A packed schedule at Paris Fashion Week brings together all the major Maisons as well as emerging designers, but for the opening salvo the House of Dior took the honours
Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri took inspiration from early ‘influencer’ Catherine de Medici for the Maison’s spring-summer 2023 collection at Paris Fashion Week, where it was naturally up to Dior to unofficially instigate the festivities as the first major Maison to present its ready-to-wear show.
This latest collection from Maria Grazia Chiuri is about “opening up room for the creative imagination”. Dior’s Creative Director Chiuri matched the medieval setting of the show with pieces as if from the Renaissance. The collection is inspired by historic celebrities so to speak, such as Italian noblewoman and 16th century ‘influencer’ Catherine de Medici, which is evident in the heels and corsets incorporated into each look.
According to Dior, “Maria Grazia Chiuri is fascinated by her political intelligence and the innovations she pioneered, such as heeled shoes, the corset, and Burano lace, which were all brought into the royal manufactures.”
Together with the ancestral designs in the ’23 collection Dior assimilated fine contemporary craftsmanship, resulting in raffia coats adorned with lots of floral and animal motifs. The Baroque pieces also include heavy use of caged crinoline skirts, so synonymous with the Renaissance period, and plenty of artisanal applications of lace, embroidery, and intricate jewellery.
Saint Laurent also presented its show at Paris Fashion Week taking inspiration from the historic archives of the fashion house, exemplified by the repeating element of a silk hood.
More than 100 shows are scheduled at Paris Fashion Week until October 4, so there’s still plenty to look forward to including Balmain, Schiaparelli, Issey Miyake, Victoria Beckham, Stella McCartney, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton.
