1.
Dior F/W2017 Haute Couture Collection
July 31, 2017 8:00 AM
It's impossible to overestimate the impact of Christian Dior's first collection when it was shown in Paris in 1947. The global community had just emerged from the devastation of war, and it was a time of rebuilding and rapid economic growth. Women who had entered the workplace to fulfill manufacturing jobs in support of the war effort were longing for glamour and a return to their traditional feminine roles. Dior's new look was the answer. His iconic silhouette– cinched waists, voluminous hips swathed in taffeta, and sharply accented busts– was nothing short of revolutionary.
Seventy years later, Dior's Artistic Director, Maria Grazia Chiuri found herself in the unenviable position of designing the label's Autumn/Winter 2017-2018 haute couture collection. It's like a contemporary pop singer recording a song by Marvin Gaye or Frank Sinatra. One must pay homage to the legacy, yet venture far enough from the prototype to suggest innovation, lest she be accused of mere imitation. Like I said, it's an unenviable task. But if anyone is up for the challenge of steering the most storied fashion house of the 20th Century into a bold new future in the 21st, then surely it is Chiuri.
Born and educated in Rome, Chiuri spent twenty years as a designer at Valentino before her appointment at Dior last summer, the first female Artistic Director in the company's history. Like Monsieur Dior himself, Chiuri's skills as a couturier are unimpeachable: the meticulous body-skimming tailoring, the selection of fabrics that float with the body, the lush details which add sophistication but never detract from the silhouette.
These attributes were present in all 66 of the looks that Chiuri presented in the gardens of Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris on July 4th, and many of her garments were explicitly inspired by original designs by Christian Dior. The strapless evening dresses are particular standouts. An ankle-length ball gown with a tulip bust in deep grey silk would boost a red carpet ingenue into full-fledged global stardom. A lace embroidered evening dress in shades of grey with a scalloped hem screams Hampton's garden party. A silk evening dress with a sheer herringbone design, translucent bust and zig-zag hem is edgy yet sophisticated, in a Rihanna at the Grammies sort of way. A fringy embroidered cocktail dress with a deep v-neck and sheer skirt would be a stunning red carpet look for Jennifer Lopez. Yes, I know, a burlap sack would be stunning on Jennifer Lopez, lest we digress. Similarly, this fringe number would be a show-stopper on anyone lithe and daring enough to wear it.
Like Mr. Dior, Ms. Chiuri has a particular fascination with jacketed suits. But in contrast to Monsieur's calf-bearing designs, Chiuri's collection features mostly ankle-length garments. Paired with her penchant for wool and a palette along the grey spectrum, Chiuri's designs sometimes venture from Dior's celebration of life and fertility, and almost suggest a wartime rations sensibility, as if the garments were made from surplus army blankets.
For women of the world who celebrate life at fabulous galas and red carpet events, there will be no shortage of divine options from Chiuri's couture collection for Dior this season. And let those of us who critique Chiuri's aesthetic and compare her to Monsieur Dior be damned. For Dior was a man with a vision to create clothes that every woman in the world would want to wear, and seventy years later, the fashion house he built remains one of the most storied on the planet. And while the book of Dior has many chapters by various authors, Chiuri has earned her place among them. Her collection was indeed appropriately innovative while paying respect to the legacy, an unenviable task which Chiuri has approached with courage and grace. Monsieur Dior would surely approve.
WRITTEN BY KAREN FRAGALA-SMITH
EDITED BY HOLLIS DE LANEY
PHOTO CREDIT: DIOR
related posts
TWELV'S CHRISTMAS WISH LIST #2: Features Director: Stephen Fisher
FASHION STORY "Jena in Blumarine"
Jena from Wilhelmina in Blumarine's Fall 2013 collection.
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial
TWELV'S CHRISTMAS WISH LIST #1: Fashion Editor Tina
1. Native Union Pop Retro Phone $125 - Throwback time - How chic would it be to sport this golden handset around town?
Ann Demeulemeester Leaving Her Brand
Ann Demeulemeester announced Wednesday that she has decided to leave her company.
Prada debuts Wes Anderson short film
Prada debuted the 8 minute short film titled "Castello Cavalcanti" in the usual Wes Anderson style with stone faced humor and short tactical dialog.
TWELV HOROSCOPE SS14 #4: LILAC
Pastel shades are typical of the spring, this season one particular pastel hue floating down many runways is lilac.
Public School: Success in a Nutshell
Being considerably new to the fashion world as individual designers, the founders of Public School has definitely gotten off to a smooth start.
TWELV HOROSCOPE SS14 #3: BLACK AND WHITE
Black and white proved to have staying power for the spring. Some variation of the timeless combination emerged in almost every collection for the season.
TWELV HOROSCOPE SS14 #2: METALLICS
Stunning metallic sheens adorned the spring and summer runway for the 2014 season.
