Dior triumphs with Parisian runway melding women's past and future

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Amid the electric ambiance of strobe lights and an usually sweltering Parisian fall, Dior presented its spring/summer 2024 womenswear collection

PARIS — Amid the electric ambiance of strobe lights and an usually sweltering Parisian fall, Dior’s show Tuesday set in the Tuileries gardens witnessed a dazzling circus of stars. With Hollywood’s recent writers’ strike still on, insiders mused if Paris Fashion Week would be the season’s celebrity magnet – and the presence of Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kim Jisoo seemed to echo that sentiment.

But the real star this season was the collection itself. Never one to shy away from a statement on feminism, the Italian couturier Maria Grazia Chiuri crafted an unusually subtle collection in predominantly black and white that fused echoes of the medieval and contemporary. Set against an art backdrop challenging time-worn perceptions on women's roles, this show was not only a reminder that fashion is a mirror of society – but among her most accomplished so far.

DIOR’S JUXTAPOSITION OF ERAS

The atmosphere was charged with palpable anticipation. But even more electric was Chiuri’s dance between the medieval and the 80s punk – the former, an era of chivalry and legends, the latter, an age of defiant self-expression.

The first looks to grace the runway were what might be called “gamine gothic.” The garments, draped in a play of black with cascading tassels, bore dynamic clumps of silk that crafted a silhouette both historic and undeniably fresh. But fashion, much like history, is cyclical, and soon this dark romanticism gave way to stark white interpretations. The result? A nod to the rebellious 80s, evoking memories of punk rockers and their spirited defiance.