The fashion world waited, with breath that is bated for Dior's SS17 collection. Not just because there's a new creative director on board, but because she's also the first ever female creative director at the couture house. Naturally, everyone was excited to see what Maria Grazia Chiuri had in store. However, it came as no surprise that it would be a beautiful collection given the years of experience she comes with and her spectacular work at Valentino.
The show opened with a sporty white segment consisting of twelve all white looks. Chiuri drew references from fencing uniforms which were prevalent throughout the show. Quilted cotton jackets that came in the form of gilets with buckles on either side or full sleeved with buttons or a zipper on the side were worn over cotton knit cropped pants and tulle skirts. What was so special about this entire collection was that the creative head didn't only work with Monsieur Dior's codes. She turned to every designer who held the reigns at Dior in the past and worked with their codes too. The recurring bee motif for example, was used by Hedi Slimane during his tenure at Dior.
A lot of the silhouettes exuded a very effortless chic vibe. Almost as if they were just thrown on without much thought and looked fabulous. Case in point: A red leather jacket paired with a red tulle skirt or a black sleeveless leather vest worn over a white cotton shirt and black pants. There were Chiuri's version of the Bar jackets that were sharply tailored with less volume on the hips. More outerwear came in the form of a lustworthy and minimalist long black coat. Exposed lingerie worn under sheer clothing was another constant. Except bra straps and underwear bands were cream with J'Adior Christian Dior printed on them. And finally, came some ethereal evening gowns with imagery inspired by Christian Dior's superstitions. Tarot card images, zodiac signs, clover leaves, the number 8, insects and some fun motifs like a bat or a heart with an eye in it were intricately embroidered on dresses that were instant red carpet hits.
Accessories for this collection will be flying off the shelves with plenty of new handbags on the runway and some cool shoes. Rectangular shaped shoulder bags boasted DIOR or J'ADIOR in big metal letters on the clasp. Some of these came with an optional strap so you could hold them as a clutch or wear them on your shoulder. A saddle bag was seen too, with the same gold lettering. A black roomy tote in soft leather with its bee motif and CD embossed on the front looked divine. Another tote, brought back memories of their iconic 90's saddle bag (a la Galliano) with Dior printed all over the front flaps and the shoulder strap and a revamped CD logo. And finally, there were mianudiere style evening box bags with colourful tarot card imagery on them. I loved the Le Diable one in particular. Jewellery was understated and consisted of simple earrings and chokers. I've got my eye on the number 8 choker. Footwear was comfortable came in the form of floaters, sneakers, summer boots, etc. However, it was the pointy toe kitten heels with monogrammed ribbon on them that stole the show. Chiuri sure knows how to create covetable accessories.
Images via Vogue.com
