Maria Grazia Chiuri wanders a path between autobiography and reflection for Dior Spring/Summer 2023 ready-to-wear, reinterpreting royal innovations - the corset, heeled shoes and Court skirts but a few - and embodying female power through utilitarian silhouettes. In a nod to the Maison's history, Dior SS23 features garments adorned with a map of Paris uncovered from Christian Dior's archives; it is splashed across pieces much like the emblematic toile de jouy. The aforementioned royal references are born from Grazia Chiuri's fascination with Italian noblewoman-turned-French-Queen-Consort Catherine de Medici who was credited with introducing a plethora of wardrobe staples to France. The Creative Director, also an Italian woman in France, pays homage to Catherine de Medici throughout the collection by creating a sartorial dialogue about fashion, femininity and power. "An Italian noblewoman who arrived at the French court in 1533, she is an emblematic figure of the relationship between women and power, and Maria Grazia Chiuri is fascinated by her political intelligence and the innovations she pioneered," explained the Maison in the show notes.
The show's setting was as spectacular as the collection; French artist Eva Jospin meticulously created a Baroque grotto entirely from cardboard and the result of her six-month-long project stood tall in the centre of the circular space, complementing the collection's enchanting details.
