Dior’s Couture Show Is an Ode to Goddess Style
Some fashion shows show girls who they could be. Dior is for women who already know who they are.
That’s especially true under Maria Grazia Chiuri, the 60-year-old titaness who’s helmed the brand since 2016, reclaiming its energy from the phantasmic tailoring of John Galliano and the space-age streetwear of Raf Simons and transferring it to actual women’s closets.
Along the way, there’s been some internet grumbling, mostly regarding a loss of pure fantasy in the label’s vision. Still, Chiuri’s vision is more than solid; it’s almost psychic. Her timeline of details (branded corset straps, kitten heel slingbacks, patchwork denim-and-leather boots, embroidered epée hearts) seem to push the rising tides of worldwide trends with near-perfect alignment.
Today’s couture runway in Paris was crammed with options that will keep that fire burning. Racerback bodices, square-neck column dresses, shrug-shouldered riffs on ’90s minimalist T-shirt dresses, and some signature metallic goddess gowns were straightforward and strong, as if channeling the power serve of front-row guest Venus Williams. Some mass-market retailers will try, and fail, to do these simple items even half as well as Dior’s storied atelier.
Among the 61 looks, there were also some fantasy touchdowns. Among them: a bodysuit embroidered with thousands of gilded feathers that channeled Nike—both the Greek goddess of victory and her namesake sport empire—along with crystalline tank tops peeking out of chiffon chitons, and a caped black party dress cinched with harnessed with leather knots that resemble horsewhip handles.
The show was set against a wall of mosaics depicting Olympic athletes as ancient warriors. Of course, this was a nod to the upcoming Paris games, but also an acknowledgement that all modern women are, in many ways, elite athletes striving to perform at the top of their game. Certainly, that includes Chiuri, along with her atelier of ultra-skilled fabric wizards, her stylist Elin Svahn, her makeup artist Peter Philips, and hair guru Guido Palau.
A couture collection devoted to unstoppable female forces prompted journalists to call out the lack of body and age diversity on the runway. After all, the front row boasted iconic adults in all shapes and sizes—Jennifer Lopez, 54; Rosamund Pike, 45; tennis giant Williams, 44; music stars Yseult, 29, and Jisoo, 29, and Doja Cat, 28.
Maybe that’s why it was such a joy when Chiuri, 60, took her bow in a cool black suit, white sneakers, and a twisted rope of gold necklaces. She works hard, makes coveted clothes, tunes out the comments, and seems like she’s having the very best time.
Perhaps her clothes continue to reference immortal and immaculate goddesses, and perhaps her models do, too. But the fun part is getting a living, breathing woman in those divine pieces. For that, Chiuri is heaven on earth.
You Might Also Like
