At Dior, blue is the warmest colour
On the runway of Christian Dior, it was Fifty Shades of Blue - the hue of the Holy Spirit and royalty, but also of workwear. As the saying goes, all good things come in threes and Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri had these three good reasons to dedicate her autumn-winter 2017-18 to navy blue, a favorite colour of brand founder Monsieur Christian Dior. “Among all the colours, navy blue is the only which can ever compete with black, it has all the same qualities,” read the show’s official statement.
And blue was not the only reference that Chiuri made to the past. In fact, Dior’s new artistic director for women’s wear dived deep into the nostalgia of the house’s heritage and reinterpreted some of its key pieces with a brand new spin.
Dior’s iconic hooded Chevrier look, for instance, from the archived Haute Couture autumn-winter 1949 collection, was reworked for a contemporary spotlight. It was reimagined as a range of bomber jackets, capes, coats, dresses, skirts, loose pants and shirts crafted from knit, herringbone, taffeta and velvet with a decisive urban spirit. The models all sported a leather beret with their post-’49 outfits because it’s Paris, it’s French and that all comes with a certain sense of ‘oh la la’.
The brand’s new “J’adior” logo was used as a print on the outfits and accessories, showing Chiuri’s will to add a streetwear touch to the brand’s style inventory.
In fact, one might say that this was Dior’s most street friendly collection so far – it feels as if Chiuri is trying to build up a wardrobe of urban flavoured staples.
Another interesting element that contributes to the evolution of Dior today, is Chiuri’s pointed nods to women’s empowerment throughout her collections.
This season again – after showcasing her now famous “We should all be feminist” t-shirts on the runway during her Spring/Summer 2017 Haute Couture outing – Chiuri once again made an empowering statement by providing her audience with a limited edition scarf printed with another feminist quote by Nigerian author and activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The future is female according to Chirui, and perhaps rightfully so.
