Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri says these outfits are not ‘designed to be seen by others—they are more for the person who is wearing them’
There were no frills or heels for Christian Dior as the label took over the Rodin Museum in Paris this week, putting on a fitting homage to Greek goddesses for the opening day of Paris Couture Week. The show opened with a long white woollen dress and matching cape, while other designs used pleats to evoke classical-era statues.
The clothes were full of clean, vertical lines and subtle shades of white, black, beige, gold and silver, with flat sandals that added to the atmosphere of antiquity.
“Actually, these clean lines hide remarkable complexity,” Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri told AFP.
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“It was a work of subtraction. I wanted to remove the sheath, the lining—the elements that characterise constructed couture outfits,” she said.
She quoted the house’s founder, who had said his dresses shared an “apparent simplicity” with ancient statues.
Lightening the construction without losing the shape was the biggest challenge, Chiuri said.
She produced several twists on the iconic silhouette of Christian Dior’s New Look, structured by the fitted “Bar” jacket, including lighter, more comfortable versions and one made from stretchy brocade fabric “to allow you to move like in sportswear”.