We decipher the inspirations behind the ready-to-wear spring-summer 2017 collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior, mixing fencing references with the heritage of the House.
A new kind of powerful woman opened Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first show for Dior: white jackets fastened with straps and cropped pants clasped beneath the knee evoking the outfits worn by female fencers, easily and sensually corresponding to the body’s movements. A unique approach to the subject of feminism, echoed in the messages printed on t-shirts. “We should all be feminists”, reads one – a nod to the title of an essay by the writer Chimamanda Adichie, whose work tackles prejudices, notably dealing with the role of women in society.
It's an approach that recalls Christian Dior’s own when, in 1947, he drew inspiration from menswear to create the now-emblematic Bar suit, and which Maria Grazia Chiuri revisits with a contemporary take: the white jacket, which accentuates the narrowness of the waist and volume of the hips, is worn over a white t-shirt, while the black skirt is reinvented in tulle to give a peek at the knitted lingerie beneath. Inspired by the House’s heritage, the Artistic Director was also intrigued by the founding couturier’s superstitious nature, his belief in signs and omens and his closeness to clairvoyants. His lucky charms such as the star, the heart and the four-leaf clover are sprinkled here and there, cosmic and horoscope elements are embroidered in silver on midnight blue tulle, while tarot symbols were reinterpreted in the colorful embroideries of the evening dresses that closed the show.
