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. 

LOUIS VUITTON

GHESQUIÈRE OCTOBER 2014

2023.09.20

The GO-14 bag, an acronym for Ghesquière October 2014, originated as one of the first creations to mark the designer’s debut at the head of the Louis Vuitton Maison.

NEWS

On Foot

2023.09.19

The exhibition On Foot, curated by Jonathan Anderson at Offer Waterman Gallery, will bring contemporary artists in dialogue with works of modern British Art and some interventions conceived by the designer himself.

EXHIBITION

MODE ET SPORT. D'UN PODIUM À L'AUTRE

2023.09.18

Ahead of the 2024 Olympics, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris presents Mode et Sport: from September 20th 2023 will be possible to discover the fascinating interconnections between fashion and sport from the ancient world to the present day.

V&A Museaum

FASHION MANIFESTO

2023.09.15

The first exhibition in the UK dedicated to the visionary couturier Gabrielle Coco Chanel – Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto will open on September 16th 2023 at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

JEWELLERY

A BAG BECOMES JEWELLERY

2023.09.14

From September 13th, the Kelly by Hermès will be the star of an exhibition in the Milan boutique of Via Montenapoleone, where the Kellymorphose retrospective will be staged, boldly and surprisingly reinterpreting the brand’s iconic accessory in the world of jewellery.