PARIS - Belgian designer Raf Simons' keenly anticipated second collection for Christian Dior received an enthusiastic welcome, less than a year after he took over from the disgraced John Galliano.

On day four of Paris Fashion Week, Simons made sure there was no shortage of classic Dior glamour. Coats in tweed, leather or cashmere and silk bustier dresses featured all the essential Dior elements with nipped waists, soft shoulders and full skirts.

Raf Simons' Dior ready-to-wear Autumn Winter 2013 collection. Images: Showbit

But in other looks, Simons said he drew on his love of art, a passion which Christian Dior also shared. "Christian Dior started his career as a gallerist and represented both Dali and Giacometti early on," he said in a statement. "The connection to certain periods of time is also significant, his obsession with the Belle Epoque in his case; the mid-century modern in mine," he added.

Hence, silk bustier dresses in 1920s shift shapes featured Andy Warhol prints such as "Female Head 1958" and "High Heel 1956". "For me Warhol made so much sense. I was interested in the delicacy and sensitivity in the early work he did," he said.

"I was drawn to that graphic style naturally ... It was that notion of hand work and personal signature that fitted throughout."

Elsewhere, Simons continued the asymmetry that he began in his haute couture collection in January, notably with a voluminous red wool coat and pale grey silk cape and blue denim wool skirt.

The Christian Dior Autumn Winter 2013 collection will be available in Singapore from the Dior boutiques located at Ngee Ann City, #07-08 Level 1; ION Orchard, #02-13 and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, #B1 - 26/27/28. For more information about Dior, go to www.dior.com. Follow Dior on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Dior or Twitter at @Dior.