The world of haute couture has never lacked a celebration of time and craftsmanship, and in Dior's Spring/Summer 2023 haute couture collection, these expressions of traditional skills and spirit are hidden in a series of modern designs by Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of the brand's womenswear, breaking our perception of "haute couture".
In a sense, haute couture symbolizes the mysterious realm of clear barriers and high thresholds, which was born from the old times, and the strict process of tailoring to promote the strengths and avoid the weaknesses of every customer who pursues the perfect body, is so beautiful that people lose their voice. In Maria Grazia Chiuri's Dior Spring/Summer 2023 haute couture collection, all of the above stereotypes of haute couture are almost no longer effective, and the simple and loose styles, modern cuts, silhouettes and color schemes, feminist expressions throughout the scene are everywhere. The fierce collision of practice and concept spread as the show progressed. But we can't help but think, "Can haute couture and feminism coexist?" With this in mind, let's go from the micro to the macro to uncover Dior's new haute couture collection and Maria Grazia Chiuri's motivations.
Before we can formally appreciate the concept and design of the new season's haute couture couture, let's focus on the large-scale setting displayed in the background of the runway. The entire runway space, designed by African-American artist Mickalene Thomas, is as unbridled as pop art, with jumping colors intertwined with portraits in historical archival images, like fragments of memory extracted from the mind, reminding people not to forget the inspiration behind haute couture.
"These women break down barriers in television, film, fashion and social activism. It is because of their determination and selfless dedication that I have been able to become an artist and achieve what I am today. Thomas explained that in this background pattern, we see the faces of historic African-American singer and dancer Joséphine Baker, legendary singer Nina Simone, supermodels Donyale Luna and Naomi Sims, Dorothy Dandridge, the first African-American woman nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, and Hazel Scott, the first African-American woman to have a solo TV show.
These stunning portraits of a series of remarkable women were meticulously embroidered on printed fabric backings under Thomas' direction by skilled craftsmen from India's Chanakya Ateliers and Chanakya School of Craft, shining in colour, as they were in the era they lived in.
Among them, Joséphine Baker is the core inspiration for this season's Dior haute Couture collection. Every jazz lover won't overlook the legend of being a female Baker singer and dancer. Anyone who has seen her live or video material will be attracted by her exaggerated body movements, rich expression and natural appeal, and early in her career with her superb dance skills caused a sensation in Paris, with flattering curly hair, huge accessories and ingenious costumes establishing her early performance style.
Throughout the '50s and '60s, Baker worked tirelessly to proclaim her racial egalitarianism, refusing to perform in segregated clubs, refuting places that refused to serve black patrons, and using her sincere and passionate stage energy to advance justice and progress in society. At the same time, she also began adopting children of different races and saw the 12 children adopted as a collective called the Rainbow Tribe to prove that children of different races and religions can also become brothers.
In 1951, Baker appeared in a Dior dress
The stage at the Strand Theater in New York.
Based on this, the design in Dior's Spring/Summer 2023 haute couture collection closely echoes Joséphine Baker and the 20s she symbolizes, celebrating the black mixed-race women who bravely break down racial barriers and actively resist the era like her, and closely connect the spirit of haute couture with the times and humanity. What is less known is that after World War II, Baker and Mr. Dior were close friends, and in the late 40s and early 50s, she often wore Dior's designs on stage in famous theaters in New York, and she can be said to be one of the brand's earliest "best friends".
As the first female creative director in the brand's 76-year history, Maria Grazia Chiuri brings a feminine trend to Dior. This season's haute couture collection opens with a loose black coat that pays homage to Christian Dior's cherished menswear fabrics, while underneath the coat is an unusual black swimsuit-style bodysuit reminiscent of Baker's private dressing room in a gigwear and bathrobe.
This is followed by a series of soft, moderately coloured coats and capes, with a natural transition from black, grey, light pink to gold, like sunlight pouring on solid fabrics, changing into a natural and harmonious charm throughout the day, forming a classic and practical fashion palette, the classic style of the 50s is about to come out.
While the colors are gradually becoming clearer, a "restrained sense of luxury" is emerging from the end of the runway, these sequin tassels similar to the color of the dress fabric create just the right sense of sophistication, in which the silver and gold tassels of the decoration sway and shimmer with the rhythm of the body, and the decorative elements of the 20s are subtly blended with the minimalist color scheme of the present, gorgeous but not noisy, eye-catching but not dazzling.
The Bar Jacket silhouette, which has never been missing in Dior's haute couture collection, has been more flexibly interpreted this season, with a looser cut and a more inclined line to outline straight lines, echoing the liberation of women's clothing in the spirit of fashion in the 20s, rather than emphasizing the contrast between the waist line and broad shoulders.
But loose doesn't mean relaxed, with outstanding fabrics and exquisite craftsmanship, every detail of the suit is still dripping, showing a harmonious and flexible rhythm as the model walks.
Like the eclectic mix and match at the beginning, many of the looks in this season combine different occasions and diverse fashion languages, with satin, crochet, three-dimensional jacquard and knitting elements to make the style move freely through the 20s and 50s, presenting a new feeling with classics.
As the show draws to a close, a variety of floor-to-ceiling dresses bring the runway back to an elegant and luxurious tone, with lustrous and gentle fabrics stacked on top of each other, as if flowing silently on the model, reaffirming the long history and tradition of haute couture.
Returning to the opening question: "Can haute couture and feminism coexist?" "In a general sense, haute couture's sense of ritual contains a bondage and paranoia about perfectionism, and the feminine wide-shouldered and slim waist and extremely romantic runway presentation have formed our preconceived perception of haute couture for a long time.
"If you present haute couture in a traditional way, you run the risk of turning it into a costume." After coming to Dior, Chiuri elaborated on his understanding forcefully, "Everyone tells me that Dior is a very feminine brand, yes, it is, but 'feminine' does not mean a certain silhouette, to talk about women you have to mention a lot of things, a lot of different gestures... And I want to present an attitude that is more up-to-date. In early 2017, the day after finishing his first haute couture show at Dior, Chiuri explained to Fashion & Beauty Vogue. It was also then that the more modern and practical route of the Dior haute Couture collection was established. Therefore, in her view, the haute couture tradition is not a contradiction with the current hot discussion of feminism, but a necessary way to continue the life of haute couture.
Fashion critic Sarah Mower once described her as "someone who can take on bigger tasks." She is a person who thinks deeply about the meaning of fashion from a woman's point of view. So we see her courageous change after Dior, "I was born a woman, I don't pursue design pompousness, I only do what I want." This is probably what every woman who desires Dior haute couture is needed.
Written by: Shanlai
Edited by Yang Yi
Art: Xiao B