The future looks bright at Dior. Maria Grazia Chiuri unveiled Dior Spring/Summer 2022 at Paris Fashion Week and it is the ultimate throwback to sixties style with rainbow brights, voluminous silhouettes and graphic prints. The uplifting collection is Maria Grazia Chiuri's tribute to Marc Bohan, who served as creative director at the House for thirty years. In particular, Dior SS22 takes inspiration from his 1961 Slim Look collection, of which press at the time had this to say: "It completely changes fashion, just as the New Look did in 1947."
Colour-blocking, cut-outs and co-ords stormed the colourful catwalk with sportier yet seductive silhouettes in fluorescent hues taking centre stage. A stage which, mirroring the eclectic theme of the collection, was modelled after a larger-than-life fake board game representative of the "nonsensical" game of life. The set was created by Italian artist Anna Paparatti who is famed for her whimsical artwork Il Gioco del Nonsense (The Game of Nonsense).
Dior SS22 uses retro motifs and materials - scuba, we're looking at you - to add a playful element to the collection, inspired by legendary Roman nightclub The Piper Room, "a unique place for freedom of expression at the crossroads of art, design, and fashion,” notes the House. Athleisure was prominent – as continues to be the case in the post-pandemic collections due to our recent emergence from loungewear-clad lockdowns – taking form of boxing attire and bermudas, while structured silhouettes in subdued hues peaked through. Think: boxy jackets, refined coats and miniature suits.
A refreshing collection alluding to the performative nature of fashion, Dior SS22 reminds us that fashion is meant to be fun. And, although a throwback to sixties fashion, it is simultaneously current enough for today's fashionable youth to feel heard. Swipe through the gallery above to see every look. Watch the show
