MANIFESTO

#61

ART NOW

BAROQUE EMPOWERMENT

2022.09.28

Text by Lucrezia Sgualdino

A collection that rethinks the concept of fashion as an expression of power and full representation of creativity, investigating between historical legacy and the future of femininity. 

Maria Grazia Chiuri designs Dior’s spring/summer 2023 starting from a map of Paris taken from the Maison’s archives. The practicality of it is proposed again in a black and white print, and the non-tangible side in the inspiration to Catherine de’ Medici who arrives in Paris in 1533 and wants the Tuileries garden. A strong woman of power, she travels from Italy bringing with her innovation, intelligence and awareness; heels, corset and lace of Burano, which become part of the Court manufactures, arrives to court. The noblewoman is precisely emblematic of the relationship between femininity and power, endowed with wise political skills and a great sagacity, capable of carrying forward tradition and innovation. Women are able to explore hidden, magical territories, managing to establish unique connections with nature, animal kingdom and all the great life forces that come with it. They travel through imaginary worlds, fantastic and dark at the same time. What the show’s setting depicts is a sacred, natural and enveloping environment. A cave with Baroque influences, a cave that changes and evolves with time along with the advent of nature, just like the inner world of every woman, the mystery that envelops her. 

The collection itself investigates the relationship between woman and power. Fashion becomes a real resource for the female figure, a journey of the mind but also a great form of awareness and reflection compared to the outside world. Perception, knowledge and experience are elements that allow fashion to dialogue with reality. Traditional Court dresses are transformed: corsets with geometric shapes, hidden or visible guêpière, mini crinolines and maxi volumes. It all refers to the silhouettes of the wide skirts of the Court of France. Dark makeup and black color tone down the purity of white and sand laces, pearls around the neck and romantic patterns. A color palette that reflects the Baroque, lots of black and white, sand and gold colors with floral prints and embroideries. Creativity and skilled craftsmanship pay homage to fashion as an art of invention and reinterpretation, rooted in the Parisian tradition that evolves over time. Fashion colors every space and also represents every tiny facet in which we find ourselves projected, across places, times, cultures and thoughts. Boldness and inventiveness, together with the exaggeration of a historical period of exuberant details and great opulence, give a modern and contemporary vision of a classic language. 

RIVE DROITE

SAINT LAURENT BY
VANESSA BEECROFT

2023.02.15

Saint Laurent invites Vanessa Beecroft to photograph the Spring 23 collection: a selection of 14 polaroids is on display at Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles. 

COLLECTION

Gucci Après-Ski

2022.12.15

The Maison presents the new Gucci Après-Ski collection, a selection of garments designed for a luxurious and refined high-altitude season told through a retro campaign inspired by the relaxed atmosphere of winter holidays.

JACQUEMUS

"LE RAPHIA"

2022.12.13

Under a relentless rain of raffia, that breaks in like a summer storm, Jacquemus presents its new Spring Summer 2023 collection, titled “Le Raphia”. The natural fiber becomes the undisputed star moving from its raw essence to being extremely luxurious.

CELINE

Age of Indieness

2022.12.12

Age of Indieness spotlights an aesthetic raised from the indie-sleaze era of the 1990s and early 2000s, Celine’s Winter 2023 collection, designed by Hedi Slimane, walk the catwalk at the Wiltern Theatre in the heart of Los Angeles.

Fashion

Chanel
Métiers d’Art

2022.12.09

The Chanel Métiers d’Art 2022/23 collection, presented under the artistic direction of Virginie Viard, parades at the Palais de Justice in Dakar, capital of Senegal. The show is unique in terms of creativity, and a tribute to the savoir-faire of the place.