What Went Down at Dior
2:48 am
"My take on the Fall 2015/2016 Haute Couture show"
Seeing that the couture shows are in full swing, I have subsequently taken it upon myself to say a thing or two about the Dior exhibition. Dior is my favourite French fashion house so I feel it necessary to grace the pages of my blog with the sensational images of the garments and venue because.. well, it's not like I'll get to see these in my closet in the immediate future so I might as well look at them here. Nevertheless, you are now presented with my first bash at runway commentary. I'll try and minimize the "this is soooo prettty" type comments and think long and hard about what I feel about the pieces and the event as a whole. If you don't feel like reading, the gist of what I'm about to say is "I loved it"...
The atmosphere of the show is that of a modern wonderland, created by the dotted glass structure that resembles an ivy covered greenhouse dappled with flowers varying in colour. More about the structure later though. Guests ranging from Lupita Nyong'o (red dress) to the famous respective creators of The Blonde Salad blog and Gary Pepper Girl- Chiara Ferragni (blue legging type boots) and Nicole Warne (orange jacket)- fill the abstract shaped islands through which the purple carpeted runway meanders. It's very fresh. Youthful. The intense detail of the structure translates effortlessly into the pieces.
This dress. This is my favourite. I know it's boosted by the camera angle and amazonian model, but this piece is strong. The exaggerated side cut-out, barely held together by two strings of fabric, extends the wearers leg exponentially. It creates movement when paired with the thin layer of pleated white and asserts confidence when paired with the print. The beachy hair and fun block heels retain the look's effortlessness, preventing it from just being a one dimensional 'sexy' dress.
I know that a collection is supposed to have a flow, a theme per se. It's obvious to see in many collections and is usually translated through a flow of colour or something. This collection is different. The tendrils holding it together are slightly more delicate.
When you think it's about heavy embellishment, it switches to sheer fabrics and minimalism. Maybe its about pleating. nah, more like draped heavy materials with some fur here and there. I love that. Despite some of the vast differences between the garments, they all exude a very specific vibe. It's ethereal yet strong and architectural, with a seventies influence that seems to be slowly creeping into the trends
(think American Hustle).
The shoe. It's the most obvious link between all of the garments. It's a damn good shoe- possibly the biggest influence in terms of seventies disco type style. A chunky platform block heel, embellished with sequins and thin straps that extend to the lowest point of the calf muscle. A summer sandal revolution in our midst...maybe
Fitted crop knit shapes over flowy pieces marry the concept of structure vs femininity.
Extravagant, slouchy coats in weird/cool colours like this deep olive green are created with one fur sleeve and a 'no sleeve'. Not very realistic, but still artistically admirable. Also. Don't wear real fur. Please.
soooo beautifully feminine and architectural at the same time. Look at this lady's leg! shuuu.
Raf Simons alludes to medieval armor with his modern take on chainmail. Again we see the method of structured pieces paired with fluid ones with this cropped and bejewelled gilet layered over a pleated maxi dress in crisp white. Perhaps, one could interpret this piece as the representation of an ideal modern woman. She's strong- her own knight in shining (Dior) armor, and yet she still maintains her girlish charm, her youth and effortless grace. And might I add how much I love a dress with pockets!
And here is the glorious stained glass, futuristic cathedral, modern taken on Pointillism and Cubism, master piece of a venue set in the Musée Rodin garden (The engineer inside me is literally fan-girl screaming).
Dior Everybody!
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