March 1, 2023 |
Going to a Dior show is an epic experience. Here, the modern fashion ecosystem is on display. First you must run the gamut of fashion fans, selfie seekers, street style photographers and tourist who throng the entrance and whoop and holler for their favourite celebrities. It’s a reminder, if you needed it, that fashion is a key pillar of 21st century entertainment and Dior is the marquee name.
The show takes place in a huge, monolithic tent, as big as an airport terminal. Outside, the grey structure has all the emotion of a Borg cube, but inside, is a magical world. Maria Grazia Chiuri commissioned the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos to make a stunning set. Her sprawling, multicoloured, multi-textured, octopus-like sculpture was made with fabrics from past Dior collections.
That connection to Dior’s history was strong. The show dug deep into the hourglass essence of Dior, but put a sensual, youthful spin on its ladylike heritage. Crinkled white shirts were tucked into rumpled and rustling, full skirts. The creases wrinkles of the fabric – silk or houndstooth wool – added a louche, laid-back feel to the New Look silhouettes. Some looks were literally unbuttoned, with suits reimagined as bra tops, worn with matching blouses and full or pencil skirts. That sense of creased deshabille added a frisson of rebellion to the collection as if the women had picked their clothes up off the floor and dressed in a hurry. Whatever the Dior girls had got up to before they stepped on the catwalk, the message was clear. Edith Piaf’s defiant anthem “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” rang out on the speakers and on T-shirts too. Anyone shopping this collection will also have no regrets. It was a blockbuster, full of desirable pieces – especially coats. Every one was a winner: from perfect pea coats, to roomy city coats, sculptural parkas and a cropped black beatnik bomber that recalled an infamous design from the 1960 Beatnik collection designed by Yves Saint Laurent for Dior.
Photography by Christina Fragkou.
