THE CENTRE point of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s tenure at Dior over the past seven years has been dictated by the relationship of feminism and femininity. As the first female creative director of the French House, the legacy, until her appointment was driven by the male gaze.
So, continuing to reinterpret the meaning of these two ideals, Dior’s spring-summer 2024 collection was inspired by the women who defied masculine regimes, the ‘rebels’ as she calls it – think witches and custodians.
Bringing this medieval spirit to the collection, the designer played with traditional tailoring and added frayed-edges, used the fleurs de nuit motif to inject some fantasy into the apron-like 1948 Abandon dresses, and utilised denim into more utilitarian looks.
Despite this being a summer collection, knitwear played a key role, caressing the body and giving more rigid pieces a playful execution as they didn’t constrict but instead allowed for movement.
Unlike previous showings, SS24 stayed away from the more Grecian infusion and even further away from her past pops of vivid colour, this was a collection that danced in the dark side of the colour wheel. Hues of black balanced notes of ash and Christian Dior grey, with the occasional full white look to keep the more feminine clients’ aesthetics catered for.
What Chiuri does best is to design for women. Not girls but women. One’s who are strong, successful and like to go against the grain. SS24 epitomised that. She played with the archetypes and brought them back to life through reimagining them in today’s society.
The result: a wardrobe made for women who won’t be told no.
by Imogen Clark