Review of Dior Spring 2023 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri and Photographer Brigitte Niedermair with Models Carla Pereira, Freja Rothmann, Jen Thomson, Sherry Shi, Stella Lucia
One of the many deft skills that Maria Grazia Chiuri possesses is her ability to blend the past and the present with a refined undercurrent that never loses sight of who the Dior woman is, moving with the times yet remaining indebted to all that has come before.
The unexpected choice of the green-hued backdrop worked for its simplicity and subtle messaging of new beginnings – as models mimicked the poses that would have been popular during the portrait painting period of the renaissance – which was also perhaps a nod to the muse who inspired Chiuri’s spring summer 2023 collection, French Queen and Florentine noblewoman Catherine De Medici.
The choice of green imaginatively symbolising her growing confidence in representing the modern Dior customer, mixing the old with the new. The campaign very much says Dior in the way that the classic fit-and-flare silhouettes are highlighted through light and shade, but with a bolder attitude, which comes through in Chiuri’s casting that gives the images a youthful edge.
Reemploying the use of the dance troupe of Dutch choreographers Imre and Marne van Opstal from the runway show for the campaign video, gave a glimpse into how traditional performances, which may have taken place in stately homes during the time, could be reimagined for today. Dressed in Dior the cast were captivated by the theatrical displays of performance art. With equal focus on the soulful movement on stage as on the deliberate selection of darkly feminine looks from the collection, there was a real understanding of how this corseted and crinolined collection with an injection of sporty details and utilitarian denim would have worked in the historical timeframe from which they were inspired.
Dior Creative Director | Maria Grazia Chiuri
Photographer | Brigitte Niedermair
Models | Carla Pereira, Freja Rothmann, Jen Thomson, Sherry Shi, Stella Lucia
Stylist | Elin Svahn
Hair | Guido Palau
Makeup | Peter Philips
Film
Creative Director | Margot Populaire
Senior Art Director | Eleonore Tisseyre
Film Director | Tanu Muino