#maria grazia chiuri
Dior | Fall Winter 2022-23 Ready-to-Wear | model Sade van der Hoeven | ph Alessandro Lucioni
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Dior New Looks
Jérome Gautier
Thames & Hudson, London 2022, 312 pages, 28.8 x 21.6 cm., Hardcover, ISBN 9780500025048
euro 53,00
email if you want to buy [email protected]
A timely celebration of one of the world’s greatest couture houses, which combines Christian Dior’s classics with the newest creations, published to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Christian Dior’s first collection. In this lavish collection Jérome Gautier collects the outstanding elements of Dior’s style for every generation since 1947, pairing classic and contemporary photographs together with some exquisite rarities. Christian Dior’s “New Look” amazed the world as it emerged after wartime austerity, and reset the boundaries of modern elegance. Dior’s search for the perfect line and the ideal silhouette continues with couturiers of the first rank: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri have all made their distinctive contribution. In these pages, the most beautiful fashion plates from Dior’s own time sit beside examples of the house’s creations from each decade. This beautiful volume honors and celebrates Dior past and present with undisputed elegance and panache.
07/04/22
orders to: [email protected]
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Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Fall 2021 Couture
Credits:
Elin Svahn - Fashion Editor/Stylist
Guido Palau - Hair Stylist
Peter Philips - Makeup Artist
Michelle Lee - Casting Director
Models:
Steinberg (Opened)
Oumie Jammeh
Eleonore Ghiuritan
Matea Brakus
Africa Penalver
Maty Fall
Evgenia Dubinova
Naomi Chin Wing
Grace Clover
Chai Maximus (Closed)
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Paris Fashion Week - Menswear
I’m completely exhausted after having covered all the three major menswear fashion weeks and if I think Couture Fashion Week has just started and will be over in just some days - this means I’m going to cover it very soon - I think I’m going to die - and we haven’t got to RTW Fashion Weeks yet! But after all, I love fashion, and that’s why this is sweet labour for me - since I started studying fashion for my MA my life is completely soaked in it, today I was at a conference with three of the most important Italian fashion historians - I love my life!
But apart from my personal life, here we go with the best runways from Paris, day by day!
Day 1
Yes, it was a very exciting fashion week after all, and I was surprised by a city which I thought was fashion only for the marvelous past it had in the business. 22/4_Hommes (photo 1) was a great shot to start with. I enjoyed this collection the more I went ahead with the looks. Still could do without the fur, but in general it was classy in a new way, even if giving a sort of reference to the past. Loved the elongated silhouettes and the edgy cut of jackets and coats.
Lemaire then delivered a collection for hipsters growing up, while Walter van Beirendonck was brave for opening a collection in Paris after the recent happenings at Charlie Hebdo with a top on which the sentence ‘Stop terrorising our world’ was written. It was a strong message, if not for the content in itself - it’s a pretty simplistic and obvious statement - at least it reminded everyone fashion can be used as a very big means of communication. Apart from that, I saw a lot of reference to art in this very eccentric collection, especially Picasso and Braque: colourful pullovers with faces, a lot of patchwork, even three-dimensional. And there was eroticism also: 'Explicit’ was written on some of the looks, and explicit enough was the mini sex toy hanging from the chain of the accessory decorating some of the pieces.
It would be a lie if I said I didn’t like Valentino collection. Yet, it was nothing like the last collections, and this time Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli went for something very very understated that, after all, really risked of being not interesting enough. The only very positive thing I can point is the fact they finally chose to use some more popping colours than usual - even if, again, everything was really subtle. But this is Valentino, of course.
We’ve understood reminiscence is going to be a big inspiration among designers for the next few seasons. Raf Simons (photo 2) took the theme and made it his own in a shocking way. The coats were covered in drawings and writing tags, from the most infant-like to the ones more appealing to adolescence and the rebelliousness that comes with it. The clothes talked about time: raw hems, floor-length proportions mimicking something like 'too big for your age’, and the last, fantastic looks, 'ruined’ by holes but at the same time getting their charm exactly from those flaws, because they talk about time, and time and memories are some of the most precious goods we have in life.