TWELV HOROSCOPE SS14 #1: GRAPHIC SEE-THROUGHS
Welcome to TWELV Horoscopes Spring/Summer 2014, as we lead up to spring the TWELV Fashion team will work hard to scavenge the runways to put together the hottest trends for spring and summer 2014...
Nicolas Ghesquière Named Louis Vuitton’s New Creative Director
Nicolas Ghesquière was announced as Louis Vuitton’s new creative director on November 4.
LAUNCH OF ISSUE 4 "MUSE" WITH LAKE BELL
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our fourth issue "MUSE" with beautiful cover girl Lake Bell!
DIESEL for SUCCESSFUL LIVING
Diesel's new Successful Living collection for Fall 2013 was not only revolutionary in its interpretations of what you need for your chic home, but in its production.
LOVE ME MORE, JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
At the corner where fashion meets fine art, there stands Jean Paul Gaultier, four decades of his glory and avant-garde haute couture all packaged into the beautiful Brooklyn Museum under the...
Art and Excess: Chanel S/S2014 Collection
Karl Lagerfeld’s SS 14 collection for Chanel was youthful and playful in its celebration of art and excess.
MARC JACOBS SAYS GOODBYE TO LOUIS VUITTON
Marc Jacobs “goodbye song” to Louis Vuitton was an extravagant experience meant to celebrate the “showgirl in all of us,” and boy did it.
Genius of Nature: Randomness and Pattern @ Aaron Faber Gallery
“Goldsmithing is the same act of creation as a plant growing or the universe expanding: it is organic, cosmic and perfectly natural,” describes exhibition curator Patricia Kiley Faber at Aaron...
DOLCE & GABBANA PAY TRIBUTE TO A GRECO-ROMAN DREAM
With so many designers changing up the color palette for Spring 2014, Dolce & Gabbana stuck to what they do best--creating beautiful awe-inspiring pieces, while showcasing romantic Greco-Roman...
The Meteorite Collection - David Yurman
TWELV was invited to join experimental jeweler, Evan Yurman, and visionary curator, Neville Wakefield, to celebrate the launch of David Yurman's new collection; THE METEORITE COLLECTION.
A New York Fashion Week Minute with Jonny Cota
Even during crunch time, Skingraft designer Jonny Cota happily opened up to TWELV about his first New York Fashion Week show.
Dior Homme's "Futuristic Elite"
Dior Homme opted for a short film titled “The Players” to showcase their Autumn/Winter 2013-2014 collection.
MEOW! THE GREAT GAULTIER AND OUR OTHER FALL2013 COUTURE FAVORITES
It’s that time again; New York Fashion Week is just around the corner.
Miley in Terry by Moscot
Renowned fashion photographer Terry Richardson has added his latest starlet to his repertoire of celebrities donning his glasses before the camera.
Marchesa Voyage Launch Party
Fashionistas from all walks of life assembled atop the Gramercy Park Hotel Thursday, August 15th, to celebrate the launch of Marchesa Voyage, the highly-anticipated diffusion line from designers...
FASHION STORY "BOYS KEEP SWINGING"
Fashion Story "BOYS KEEP SWINGING" is available!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial
Holidays by Dior and Dior Homme
Ready or not, summer is almost over, which means holiday shopping is looming. Dive in with decadent designs from Dior and Dior Homme, who recently released their Holiday 2013 gift collections.
New Faces of G-Star
A Russian-trained ballerina and a Euro-indie rock star may seem worlds apart, but they have both been chosen to launch G-Star Raw’s upcoming Autumn/Winter ’13 campaign.
SHOCK THE WORLD
G-SHOCK by Casio held its annual “Shock the World” event and celebrated its 30th anniversary Wednesday night at Basketball City on Pier 36.
BEAUTY IN CONTRAST, A DAVID YURMAN EVENT
A glamorous rooftop soiree with America’s hottest model, Kate Upton, happened last Tuesday, July 30th to debut the new campaign for David Yurman “Beauty in Contrast” collection.
FASHION STORY "LOVE ME HATE ME LOVE ME HATE ME"
Exclusive Fashion Story "LOVE ME, HATE ME, LOVE ME, HATE ME" is now available!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial
KOTOBA: Fashion Sustainability Meets Punk-Prep Knitwear
Representing absolutely no garment excess waste, made exclusively in America, and controlled attitude, Kotoba’s FW’13 Form & Allusion collection is hard not to get excited about.
GUCCI SYNC
Social networking is a way of life, no way around it. Gucci has launched a new fun and young watch, SYNC. Social. Young. Network. Community.
GUESS HOLIDAY PREVIEW
Red inverted triangle; stand-alone question mark; black and white iconic images – the GUESS headquarters in New York embodies its trademark symbol to a T.
ALAIA X TWELV MAGAZINE
Editorial Video, "BALLERINAS FOR TWELV" is now avaialble!
Check inside for TWELV's Ballet Editorial Video
A Queen Within
This autumn we will all be bowing to the queen as she rises in a new exhibit which will be held at The World Chess Hall of Fame Museum in St. Louis.