Dior Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear FW2017

Maria Grazia Chiuri built her new collection for Dior on the color blue. And according to the houses founder – Christian Dior – navy blue is the only color that can compete with black, since it has the same qualities.
Chiuri opened with daywear: a hooded monk’s tunic in cashmere cut to jacket-length and belted over matching cropped pants. She listed uniform dressing among her references, and leather berets and cross-bodies slung with the bags in back imposed a militaristic ardor on some of the dark, unfussy clothes.
Chiuri went more obviously Dior with jackets over graceful full skirts, but less so with denim, which looked fine and young. Evening proved interesting, as Chiuri’s models wore her moody, ethereal tulles and embroideries with relaxed attitudes.

Christian Dior Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear FW2016

Where was Dior taking us, other than a fashion show? The grandiose set made us feel like we were about to step in a huge time machine. The big mirroring backdrop and a voice repeating “Time, time, time” on the soundtrack were only endorsing this. And if there’s only one thing that’s more involved with tim(e)ing, it must be fashion. It got us speculating with our neighbours. But what got us even more speculating was: what to expect from a show without primary creative director? At least, it didn’t stop the celebs from coming. And social media was still overflowing with Dior hashtags. Sure, there was no guessing whether this was still Dior, but it was missing the big bang. It’s jaw-dropping effect, it’s I-want-it-all and I-want-it-now- effect.

This collection felt younger and less extravaganza than previous ones. We saw the familiair bar jackets, off-the-shoulder bustier tops being layered over dresses, contrast of patterns of differing fabrics, contrasting furs as a collar, knee-length blossoming skirts, lots of black suiting, high-waisted pencil skirts and softer jackets. Not to mention those pointy shoes, and we can’t deny we felt our heart skip a beat when that red-orange coat came along. Dior showed us once more their serious atelier skills and it’s dedication to the house aesthetics, but we couldn’t help but wonder what’s the next step they’ll take in time. Like Anna Wintour said: fashion is always about looking forward and Dior need’s someone to direct this time machine.

Christian Dior Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

It was not the strongest collection of Galliano for the house of Christian Dior, but is was for sure a memorable one. Not only because of the scandal the designer caused last week, but also because of the fact Dior fired the designer, the speech that Sidney Toledano – chief executive of Dior – held before the show this afternoon  and the atelier that received a standing ovation at the end of the show. In his speech Mr  Toledano didn’t mention Galliano at all, but he decried racism while reminding guests of the long heritage and bright future of Dior (see  parts of the speech below)

Outside the showvenue – the Rodin Museum – the scene was a mob. Police closed the street to accomodate the hundreds of people invited to the show waiting to get in.

The collection – that was finished by the couture house’s staff – was ultra-feminine. It reflected flirty styles from the early 20th century – and seemed primed for flappers, knickered ruffians, and ladies in their boudoirs. Boots were over-the-knee and on platforms, and the bags were big and roomy – looks that haven’t been seen on other runways this season, where shoes and bags have tended to be more prim and structured.

Parts from the speech Mr Toledano gave before the start of the show (quoted from New York Times):

“Since its founding by Monsieur Dior, the House of Christian Dior has lived an extraordinary and wonderful story and has had the honor of embodying France’s image, and its values, all around the world. What has happened over the last week has been a terrible and wrenching ordeal to us all. It has been deeply painful to see the Dior name associated with the disgraceful statements attributed to its designer, however brilliant he may be. Such statements are intolerable because of our collective duty to never forget the Holocaust and its victims, and because of the respect for human dignity that is owed to each person and to all peoples. These statements have deeply shocked and saddened all at Dior who give body and soul to their work, and it is particularly painful that they came from someone so admired for his remarkable creative talent.”

…

“Christian Dior’s values were those of excellence in all that he undertook, of elegance and craftsmanship reflecting his unique talent.”

…

“The heart of the House of Dior, which beats unseen, is made up of its teams and studios, of its seamstresses and craftsman, who work hard day after day, never counting the hours, and carrying on the values and the vision of Monsieur Dior.”

Dior Homme Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Karl Lagerfeld and P. Diddy, attending the Dior Homme fashion show on Saturday, caused quite a stir. Diddy was in Paris to promote his new CD ‘Last train to Paris’ and stopped by at Dior while he was in the neighborhood. Lagerfeld probably was just curious on how good of a job Kris van Assche did.

Van Assche came up with perfectly tailored menswear, yet it was nothing too unexpected. His models wore light grey suits with turtle necks, woolen cardigans, black capes and very minimalistic coats. The pants were loos-fitting and most minimalistic looks were accessorized by large (Western-inspired?) hats.

At the end a little bit of bright red was added to the color palette of grey, black and brown. The clean looks appeared easy and wearable; just what men look for in their clothing.

Catwalktrend FW2010: Pencil skirts

Since Christian Dior introduced the pencil skirt in the late 1940s the item has had several popular periods. A few years ago it’s popularity increased again. Victoria Beckham, who – at that time – seemed to be a pencil skirt-ambassador, might have started the trend then. And now the skirt is still hot.

For fall Italian fashion houses like Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino showed many pencil skirts. Domenico and Stefano made theirs less stiff. They looked more comfortable than the average pencil skirt and they’d probably be much more easy to walk in too. At Moschino the skirts ended above the knee.

We’re not quite sure if they’d count as pencil skirts, but we did spot some ruffled pencil-shaped versions. Both Moschino and Nina Ricci came up with those, one in black, one grey-shaded with flowers.

Other brands that made the pencil skirt work were Dior, Dsquared, Etro and Paul Smith. Some looked more comfortable than others, but overall the skirts appeared elegant and made the models look sexy and feminine.

Trends ss2010: la la lingerie

For season ss2010 a lot of attention went out to underwear and lingerie. Many designers used lingerie-influences in their collections. Sometimes underwear was even presented as fully-fledged clothing. Especially at Dolce & Gabbana and Jean Paul Gaultier lingerie played a big part. The Dolce & Gabbana fashion show ended with all the models on stage wearing sexy, vintage-like lingerie with animal and floral prints. As the inventor of the famous cone-bra, Jean Paul Gaultier could not stay behind in this lingerie-trend. He used cone-bra details in many of his designs. Marc Jacobs let one of his models wear silky lingerie on top of her regular clothes. At Dior lingerie was combined with airy nightwear. Many models wore corsets in which their breasts were highly accentuated. Most of the time  they were worn with sexy skirts, but they were also manufactered in some dresses. The corsets were made of silk or transparent fabrics, adorned with bows, laces and ruffles. Karl Lagerfield decorated them with pieces of leather that reflected the bright spotlights as if they were made out of metal. (Tess van Daelen)

Christian Dior Catwalk Fashion Show FW09

Dior Catwalk Fashion Show Menswear FW09

Christian Dior Catwalk Fashion Show SS09

Christian Dior Haute Couture Catwalk Fashion Show FW08

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