The 66-strong procession of modern goddesses—each clad in her own floor-length silhouette—created a visually calming atmosphere on the Christian Dior runway. For Maria Grazia Chiuri, it brought together the powerful simplicity of Greek and Roman antiquity—the ancient culture she was brought up amongst in Rome—with her thoughts on how ‘classicism’ can be made eternally relevant through Dior’s haute couture.
On the one hand there was pristine minimalism—monumental, sculpted capes; dresses with vertical pleats echoing Doric columns; the clean, long lines of architectural tunics. And on the other, delicate vestal-virgin shifts, nymph-like dresses, gilded lace, lattice work embroideries and minute edgings of pearl beads.
‘Classicism’ has another significance in the house of Christian Dior, of course. Chiuri’s take on the heritage of the Dior suit also played a central role. She honored it by placing jackets over matching long skirts and dresses, easing away the padding and peplums; replacing done-up formality with an ageless, concisely modern sense of chic.
It’s easy to imagine how this collection—grand yet modest, modern yet elaborate, light yet substantial—will appeal to haute couture clients across every culture that Dior has a foothold in. That’s because the tireless Chiuri has done her homework. The travels across countries and continents she’s undertaken in the past few years have been quite mind-boggling. This show might have been centered in Paris, but it will have the power to speak to women the world over.
