When it comes to Paris Fashion Week, there’s one showcase that headlines each year: the biggest stars fly in to take a look.
For one afternoon, Dior takes over the Tuileries Garden for a presentation that influences women’s wardrobes around the world.
And yesterday’s autumn/winter 2024 exhibition was no exception.
On hand to witness it were Dior ambassadors Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence, as well as the cast of The New Look, Apple TV’s new hit drama about Christian Dior’s life during World War II.
Add to that almost every fashion influencer and magazine editor in the country, and you have one of the biggest style moments of the year. But what stood out?
A model presents a Christian Dior creation for the Women’s Fall-Winter 2024/2025 Ready-to-Wear collection
The skirts were covered in graffiti, the trench coats buttoned and worn like those of the heroines of the French resistance.
As it happens, a lot. First there was the setting: a dimly lit walkway monopolized by statues of female warriors and images of a futuristic army.
PS: And Emily really IS in Paris!
She has been seen in a number of fashionable outfits filming Emily’s new series In Paris.
So Lily Collins – naturally – attended the YSL show in the French capital last night, dressed appropriately in elegant floral dresses.
Then came the music: Serge Gainsbourg’s highly controversial 1967 classic, Je t’aime… moi non plus.
And then there were the models. Dozens of them, somber but fierce, in a muted palette of greys, blacks, whites and acres of beige.
They paraded like a ’60s-inspired army with beatnik polo collars, open skirts, berets and plenty of knee-high boots.
The skirts were covered in graffiti, the trench coats buttoned and worn like those of the heroines of the French resistance.
The show was, of course, a tribute to Miss Dior, the ready-to-wear brand created in 1967 for a younger, more modern consumer.
What’s more, Miss Dior was the poignant nickname of Catherine, the sister of Christian, the brave resistance fighter played by Maisie Williams in The New Look.
I know what you’re thinking: why does all this rebellion matter and what does it have to do with fashion?
It matters because what Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of Dior, puts on the runway, at some point, will end up influencing what you wear.
And what you wear, whether you admit it or not, influences how you feel. Ms. Chiuri is as much about making women feel good as she is about making them look good.
You can see this in the flat, baggy riding boots that almost all the models wore, as well as the very flattering structured jackets.
Some fashion houses, such as Giambattista Valli, will present more amazing creations on the catwalk this week.
And other designers will convey greater emotion with the glasses they wear. Balenciaga, which debuted on Sunday, stands out for its shock value.
The models paraded like a ’60s-inspired army in beatnik polo collars, open skirts, berets and plenty of knee-high boots.
A model struts around in a leopard look. What Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of Dior, puts on the catwalk, at some point will end up influencing what you wear
But Dior is almost always the most influential collection, because women can be seen wearing it.
“I am an Italian designer…” said the famous Mrs. Chiuri. “Creating something that can’t be worn makes no sense.”
As a result, critics have not always been kind to her, citing her work as too vulgar.
But they and the women who actually buy the clothes rarely agree on those things.
That’s why my predictions for your wardrobe this year are pretty simple: a black polo shirt; a pair of flat, loose boots; a beige trench; and maybe, just maybe, a resistance-style beret to top it all off.