Dior’s Front Row Was Like No Other, Including Rihanna In The Most Fabulous Sheer Dress

It's time to say bonjour to the final leg of fashion month - Paris has begun and it's back with a bang. As crowds gathered in the City of Light's Tuileries, Dior curated a front row moment like no other - from Blackpink's Jisoo to Rihanna herself. Grazia had a front row seat; this is what we learned

The Front Row

Shout it from the rooftops - Rihanna’s in Paris! Fresh from her front row appearance at Gucci, the mother-to-be attended the latest Dior show in viral style. The takeaway from Rihanna's increasingly sensational maternity gear? The naked dress trend is going nowhere. Dressed in black, sheer négligée with knee-high boots and an oversized leather parka, RiRi near shut down the Tuileries. She was joined by Dior face and The Queen’s Gambit star, Anya Taylor-Joy, Bridgeton newcomer Charithra Chandran, Yara Shahidi, Alexa Chung and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who wore the pin-sharp combination of a white button-down and black neck tie. Outside, Elle Macpherson, 57 and dressed in a hooded, navy wrap coat and lace-up combat boots, signed autographs.

How Clever Are Your Clothes?

For creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, this season was all about 'clever clothes', meaning clothes that 'can help with your style of life or protect your body'.

A new collaboration with Italian start-up company D-Air Lab, which specialises in high-tech apparel used in extreme sports like motocross or ski, meant meshing functionality with fashion. A Dior signature, the Bar jacket, had a revamp using a technical fabric based on the Antarctica Suit, which can regulate body temperatures. Additional airbags, which inflate on impact, are constructed inside the brand’s iconic tailoring.

Why the need for protection? Maria Grazia Chiuri told Grazia backstage, 'It is a new territory, fashion and technology which is very interesting today. I’m obsessed with the idea that fashion is in connection with our body and that our body is comfortable.' She continued, 'We are speaking about comfort and the idea that fashion has to be uncomfortable is a very old style.'

The Show Space

Chiuri always sets an impressive stage for her storytelling and this season was no exception. The vast show space was constructed like a gallery, or a 'library of photographs' featuring hundreds of large-scale artworks by Italian artist Mariella Bettineschi. Almost all the original female portraits had been taken by a man, which Bettineschi painted again in black and white, raised on a white border (the idea being that the women were elevated) and subverted the female’s vision, so that the subject could become the viewer.

The Internet Accessories

The sign of a good show? When you exit compiling a shopping list. Few do a cult accessory better than Maria Grazia Chiuri and come winter, the Dior woman will be stomping around in chunky, thick-soled knee boots - perfect storm attire. Expect to see the knee-high, graphic 'compression' socks, with a 'The Next Era' logo running down the side, worn with kitten heels and embroidered ankle straps all over Instagram. She revived a Dior classic too - the iconic Roger Vivier pump, which looked especially great worn with slouchy, wide-leg jeans. Plus, a special mention goes to the delicate, sparkly headbands entwined in Grecian-style 'dos. Did someone say 'Christmas present'?

The Everyday 'It' Items

There was plenty to lust over, from laser-cut leather A-line skirts to the cropped plaid tailoring. Chiuri even wants to bring an element of comfort to event dressing - a gold brocade duvet coat, worn over matching trousers, looked particularly cosy. The corsetry trend, first seen in Milan, looks set to stay, with corseted denim making an appearance. Adds to basket