Review of Dior Fall 2023 Fashion Show
For All the Women Who Dared to Do it Their Way
By Angela Baidoo
Every season, with the introduction of a new Dior collection, there is always the expectation of a meaningful partnership or authentic connection with an artist, activist, or historical female icon who has been instrumental in having an impact in their respective craft, industries, or lifetimes. This season Maria Grazia Chiuri chose a Lisbon-native who creates large-scale visual art that elevates textiles as a way to tell a story, and three female icons who have an intrinsic link with the French capital.
Every season, with the introduction of a new Dior collection, there is always the expectation of a meaningful partnership or authentic connection with an artist, activist, or historical female icon.
For fall 2023 visual artist Joana Vasconcelos created a veritable feast for the eyes and the senses, by filling the show space with bulbous shapes reminiscent of giant water droplets that descended from the ceiling. Covered in her signature patchwork craft. Her large-scale works have encompassed sculpture, ceramics, and textiles, which have previously included a 12-metre-tall wedding cake pavilion set in the gardens of Waddesdon Manor, in England, and a crochet dress, which the artist described as both protecting and imprisoning the body. Talking to the artist post-show she described the work as ‘Valkyrie, done with the fabrics of the collection, and it’s an artwork of a flower, a sea world, another dimension.” Looking to this seasons muses she said, “I was inspired by Catherine Dior, as she was a florist, then Maria Grazia Chiuri created the fabrics, and I decided to be inspired by the flowers and create a giant flower, and another dimension”.
The artist shared the stage with three Parisian female influencers of their time, which were teased across Dior’s social media platforms pre-show. Namely Édith Piaf, a woman known for her emotive song ‘La Vie En Rose’ who built her character busking on the streets and remained determined, yet humble in her life and career. Juliette Gréco, seen as cold and aloof at the time, she described herself more accurately as ‘fiery and modest’, a defender of individual freedom after being imprisoned in 1943, she found her way to Paris and in the post-war period found an infinity with a burgeoning movement of youths who wanted more and more from life, saying at the time “It’s about a youth in revolt, and an intoxication of freedom”. Then there was also Catherine Dior, the youngest sibling of Christian Dior, she became his first model, before taking up a position with the French Resistance in 1943. Bravely risking her life when she was arrested by not divulging any information, upon her escape she returned to Paris to become a flower dealer, subsequently inspiring Christian Dior as the ‘Flower Woman’ and remaining part of the lexicon of the imaginary Miss Dior, who represents freedom, love, and beauty.
More than just a seasonal presentation of a collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri continues to move on and modernise the House of Dior, using her immensely powerful and privileged position as one of the very few Creative Directors in this industry to provide a platform for women whose stories deserve to be heard, remembered, and never forgotten. The individual and collective strength, character, and creativity of the women who are chosen always acts a source of inspiration for Chiuri, whether it’s channelled through the fashions of the time, as was evidenced in her spring summer 2023 collection, or through the way they navigated their lives, and the freedom their clothing would have to have afforded them.
This fall 2023 collection became a representation of what these women may have worn at the time, but given a thoroughly modern shake-up, as gone were any restrictive under-pinning’s, and in their place relaxed shirts, pencil skirts with a more generous fit, slight dropped waists, and active or aviator inspired outerwear. The skirt suit was a major feature throughout and got a 2023 upgrade which will be popular with customers of all ages. A houndstooth cropped bomber came with sleeves that were constructed with a slight curve and featured a button-out liner – great for the current changing climate which requires adaptable options – with oversized hood, and a longline pencil skirt whose shape was less fitted with a crinkle-effect, was a particular highlight. With the bar jacket also given the textured treatment, and a sensual twist through the styling choice of leaving a number of them open to reveal balconette bras. Which is possibly as close to the hyper-sexy trend as you’re going to get with a Dior collection.
The bar jacket was given a sensual twist through the styling choice of leaving a number of them open to reveal balconette bras. Which is possibly as close to the hyper-sexy trend as you’re going to get with a Dior collection.
The strength of the prints this season lay in their glitching and blurring, from brushed checks and animal prints to watercolour brushstrokes and soft-focus florals. Most notable were the fringed full skirts, which looked to have been made from clipped yarns that most chimed in with the work of the artist with which Maria Grazia Chiuri had collaborated with this season, offering something a little out-of-the-box, but were still in keeping with the continuation of craft that is always a thread which runs through each collection.