SINCE the summer of 2016 when Maria Grazia Chiuri joined Dior, she has used her position as creative director to celebrate women. Not only showcasing a myriad of global creatives from across the arts, she has used them as wells of inspiration. And for autumn-winter 2025, she looked to one of the literary greats – Virginia Woolf.
Diving headfirst into the pages of her seminal 1928 novel, Orlando, she found the titular role to be of interest. Finding the beauty in change, most notably in this case of gender, she decided to play with its definitions through clothing. Making this inherently apparent in the show notes, they reinforce the idea of adaptability: ‘An invitation to use fashion to be yourself. Garments therefore constitute a repertoire of possibilities”.
Using the white shirt as a starting point for the collection, she saw this piece as something stripped of any gender stereotypes; an item steeped in androgyny. Playing around in the context of the Elizabethan era, frills, high-neck cuts and ruffles all made appearances on shirts – debuting a detachable collar that is ‘an evolution of the Orlando ruff’, it offers the wearer flexibility to wear or not to wear.
Loose-fitting riding breeches in leather and shiny satin are seen alongside knee-high boots and socks, broderie anglaise embroidery, tailcoats and empire line evening gowns, all coming together to punctuate next winter with a traditionally English rendition of era-defining wear.
Known to love a slogan, she brought back a cult favourite – John Galliano’s J’adore Dior. Adding a splurge of youthful fun with this addition, she has us all patiently waiting to get our hands on a newer version of this icon.
Revisiting different eras and playing with the uniforms that built the landscape of each, Maria Grazia Chiuri seamlessly blends the constructs of the past with the freedom of today creating an array of looks that prove metamorphosis is always possible.
by Imogen Clark