Balenciaga (photo 3), under the direction of Alexander Wang, instead, had no flaw which could be apparently found in its looks. Not even a seaming could be seen. It’s such perfection that you can’t even imagine it can exist. But it can, and after all Balenciaga has always been about this: construction and structure before anything else. Nothing more, nothing less. Just the piece of clothing and the person wearing it.
Day 2
3.1 Philipp Lim put together formalwear with dynamic materials, shapes and details, while when I saw Kolor collection I thought, at the beginning, 'Ooops, there’s someone here copying Missoni’; but then I rethought my judgement and kinda enjoyed the overall collection, with its subtle playfulness. Loved the trouser details, like pockets and closures, applied to coats.
You can’t help talking about a collection everyone talked about just because models were actually walking down the runway with their 'little friends’ hanging freely in front of the audience. Yes, I’m talking about Rick Owens. Apart from this little detail, been overlooked by the designer who defined it as 'juvenile transgression’, I really think there was something wrong in this collection. Believe me, I’m all for research on new ways to do fashion, but apart from very few looks, it was just formless rags hardly covering the body. And the dicks bouncing freely down the runway just distracted you from the most important thing: clothes.
At least there was Louis Vuitton (photo 4) to comfort us all. Angels were singing in my head as soon as I saw the first look and immediately fell in love with this collection. It was great in its simplicity. The clothes in themselves were just plain, ordinary clothes, but everything was superbly toned up with the quality of material, the perfect cut - have you ever seen such perfection in cut, shape and proportion? GOD, I’m crazy about it! - and the print, which was sublime, being figurative as well as optical, looking like a giant tattoo sometimes, and a maxi decoration in some other instances. Classic monogram bags were the right complement for such an amazing view.
Dries Van Noten offered a great variety of clothes of which I particularly liked the quilted trousers. Alexander Wang (photo 5) hit the jackpot with his own collection again after Balenciaga. It’s now obvious, he elevated activewear to its first and foremost inspiration and style and we’re always happy to see what such a motive can bring to fashion. This time it looked more summery than anything you can possibly wear for winter, and the Hawaiian-like prints make this impression stronger. Loved it anyway. It’s like waiting for the summer to come ASAP.
Viktor & Rolf presented a collection which was less conceptual than usual, still loved the digitised print and the colour palette for the slick skinny-fit suits.
Day 3
Maison Margiela went very 70s with a wearability we don’t expect from the maison - is it a sign of the changes happening with John Galliano’s return? Ann Demeulemeester instead confused me a little bit with the huge amount of pieces they sent down the runway, but overall there were some very interesting details, like the rows of dozens of buttons going over tops, trousers and coats, as well as the heavy layering of some pieces.
Juun.J chose XL proportions with military vibe and formalwear as the ingredients of this new collection. Kris Van Assche instead manipulated camouflage and made it urban and appealing.
Comme des Garçons (photo 6) is always one of those collections you expect with excitement because you know it’s going to explosive. This time it seemed like the main focus of the designer was the research on male suit. There were reinvented proportions, buttons moved from one place to another, oversize shorts instead of trousers, a real revolution of the most conservative piece in the male wardrobe. The dreamy part - never missing in CDG collection- ? Total tattoo look.
Givenchy (photo 7) was another one you would probably like to see. Despite the usual references to gender crossing in fashion these days, there was something very masculine about this collection, and something very erotic too. I don’t know it it was for the colout combination - guess black and these tones of red and orange together turn me on. I absolutely adored the print looking like a Persian rug.
J. W. Anderson knows what he’s doing and he does it in such an amazing way that you start wondering if Loewe (photo 8) has ever been so amazingly fascinating. This time it seemed every garment was infused with a retro 60s atmosphere which really made it look like an authentic vintage piece of clothing. Yet, it has the brightness - in colour, in cut, in material - of today.
