Last Saturday, March 18, the Middle-Eastern elite gathered at the fashion show held by Dior at Safa Park Dubai, where the brand’s Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2019 collection was unveiled.
The show came alive under a fabulous circus tent, with circus being the main theme chosen by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior’s high fashion collection. While circus was certainly a source of inspiration for this season, a closer look reveals that it has been a red thread all along the fashion house’s history.
As a show where art, entertainment and wit bond together, circus was Christian Dior’s favorite pastime in winter. This personal passion was mirrored by his professional life – in 1950, the British television aired a reportage titled “Dior ‘Circus’ Comes to Town” to cover the house’s show at the Savoy Hotel in London, and honor Dior himself.
It was actually at a circus that photographer Richard Avedon captured the designer’s true essence in a picture taken in 1955 and turned iconic in the fashion world: “Dovima” – this is its name – depicts a woman in a long dress surrounded by elephants.
But the magic of circus enchanted other artists too, and was explored later on by John Galliano, who chose it as the theme for his creations.
Drawing inspiration from both real circuses and folklore to stage her own parade, Chiuri designed a collection evoking their reinterpretations in contemporary art and photography, such as Cindy Sherman’s works on clowns, or the curtain Picasso drew for the ballet “Parade”.
As a result, the fifteen creations of the collection are a blend of overlapping artworks, mixed tones and embroideries. Shades of powder pink, gold, scarlet red, delicate green and lavender color large light trousers, shining pleated skirts, tailored coats with frogs, the iconic Bar jackets, details in opaque sequins, and leather bodices.
Their unique silhouettes explore Dior’s classic styles, embody the house’s traditional values and express its feminine, graceful, dreamy soul.
