Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Spring 2025 haute couture collection for Dior masterfully bridges the past and present, drawing from the maison’s rich archives while reimagining iconic silhouettes with a modern twist. Ms. Chiuri found inspiration in two defining moments from Dior’s history, the Trapèze line, first introduced by a young Yves Saint Laurent in 1958, and Christian Dior’s Cigale silhouette from 1952.
The designer also leaned towards the works of Surrealist painters. All the ideas and inspirations were reinterpreted using contemporary fabrics, proving that haute couture remains a fluid dialogue between heritage and reinvention.
Yves Saint Laurent’s Trapèze silhouette was shapely, yet gave a freedom to women’s body by being a little more loose, evoking an ethereal escape from the body. Monsieur Dior’s iconic moire fabric Cigale dress borrowed from his New Look with a clinched waist and high hips.
Utilising both the silhouettes, a sense of transformation ran through the collection, as if stepping through a mirror into an alternate reality, a fitting metaphor reinforced by the couture studio’s reflective décor.
The crinoline (the metal structure used to drape the skirt over in the Victorian era), often a symbol of grandeur, became a playground for imagination, with its delicate construction laid bare through threads that moved with each step. Light blouses adorned with intricate floral embroidery added to the dreamlike atmosphere.
“In this interplay of contrasts, she can be a flower-woman, in a cape of petals or in a short dress showing off the corolla of a curvy bust, or a bird-woman and accomplice to the headpiece that exposes a punk mohican reaching for the sky,” the official statement said.
Beyond the garments, the show extended into an immersive experience, featuring large-scale textile artworks titled, “The Flowers We Grew,” on the walls by Rithika Merchant. Continuing their relationship, these art pieces were translated by Karishma Swali and the artisans at Chanakya ateliers and the Chanakya School of Craft.
Kim Jisoo, Jenna Ortega, Pamela Anderson, Laetitia Casta, Anya Taylor-Joy and many more stars were in attendance at the show in Musée Rodin in Paris. The show served as a meditation on fashion’s role in shaping our perception of time, creating a world where childhood and adulthood, dream and reality, seamlessly coexist.
In another news, Kim Jones, the menswear artistic director for Dior, has stepped down from the role. With speculation rife about where he would go next, there is no news on his successor at Dior as well.
