The Dior designer drew her inspiration from a strong compatriot in history: Catherine de Medici. Maria Grazia Chiuri has seized upon the hoop skirts, corsets and other platform shoes in vogue during the sovereign’s time. She integrated them into a modern line for the brand’s spring-summer 2023 collection.
“I think she was the first to understand the power of fashion,” Maria Grazia Chiuri said in an interview with Reuters, recalling how the 16th-century queen of France introduced platform heels to enhance her petite stature.
Catherine de Medici also introduced embroidery to the French court, the designer pointed out, including three-dimensional raffia flowers and delicate lace lingerie in the collection – while slipping in modern details, using technical fabrics for crinoline skirts and leaving breasts exposed for many looks.
Models clad in wide, bell-shaped hoop skirts, lace shorts and long black coats covered in embroidered flowers, for example, walked the runway in Paris yesterday, Tuesday, in a cave sculpted from layers of cardboard. Built by the artist Eva Jospin, it was enthroned in the center of a temporary structure installed in the Tuileries garden.
The idea was to create a “baroque feast in a contemporary way” said Chiuri.
The crowd gathered outside under umbrellas, trying to catch a glimpse of the arriving celebrities, including K-Pop star Jisoo, but also Natalie Portman and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The LVMH-owned brand marked the second day of the ready-to-wear shows at Paris Fashion Week, which runs until October 4.
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Featured photo : © Laura Sciacovelli for Dior
