Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri certainly did not try to obscure the theme of the newest Dior collection this Paris Fashion Week, with set design by artist Shakuntala Kulkarni. Debuting at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris earlier this week in Paris, the collection looked to the late revolutionary 1960s.
Shakuntala Kulkarni Designs Set of Women Warriors
© Adrien Dirand © Artist: Shakuntala Kulkarni, courtesy of Dior.
The show’s powerful set featured armored figurative sculptures made from cane by Indian artist Shakuntala Kulkarni. Based in Mumbai, she showcased stills from her “Juloos” film of a female warrior played around the installation. The collection in a palette of black and white and gold reflected the work of Klkarni: full of strength, versatility, and freedom.
For the winter/fall 2024 collection, “Miss Dior” was painted in large lettering across multiple skirts and coats with a graffiti-like style. This was no mere spray paint, though: Chiuri clarified in a preview that the logo was pulled from a piece of hand-drawn advertising artwork dating back to 1967, its soft edges the result of being blown up and resized.
Dior’s Homage to Marc Bohan’s “Miss Dior”
With her newest collection, Chiuri honors the Dior’s first-ever ready-to-wear release and more broadly offers an ode to the transitional period of the late 1960s. Dior was one of the first labels to approach ready-to-wear, then under the tenure of Marc Bohan.
“I’m very fascinated by this collection, and this moment of Mr. Bohan’s history,” Chiuri commented. “I think he was really visionary for the time because the couture house was in difficulty. They had this relationship only with these couture clients—and women were changing. Not all the couture-house creative directors were so visionary to understand the new era, and new women.”
Courtesy of Dior.
Maria Grazia Chiuri Inspired by a New Era
Dior’s newest offering certainly continues this legacy of designing a wardrobe for new women. Items are made to put their wearer at ease, from slouchy trousers to low-heeled boots. The essence of the 1960s was pervasive throughout the show: double-face cashmere miniskirt sets, black turtlenecks, and Mary Janes made their way down the runway as Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’s “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus” played in the background.
Courtesy of Dior.
Courtesy of Dior.
Courtesy of Dior.
Courtesy of Dior.
