The show celebrates the relationship between man and the stars, between the past and the future, which is precisely why Kim Jones, Dior’s Creative Director, chooses as the location the ancient pyramids of Egypt, a place par excellence that harks back to the ancient world. As the sun goes down, a very long illuminated catwalk emerges from the desert and the dresses: moving silhouettes, begin to walk between the three pyramids of Chephren, Mycerinus and Cheops. The main colors presented in the parade reflect those of the sky which overlooks the location, the surrounding landscape itself and the passing of time: a prevalence of grays alternates with more neutral colors, which together give way to the strong colors of the sunset. Yellows and oranges light up and create a refined splash of color among the 75 silhouettes that set out into the desert wind. The designer leaves nothing to chance and in fact the number of dresses represents precisely the number of years that have passed since the great couturier founded the Maison Dior in Paris. The collection avoids any reference to clothing to Ancient Egypt and focuses on the importance of the stars and the sky. In fact, the fashion show opens by evoking the imagery of the explorer, here presented in a modern, almost futuristic key. The light-colored clothes, elegant and refined, are worn on the catwalk with a colored visor helmet and technical boots.
“My interest in ancient Egypt is about the stars and the sky. It is the fascination of the ancient world and the parallels with what we look at today, what we have inherited from them and what we are still learning from the past.”
At the base of all the dresses in the collection there is the union of the present and the past: the designer perfectly mixes the rigor and order of Dior’s sartorial heritage with the modern, up-to-date principles of the men’s atelier, demonstrating throughout a strong focus on pattern cutting. The dresses are the means of the perfect metamorphosis of classic women’s clothes into a masculine wardrobe with couture details and contemporary practicality. Every detail comes from the past and is revisited with a modern twist, such as archival embroidery that is transformed into futuristic armor. Well-structured suits that follow the sartorial tradition of the French Maison are paired with ultra-lightweight transparent silk outerwear that allows a glimpse of what’s underneath to give the suit a fluid and even more sophisticated touch. Layered silhouettes are the stars of the show, in fact long capes in various shades of gray are worn over jackets and sweaters to create movement in the look. The most important piece is definitely the demi-kilt that originates from the pleated skirt of a 1950s Dior dress called Bonne Fortune and in the new collection emphasizes a contemporary ease and fluidity. The dresses are enhanced by hats with visors and stiff veils to cover the face and helmets that are reminiscent, like the boots, of the technical and sporty world. Creative Director Kim Jones has long been motivated to infuse his menswear with ideas taken from Dior’s womenswear archive. And this latest show is just the perfect recap of the two worlds presented in a single show, where past and future come together resulting in garments that reflect the passage of time in a modern and elegant way, as only the French Maison can do.
“Really, I was looking at two things. The ancient Egyptians were obsessed by astronomy, and Monsieur Dior was obsessed by stars and astrology. When I go into the desert, I look at the sky.”
