A whole new generation is currently being introduced to the fashion significance of Christian Dior as they stream Apple’s new TV series The New Look. And off screen in Paris, current creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri was also focussed on using her latest catwalk show to connect with today’s modern woman: a Miss Dior, if you like.
The New Look’s star Maisie Williams joined Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman and Elizabeth Debicki on the front row to see the unveiling of a collection emblazoned with the slogan Miss Dior. It was a reference to the pivotal moment in the late 1960s when Dior went from a storied couture house, making everything bespoke for a handful of clients, to a brand who stocking rails of clothes in their Miss Dior boutique, that the new, independent consumer could walk out wearing.
‘It was very unusual,’ Chiuri said of the move by the then-creative director Marc Bohan to evolve the couture house into what’s now become known as ready-to-wear. ‘But he found a balance: being able to make couture but also understanding that there was a new client who didn’t want to spend hours in fittings for a couture dress. She wanted clothes for her car, for work, for going out.’
Chiuri believes today’s Dior consumers have similar desires. ‘Clothes that are beautiful but functional; that’s modernity,’ she said backstage of the thinking that had gone into her AW 24/25 collection. ‘Clothes must protect you but also give you freedom to move.’
That philosophy translated into a collection that looked – above all else – easy to wear. Relaxed tailoring and mini-skirt suits were presented in a largely restrained colour palette: navy, black, white and beige – plus leopard print and denim thrown in for good measure. (Note, too, the liberal use of a skinny polo neck knit worn under suiting; a styling tip to take away now). Gone were the formal bar jackets that defined the New Look, in favour of a leather and checked bomber jackets, trenches and ladylike, dropped shoulder coats cut just above the knee. One jacket went even further when it came to delivering on function and fashion: featuring a removable gilet, to give it longevity throughout the season. Even the evening dresses had an ease to them, cut in simple silhouettes and worn with plain thong sandals.
Elsewhere, the shoes were also eminently practical. Boots were flat and over-the-knee or low-heeled, studded with gold. And even those a touch more risqué – patent with gladiator detailing at the back – had a golden ball-style heel.
As for the items that have cult status written all over them? Jackets, coats, skirts and some bags emblazoned with the Miss Dior slogan, using the same typeface as was originally used on the 1960s boutique shopping bags. Expect to see everywhere this autumn.
