MONSIEUR Dior was known to be extremely superstitious. People have told stories about how the designer would get his cards read before his shows and tales about his love of astrology. The French designer believed in a world beyond our realm, one that was magical and held the answers to all our questions.
Taking this side of Monsieur Dior’s character and using it as fuel for the next collection, Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri explored the symbolic magic of tarot cards for the SS21 haute couture collection.
Dior Couture SS21 by Elina Kechicheva
Bringing the collection to life through a short film, Chiuri commissioned Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone to create Le Château du Tarot. Taking the exquisite designs and placing the craftsmanship on a pedestal, the director was able to evoke both drama and romance through the narrative.
Using characters from the cards, the High Priestess, the Empress, Justice and the Fool see themselves manifest in both the film and couture, going to new heights as the ateliers enhance the motifs through the savoir-faire.
Dior Couture SS21 by Elina Kechicheva
Italian modern artist Pietro Ruffo returns to Dior once again to offer his illustrations as detailing to the collection. Drawing cards and characters that see themselves on bodices adding a contemporary touch to the ancient craft as he reinterprets the 78 tarot symbols for the collection.
Looking at three different variations, the Visconti, Marseille and English decks, he took the accumulation of characters and imagined them into Roman silver plates.
Monsieur Dior’s favourite grey appears in tweed, cashmere and organza keeping an element of the designer alive in today’s collections, while the famous Bar Jacket from 1947 is reimagined in black velvet.
Dior Couture SS21 by Elina Kechicheva
At a time where our days blur into one and there is no magic left in our reality, Dior has pressed paused and given us a chance to enjoy some enchantment. By the end of the film, Maria Grazia Chiuri has waved her magic wand, and got us all under her spell.
by Imogen Clark