The heritage of Dior: Quiet brilliance

By Iris Edén Santiago

Special to The Star

Dior is always that welcoming moment of calm in between runways of bold and loud fashion. A champagne sorbet in a sea of sparkling waters.

Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023 collection, presented at the Musée Rodin in Paris, was a parade of classic shapes with emphasis on structure and construction. It is an ode to complexity in simplicity. Models seemed to float on the runway wearing ethereal looks in a restrained, low-key, high-impact palette of colors like white, nude, beige, gray, black, silver and gold. A very soft palette, light and basic. But then, there is nothing basic about Dior. Is there?

When fluffy macrame, guipure lace and clear glass embellishments transform neutral shades into show-stopping looks, you know it is a collection to be taken seriously. This is the power of haute couture in its purest form. There is glamour in simplicity, ladies.

We liked the pleated blouses, sheer tops, column dresses, high-waisted skirts and business jackets worn with long maxi skirts and plain sheaths. Especially loved the strategic use of fishnet, metallic threads and the contrast of crisp white tops modeled with sequined bottoms and textured skirts in muted gold.

Chiffon, poplin, lamé, lurex, gauze and tweed were some of the textiles combined with tiny pearls, small crystal beads and barely there sequins to create dramatic yet understated fabulous looks that only speak of that silence luxury-savvy women in high circles are drawn to.

The House of Dior notes state the show is a final appreciation of the “ineffably contemporary creations by Chiuri, fusing the allure of classical costume with the lives and expectations of the women of today, all interpreted through the endless expressive possibilities Dior provides. Recalling contemporary incarnations of the goddesses of antiquity, the collection rethought the codes and conventions of classical costume. Employing all kinds of ‘Dior savoir faire,’ the resulting pieces possess a uniquely calm grace, even when dense with decoration, in serene and timeless tones.”

“By perpetuating the cult of the goddess and reinterpreting the founding emblems of antiquity, the défilé becomes a contemporary ritual, illustrating the strength and fragility of femininity, which supports and sustains the community we form.”