The goal of Dior for this Spring/Summer 2025 ready-to-wear collection is to recap the meaning of the dress, as if each model were given the chance to speak and reveal the work that precedes its own creation. This new line, decidedly graphic, plays on the contrast between black and white: checks, horizontal and vertical strokes celebrate the Miss Dior logo, stretched to the extreme. White garments, such as shirts, are paired with black skirts, trousers, and dresses, declaring their character in this game of duality. The bright red accents of the bombers serve as a counterpoint. The embroidery, which here and there becomes butterflies or fringes, is dotted with sparkling metals. Knitwear accompanies lightweight evening dresses, the embroidery, which here and there becomes butterflies or fringes, is sparkling metallic punctuation. Jersey accompanies lightweight evening dresses, and sport shirts, simple or embellished with sparkling decorations, are everyday stars in their own right. This year, body, fashion, and sport are words that, thanks in particular to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, have (re)given meaning to gender equality, inclusivity, respect, and the acceptance of one’s limits: pushing back the boundaries between the work itself and the artistic process, Maria Grazia Chiuri aims to bring fashion back to its origins and emphasize the relationship between the body and what dresses it, between intention and function. With this in mind, she has assembled and reinterpreted archival cuts, starting with the Amazone dress dreamed of by Christian Dior for the Fall/Winter 1951-1952 collection, which brings her back to this legendary female figure, known for her strength of spirit, a reference point for the notion of autonomous and courageous femininity. The choreography of the archives involves creating connections between different elements, then revisiting and reviving them in a new way.
“The message, really, is that there is not one type of woman”.
For centuries, the image of a woman with a bow has always been linked to that of a warrior woman. The bow was a weapon. I don’t want to fit into that image. Why should I want to be a warrior? What if the “enemy” is not someone I can or want to defeat physically? (…) The enemy is rather a set of values and distractions that don’t allow me to be the best version of myself.
Maria Grazia Chiuri invited the artist SAGG Napoli, who integrates archery into her works, to perform on the runway during her latest show. One of the symbolic phrases displayed on the set read: the construction of a strong mind and a strong body is the greatest work I’ve ever done. SAGG Napoli, in this instance, represents a modern Amazon, viewing fashion as a form of visual expression that highlights her athletic physique. Archery, an ancient discipline that requires perfect synergy between body and mind, becomes a symbol of this harmony. On the runway, where time seems suspended compared to the traditional rhythms of fashion, the collection celebrates the strength and power of contemporary femininity: a nod to the debut of Maria Grazia Chiuri in Spring 2017, when she used sports to convey a message of freedom and lay the foundation for her personal feminist awareness project. Bodysuits are paired with semi-transparent dresses, blazers with sporty mesh pants, while jackets are adorned with parachute-like straps. The models sport gladiator boots reaching up to the knee. A standout graphic Dior logo from 1970-71 features exaggerated vertical lines – evoking speed and dynamism – reminiscent of film opening credits. The jackets and shirts, cut to reveal one shoulder, also add a deliberate touch of sensuality. Long gloves grazing the shoulders recall a 1949 fashion show. This mix of elements pays tribute to the Amazon figure, celebrating both power and grace simultaneously.