Day 4
If it wasn’t obvious, the 'UFO’ written on some of Kenzo pieces (photo 9) swept away all the doubts you could have about the inspiration of this collection. Yet, the biggest achievement for the designers of the maison was to talk about something so otherworldly as aliens in such a down-to-earth way. Irony in the presumably 'alien’ symbols - but there were actually human symbols mixed with them as well - covering total looks or combined to form messages added that smile which sealed the entire collection. Genius and futuristic the leather bundles as bags. Études Studio (photo 10) was not one of the most innovative collections, but it was eye-catching for sure, and I loved the reference to architecture visible in the geometry of the patterns and in the structure of many of the looks.
Dior Homme went for businessmen with a touch of colour this time, Wooyoungmin chose soft comfy silhouettes and, to close the day, Miharayasuhiro displayed decadence in an opulent way, with denim torn apart and enriched by brocade-like prints.
Day 5
InUndercover’s collection(photo 11) everything was thought to the last detail: the velvet of the coat was perfect to accentuate the beautiful bright shade of blue; many pieces had a back as important as the front in terms of decoration; some outerwear even had a pocket for iPhone6. It was young, fresh and perfect for the metropolitan boy of today.
No Editions delivered a collection of basic classic silhouettes with soft cozy fur - I only hope that was faux fur. Paul Smith was somewhat more polished than usual, it seems he wants to focus on the suit and on geometrical patterns. From Umit Benan I appreciated the inspiration coming from sea - fishermen were everywhere. Still wished he went a little bit further with this inspiration, making it more modern - some looks really looked like they were actual fishermen’s clothes. Loved the warm knit in multicoloured patterns.
Thom Browne (photo 12) was the perfect ending to Paris Fashion Week - even if he wasn’t the very last designer to show. It was subtler than usual, but after all, it was total black. And it’s so genius to present a total black collection, even more if the obvious theme of it all is mourning - and if this mourning comes at the end of Paris Fashion Week. Amazing quality of the cut, there is every ingredient that makes Thom Browne recognisable, included the jacket + shorts suit. Feminine-inspired pieces for men were alternated to more manly silhouettes. The thing I liked the most was, paradoxically, the life exuding from every garment, like in the aztec print beautifully camouflaged in a ton-sur-ton black: there is life after death, and Thom Browne wants to be designer in it as well.
The honour of actually closing in Paris was given, of course, to Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent. I understand Slimane’s style is 70s, edgy, rock, but there should be something changing, because in this way I’m just getting the same thing every season. And then there were too many too similar looks. Apart from very few strong pieces, in general it was something extremely predictable.
xxx
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Paris Fashion Week - Days 7, 8 & 9
Day 7
Asymmetry was the element used by Stella McCartney (photo 1) to explore fashion in her new collection. Asymmetry was in the panels of the beautiful dresses and jackets, asymmetry was in the cut resulting in amazing natural draping of the textile, asymmetry was in the mixing of prints - grey and paisley, for example.
Deconstruction can be researched in many ways - the one chosen by Sacai was through the use of materials with others which you would never think to put together. There were structured coats with the insertion of fake fur or panels of knitwear in pinstriped suits. And then ruffles and chiffon for the ‘feminine’ part. Quietly sneaking in the fashion week, Esteban Cortazar (photo 2) offered one of those collections you don’t see very often: short, very thoughtful, innovative in some cases but minimal. It was like ‘less is more’ and ‘more is more’ were possibly merged in a unique collection where black was the main colour, paired with other bright shades of red and yellow, where sheer fabrics were decorated by fringes and fringes became the only element constituting a whole skirt. A collection where curved cuts followed the lines of the body revealing what had to be revealed and concealing the rest. A very good surprise.
