THE coronavirus pandemic has triggered a radical change at one of France's oldest brands, with Dior tapping a 1960s vibe for a sporty, vividly colourful return to the Paris catwalk on Tuesday.
Dior's 2022 spring-summer women's collection reflected a world that had learned the value of the exercise and yearned for a bit of playful "joie-de-vivre" over the last 18 months.
Full of fluorescent greens and oranges, neon blues and big butterfly prints, it was a far cry from the subtle chic with which Dior is typically associated.
"There is a change in way we feel we feel more vulnerable, and everyone reacts in their own way," designer Maria Grazia Chiuri told AFP ahead of the show.
"Some want to shut themselves away, others want to live to the full. For me, I want to live well every day," she said.
Sportswear was prominent, with looks based on jazzed-up boxing and judo outfits.
And there were lots of scuba-fabric rigid shapes echoing Dior's famous sports and ski looks of the 1960s.
"We understood the importance of sport during the pandemic, not just as a performance, but with the idea of feeling good. We were locked up, we had the need to maintain ourselves physically," said Chiuri.
It was a marked shift for the designer, with far fewer of the airy, floaty evening dresses that have been her trademark since joining Dior in 2016.
As the first woman to lead the brand, Chiuri has often sought to rework the iconic Dior Bar jacket, moving away from the ultra-feminised hourglass shape that defined the brand's early, postwar years.
It was entirely absent on Tuesday as she opted for boxier, less figure-hugging shapes.
- 'It's very different' -
"I wanted to show that there's more than just the Bar jacket," Chiuri told AFP.
The new collection came as a surprise to Dior's artisans.
"It's minimalist, very geometric with rigid fabric. There's very little embroidery. Compared to our usual work, it's very different," said Pascal Coppin, head of one of Dior's dress workshops.
"I like it a lot, it's a radical change. It's cool, it's youthful, it's optimistic," he added.
"We need that the colours to get away from the black and dark blue, to see prints that are almost a bit Brazilian."
There was a sense of release in the show itself, too, with no more social distancing and a relaxed attitude to masks among many of the spectators.
The stage was playful, too, with the models rotating around a huge circular, stepped platform like something out of a game show.
"People use fashion to express themselves, to play," said Chiuri.
"In the end, fashion is a big performance."
ETX Studio
Wed Sep 29 2021
Models present creations for Dior Womenswear Spring Summer 2022 collection in Paris on September 28, 2021 during the Paris Fashion Week. - ETX Studio
AWANI 7:45 [06/10/2024] – Tuduhan palsu | Krisis kemanusiaan semakin parah | Tindakan akibat tekanan anak di Gaza | Misi lawatan PM di Pakistan
Laporan berita padat dan ringkas #AWANI745 bersama Dzulfitri Yusof dibawakan oleh #Maxis5G
Tumpuan #AWANI745 malam ini:
- Tiada perbincangan ubah Islam agama rasmi, kata PM
- Setahun genosid di Gaza, yang mati lebih baik, kerana hidup terus merana
- Wanita Palestin mohon maaf kepada rakyat Malaysia
- Wartawan Malaysia tempuh detik cemas terkepung di Islamabad
Tumpuan #AWANI745 malam ini:
- Tiada perbincangan ubah Islam agama rasmi, kata PM
- Setahun genosid di Gaza, yang mati lebih baik, kerana hidup terus merana
- Wanita Palestin mohon maaf kepada rakyat Malaysia
- Wartawan Malaysia tempuh detik cemas terkepung di Islamabad
AWANI Global: konflik Asia Barat: Perang Israel-Hezbollah
Israel semakin 'menggila' memperluaskan tujuan perangnya menyerang sempadan negara berdaulat yang bersekutu dengan Hamas. Sejauh mana keangkuhan Israel membuka mata dan merubah pandangan dunia terhadap kekejaman peristiwa di Palestin pada 7 Oktober tahun lalu?
AWANI Ringkas: Kelapa diletak di bawah Lembaga Koko Malaysia
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Kejadian tembak di Selama, polis tahan pemilik kebun
Polis menahan seorang lelaki tempatan kerana disyaki terlibat kes tembakan sehingga menyebabkan seorang individu cedera di Kampung Sumpit Beras, Rantau Panjang dekat Selama Jumaat lepas.
#AWANIRingkas 6 Oktober 2024 | 9 PM
Berikut merupakan rangkuman berita setakat 9 malam, 6 Oktober 2024
1️⃣ Wanita Palestin mohon maaf cetus kekecohan
2️⃣ Kelapa diletak di bawah Lembaga Koko Malaysia
3️⃣ Kedai runcit simpan, cuci sayuran dalam tandas sebelum dijual
#awaniringkas
1️⃣ Wanita Palestin mohon maaf cetus kekecohan
2️⃣ Kelapa diletak di bawah Lembaga Koko Malaysia
3️⃣ Kedai runcit simpan, cuci sayuran dalam tandas sebelum dijual
#awaniringkas
Kalau mahu lindungi gajah, selamatkan kami dulu
Lebih seribu penduduk di tiga kampung di Hulu Terengganu semakin dihimpit ketakutan apabila kampung mereka bagaikan bertukar menjadi perkampungan gajah.
Kabinet setuju komoditi kelapa di bawah Lembaga Koko Malaysia - TPM Ahmad Zahid
Jemaah Menteri bersetuju menstrukturkan Lembaga Koko Malaysia dengan memasukkan komoditi kelapa di bawah agensi itu.
Operasi larangan merokok di premis, Akta 852 berkuatkuasa
Akta 852 atau Akta Kawalan Produk Merokok Demi Kesihatan Awam 2024 mula berkuatkuasa pada 1 Oktober 2024.
Susulan itu, Kementerian Kesihatan kini giat melakukam pemantauan dari premis ke premis sejak Akta 852 mula dikuatkuasakan.
Hari ini, Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad sendiri turun padang menyertai operasi di Puncak Alam, Selangor.
Susulan itu, Kementerian Kesihatan kini giat melakukam pemantauan dari premis ke premis sejak Akta 852 mula dikuatkuasakan.
Hari ini, Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad sendiri turun padang menyertai operasi di Puncak Alam, Selangor.
Wartawan Malaysia nyaris terkandas, protes tutup jalan
Kumpulan wartawan Malaysia termasuk Astro AWANI yang berada di Islamabad bagi membuat liputan Lawatan Negara Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ke Pakistan, hampir terkandas malam Sabtu.
21 warga Bangladesh ditahan, menyamar jadi atlet untuk masuk Malaysia
Jabatan Imigresen menumpaskan sindiket menyeludup masuk warga asing dengan menyamar sebagai ahli sukan dengan penahanan 21 warga Bangladesh di Maluri, Kuala Lumpur, Khamis lepas.
Mimi Lana sanggup tarik diri daripada penggambaran Dior sebab..
Rata-rata peminat yang mengikuti perkembangan Mimi, sangat gembira dan menyokong tindakan pelakon tersebut.
Stella McCartney kini di bawah LVMH
Stella McCartney menandatangani kontrak dengan syarikat konglomerat mewah Mot Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH).
Gaun couture Priyanka Chopra ambil masa 1,500 jam untuk disiapkan
Gaun berbulu meleret digayakan aktres Priyanka Chopra mencuri tumpuan di acara fesyen terkemuka Met Gala 2019 yang berlangsung baru-baru ini.