Today’s Dior show felt like a love letter to 1950s fashion. Personally I love a long skirt and structured jacket. However, my thinking was that this was a way of reinventing the styles of the house from its early days. I thought about the “New Look,” which was Christian Dior’s way of bringing back femininity into women’s dressing. He highlighted the beauty of the female form, in way that contrasted with the post-World War II aesthetic at the time. Without any background other than the ways Maria Grazia Chiuri tends to work, I wondered if the designs for the show were taking a similar form. This was Chiuri’s way of reimagining femininity, but this time, not just how women look, but how they present themselves to the world.
Chiuri, the creative director for womenswear, pointed to three women as inspiration: Catherine Dior, Édith Piaf and Juliette Gréco. They are highlighted for the ways they broke the stereotypes of the time. They were rebels in their own way. To follow the theme, the design team took motifs that Christian Dior would have himself used, and they then shifted them slightly to subvert your thoughts on what and how things should be. Fabrics were ruffled instead always polished and neat. And stainless steel threads woven in others meant they were stronger than they looked. Just like the women they were inspired by
Even while keeping to the codes to the house, I am impressed with the level of dedication that Chiuri has to keep to her message of women’s empowerment. The set design itself was an opportunity to showcase a woman artist, Joana Vasconcelos. If you look closely, you will see the slogan t-shirts that have become common during Chiuri’s tenure.
I think in an era of fashion commentary where people are quick to say that new creative directors are “ruining” the brands, you have to admit that this line is very much an homage to the original designs of Dior. Now whether or not you like the look, is another story.
You can read the show notes here. If you would like to watch the show for yourself, you can see it here:
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