For Saint Laurent you wouldn’t think Hedi Slimane could become even more rock’n’roll, yet this collection proved all of us wrong. Starting from make-up, the hint was clear: it was hard rock. Ballerina skirts were structured in leather and paired to apparently sweet polka dots with biker jackets and super skinny trousers.
Day 8
I’m pretty sure whoever is lucky enough to attend a Chanel show (photo 3) gets shocked by how much creativity there can be in only one man - yes, I’m obviously talking about Karl Lagerfeld. A collection divided into two parts: the first half was clearly more avant-garde and experimental than the second one, more wearable, yet not less innovative and striking. In the first part Kaiser Karl played with textures, he gave us some origami sleeves, some extra-quilted coats and bombers, everything paired with very conservative tartan wool skirts and the usual tweed. The second part presented some very recognisable Chanel elements: one among others, the twin-set with hems in contrasting colours. Yet, what about the beautiful mosaic skirts? Or the floor-length knitted gowns, giving the body an extra-long and sophisticated shape with the maximum of comfort? Not to talk about the cute little dresses inspired by male tuxedo, with beautiful juxtaposition of layers of delicate materials. Exquisite.
Valentin Yudashkin knows what sexy means and showed it in his collection. Beautiful the multicoloured lace with flowers, leaves and animals. It’s impossible then not to love Valentino’s collection (photo 4) even when Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli don’t take a direction you would think extremely satisfying - and this was the case this time. The first part was unusual for Valentino: black and white, extremely structured pieces, graphic psychedelic quality of the prints. They actually played with psychedelia even in the second part, where the simple long shapes of the nearly Pre-Raphaelite dresses was the clearest sign of the latest Valentino aesthetic, this time revisited with a brightly coloured flowery lace. The coloured embroideries against the black background of such looks gave an even stronger optical impression.
If there’s someone who knows how to use materials - unconventional ones - that’s Iris Van Herpen (photo 5). It was amazing how she can translate beautiful feminine shapes, like cocktail dresses with round skirts or long evening gowns, into something new, still unseen, using metallic elements, silicon, or a fabric used in a way that makes it look like wood.
In Alexander McQueen’s collection decaying roses were the clearest metaphor for a theme which has been highly explored during this fashion month: death. Or time passing by, people getting old, life slipping through your fingers, just like a decaying flower. The slightly old-looking long dresses where stripes of chiffon were layered in a sort of ruffling seemed to convey that, as well as the beautifully sad cocktail dress with the skirt looking like a giant rose bouquet with burnt petals. Sarah Burton definitely knows how to continuously reinvent Alexander McQueen’s style.
Day 9
The day opened with the new Nicolas Ghesquière’s collection for Louis Vuitton, where luxury and wearability went at the same pace, followed then by Masha Ma, who chose activewear lines for really simple knitted dresses and beautiful sexy tailleurs with folding skirts. The richness came from the fabrics. Awesome the black coats.
Moncler Gamme Rouge (photo 6) specialises in outerwear, but this time really proved it can go successful even in the most basic pieces of clothing. The vichy prints over riding coats, trench coats or quilted windbreakers, sometimes with lace patterns, are translated into skirts, blouses, everything in a very rigorous style. Loved the plastic coated pieces.
Minimalism which doesn’t give up on elegance and sophistication came from Allude, with beautiful knitted long-sleeved dresses with criss-crossing of panels and floor length giving height to the body, or manipulated white chiffon to look wearied, but still feminine and fashion-forward. Zuhair Murad (photo 7) was really amazing at translating his beautiful elegant long gowns into cocktail dresses with lace or tribal prints.
Every time you look at a Miu Miu fashion show (photo 8) it’s like watching little girls playing with their mothers’ clothes - of course those mothers rigorously wear Prada. And so you find tartan and pied-de-poule trench coats reinvented in a cheerful nearly childish way: flamboyant colours, insertion of snakeskin or whole little dresses made out of fake croco in neon yellow or sky blue. Beautiful the maxi-skirts with giant buttons.
xxx
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