Memorable Red Carpet Looks

Major fashion news: Dior creative director Raf Simons announced Thursday that he’s leaving the famed house after three and a half years. In a statement to WWD, Simons said that he “reached this decision for personal reasons,” and that his spring 2016 collection that showed earlier this month at Paris Fashion Week will be his last. Prior to his work at Dior, Simons was the creative director at Jil Sander from 2005-2011.

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The Belgian-born designer’s work has been almost universally renowned during his tenure at Dior, with A-list celebrities regularly wearing his gowns on the red carpet. We have Simons to thank for some of the most memorable red carpet moments of the last few years — from Jennifer Lawrence’s already iconic 2013 Oscars gown to Rihanna’s recent Paris Fashion Week look — and we’ve rounded up seven of our favorites.

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Jennifer Lawrence at the 2013 Academy Awards
Lawrence’s dramatic white strapless ball gown is memorable for three reasons: 1) It’s stunning, 2) She won wearing it, and 3) She fell when she won wearing it. In typical J.Law fashion, she laughed off the fall, telling the crowd, “You guys are just standing up for me because I fell.”

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Emma Watson at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards
Watson is always pushing fashion boundaries, so we were thrilled to see her wear this backless red Dior dress … over pants! It remains one of the coolest, most modern red carpet looks in recent years.

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Lupita Nyong’o at the 2014 BAFTA Awards
2014 was the year of Lupita — and her near-perfect style — and this strapless emerald green dress is exhibit A. The simple yet powerful silhouette is what Simons’ design aesthetic is all about.

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Amal Clooney at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards
As obsessed as we are with Clooney’s street style, we don’t get to see her on the red carpet nearly enough. Clooney made the smart decision to go with Dior for her first Golden Globes, even pairing her timeless one-shoulder black dress with somewhat controversial white gloves.

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Emma Stone at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards
Business on top, party on the bottom: Simons’ inventive version of the tuxedo dress was a perfect choice for the always stylish Stone.

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Charlize Theron at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival
Theron has been the face of J’Adore Dior fragrance for over a decade, and her relationship with the label has brought us a number of gorgeous gowns over the years. Our favorite from Simons’ tenure is this bright yellow strapless stunner.

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Rihanna at the spring/summer 2016 Dior fashion show
The singer became the face of Dior’s “Secret Garden” campaign earlier this year, so she showed up to the spring 2016 show at Paris Fashion Week in serious style. Now that we know the show was Simons’ last, the look is that much more memorable.

Which of Simons’ Dior moments is your favorite? Who do you think will replace the designer?

RELATED VIDEO: Rihanna’s Changing Looks

— Lindy Segal
Follow @lindysegal