Haute couture is created on the body. On this singular space and veritable area of reflection, it stages a choreography that is unique each time. The arrival in Paris of the Games* – the sacred embodiment of competition – incitedMaria Grazia Chiuri to pay a fitting tribute to all athletes whom, from antiquity to the present day, have overcome prejudice and obstacles to ensure a level playing field in sports contests. She thus returns to the primary, fundamental essence of the garment she holds so dear: the peplum, both supple and absolute. The Dior haute couture autumn-winter 2024-2025line comes to life against a backdrop of hard-won political freedom for women’s bodies. Indeed, the Creative Director decided to use a material that didn’t belong to the world of couture: jersey, proposed here as a metal mesh in gold, silver and white, which caresses the silhouette and embraces its shape, with the help of an ultralight inner bustier structuring the outfits.
Making a comeback in many pieces in this collection, pleats are sewn down or open to accompany movement. Draping, avisual reference to classical statuary, is prevalent on the catwalk in silk dresses magnified by embroidery, moiré jacquardskirts transformed by time, ensembles where the draped skirt reveals a pair of pants at each step, and the goddess dresses,which, hanging from one shoulder, unveil transparent metallic tank tops trimmed in satin. In the vein of a couture model, asports jersey is adorned with gold leaves or micro sequins. Red, the“color of life”according to Christian Dior, sublimatesthe show; the bathrobe, embellished with mosaic mirrors, chooses to disobey its function.
For Maria Grazia Chiuri, thisdéfilérepresents an extraordinary opportunity to combine couture and sportswear withclassicism, rebellion, collective energy and, above all, the political value of the female body. It allows her to assert thepower – both experimental and reflexive – of haute couture actions, and her virtuosity in rethinking the allure, the eleganceof a woman at once delicate and strong. A woman who performs just as well as a man.
*Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
