FALL 2020 COUTURE: CHRISTIAN DIOR

Jul 9

Christian Dior unveiled its Fall 2020 haute couture collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri on Monday, but rather than showcasing it on the runway, Dior did things a bit differently this season.

“We knew we couldn’t do a real show, so it was very clear from the start that my reference needed to be tied to the dream or fantasy world,” says creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri of the collection. This materialized in the form of a surreal short film and miniature doll-sized figurines dressed in couture within a trunk designed to look like Dior's Avenue Montaigne headquarters, that will then travel across the globe, according to WWD. Chiuri’s concept was Théâtre de la Mode. In 1945, during the devastation of World War II and a short supply of materials, Parisian designers created apparel for doll figures — miniature dresses and frocks by 60 French couturiers and their mannequins were displayed at the Louvre and the exhibition was such a sensation, it went on to tour the world, raising funds for French war survivors in the process. Chiuri recruited her friend Matteo Garrone, the Italian filmmaker who directed 2019’s Pinocchio, to produce the short film titled Le Mythe Dior.

The collection was inspired by Surrealist artists, including the likes of Lee Miller, Dora Maar and Jacqueline Lamba. "Surrealist images manage to make visible what is in itself invisible," Chiuri explained in a statement. “I’m interested in mystery and magic, which are also a way of exorcising uncertainty about the future." The inspiration translates beautifully in pieces like a white belted cashmere coat with a dazzling appliqué motif influenced by French painter Jacqueline Lamba’s tarot designs, or an airy ballgown covered in pastel gray ostrich feathers that floated like an illusion. These poetic silhouettes and sublime drapery and fabrics are fairy tales come to life.