The ESSENCE
OF ELEGANCE

Set against a white background stitched with a geometric motif, evoking a fabric’s dual weave, emerged twenty-three dresses measuring approximately five metres high, reduced to their simplest expression. They recalled the monumental dimensions of royal ceremonial attire and the idea of power they represent, beyond the notion of the body and time period. Designed by the Italian artist Isabella Ducrot, the Big Aura installation reflected Maria Grazia Chiuri’s fascination with the aura of a haute couture creation and the way – through its uniqueness and authenticity – it becomes inscribed in the collective consciousness.

The Creative Director transcribed that mysticism in a collection of looks that captured the spirit of Dior style and its permutations. Opening the show, several variations on the trench highlighted the quest for purity of line through precise cuts and savvy constructions. Such virtuosity could also be seen in the architectural rigour of tweed suits, or in a contemporary reinvention of the emblematic Bar jacket, paired with a wrap skirt and fashioned in heathered wool. Exploring the House’s archives, the Creative Director revisited the Profilée line of autumn-winter 1952, for which the founding couturier drew inspiration from “modern techniques” of the twentieth century, illustrating his fascination with advancements in industry.

A dialogue between past and present is also embodied by two reinterpretations of the La Cigale gown: one an enchanting cherry-red strapless version and the other in black moiré fabric with a peplum. The iconic Miss Dior, with its radiant energy, was revealed in a “buttercup” iteration embellished with a fabulous herbarium embroidered with dyed ribbons, golden thread, silk and antique jewels.

Vibrant and undulating, moiré crafted with prodigious skill that pushes ever further the limits of excellence gave the show a throughline in a palette of striking shades exalted by iridescent sheen. Traditionally used for the vestments of influence and authority, it elevated coats with imposing collars, wide skirts with exaggerated cutouts, and delicately draped pants and dresses, symbolizing the sacred power of couture and the infinite poetry of the hand.