In the course of the collections that keep pace with the fashion seasons, the Fall is, for Maria Grazia Chiuri, a special time for reflection, a long-term questioning, constantly renewed. Every time the wardrobe is revived by a series of pieces whose construction, cuts, materials and creativity are unique and can meet the needs of every woman.
This Dior line is an opportunity to pay tribute to New York City, a metropolis to which – as a gift from the French in the United States at the end of the 19th century – a statue became the symbol of this incredible city. In Christian Dior's autobiography, the chapter dedicated to his trip Paris – New York opens a dialogue between the two fashion capitals that Maria Grazia Chiuri radiates with two essential prints: the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower in large format on many models.
The bridge between these two cultures is Marlene Dietrich, charismatic actress and counter-current, attached to Dior, to the city as on screen. Maria Grazia Chiuri inspires herself to build a collection that combines the Dior silhouette with the fantastic presence of the diva and its boylike look. The tweed fabrics used come directly from a selection of English male textiles. In his Little Fashion Dictionary, Mr. Dior writes: « In recent years, the employment of tweed has even been extended to dressed tailors. I find them extremely elegant. Carrying them in the country is a must. At one time, there were only very thick tweeds on the market, but now they exist in different thicknesses, qualities and colours. » Marlene Dietrich's men's costumes sparked scandal, claiming a freedom which, let us not forget, passes through the choice of any woman to dress as she sees fit, with, for example, a tie or a sleeveless jacket: so many emblems that complement each other. The jackets are accompanied by wide pants with pliers or a pencil skirt stopping under the knee.
The precious and sometimes very light dresses, the style of which recalls the 1940s, suggest that lingerie is an essential element of the outfit. Fabrics such as martelé satin, ruffled velvet or crepe are reinterpreted in a contemporary spirit. Some of the skirt dresses inlaid with lace – often appearing under large lined coats – are made of Padded Nylon with a canning pattern. Embroidery evokes brooches with the fetish codes dear to the designer-founder: the star, the muguet, the clover or the bee. Lace collars become real structural intarsias. As far as mesh is concerned, creativity as virtuoso as inventive allows it to decline in all its formidable plurality.
A field of possibilities that celebrates the encounter of cultures. A conversation about freedom to give shape and substance to what every woman decides to be.