The new ready-to-wear collection at Dior was dreamed up by the creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, starting from a reflection on the meaning of the present, in which both past and future must coexist simultaneously.
In this collection, as in previous ones, Maria Grazia Chiuri, explores the relationship between femininity and feminism, driven by the conviction that fashion has, more than ever, a responsibility to help women realise their worth and express their differences. She is therefore interested in all the rebels who have asserted their independence in the face of a masculine world and challenged its system.
Throughout the show we are presented with references from the early Dior womenswear days, straight back to Christian Dior’s iconic bar jacket from the “New Look”, reinvisioned featuring bold buttons, a slightly oversized look cinched at the waist with a belt, wide shoulders, almost taking inspiration from male military looks to further solidify her idea.
Scattered throughout the collection are inspirations from the famous Galliano era at the house, especially recognisable in the off shoulder dresses, some of the jewellery, and even shoes.
The colour palette is limited, predominantly featuring colours of ash, chamomile and the colour of what is called love potions in the show notes.The Mille-fleurs, emblematic of Dior, is transformed into a dark motif, a contrasting floral X-ray. Phases of the moon, suns announcing the seasons, medicinal herbs and fantastical animals are all part of this iconic design, and of the embroidery also at times.
The monumental, immersive NOT HER art piece, by Elena Bellantoni, perpetuates this refusal of all the clichés that confine women to predefined categories. The video installation, occupying all the walls of the show’s scenography, uses the analog split-flap device: we see a succession of female figures (including the artist herself) reworked by Elena Bellantoni, in a pop spirit, using imagery from sexist adverts and counterpoint phrases to respond to the dominant stereotype: "it’s not her, she’s no longer all that”.
This new collection thus restores the idea that the body/clothing relationship is set in the context of the times and not in the time of one day or nostalgia.
