Is Cruise the new Couture?
For Dior, perhaps the answer is yes.
On the evening of June 17th, a model, goddess-like in poise and posture, descended a great stair case down into the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens which was illuminated by flames and enchanting orchestral accompaniment. Once upon the stage, this embodiment of a goddess lets out a melodic sound. Her dress, reminiscent of the inner workings of a hoop skirt and the bodice a woven web, like that of Penelope’s “web” in the Odyssey were accentuated by the flames surrounding her. She sings a song, a summoning of the magic that followed: the Dior Cruise 2022 Collection.
The Dior Cruise 2022 Collection came “not out of nostalgia, but out of a desire to recompose, in the present, the fragmentation necessary to our understanding of the world”, according to Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri. Iconic Greek imagery re-emerges in the collection through the sketches of Pietro Ruffo whose inspiration was culled from the vase collection of Alexander Iolas. The meeting of the two steals the show with its splashes of color against the classic white and gold associated with Greek origins.
Chiuri also chose to re-examine classical Greek structure and craft with a genderless eye that turned out works of true excitement.
The Dior Autumn/Winter 21-22 Haute Couture Collection feels like a step into a different world. After the shimmering golds and daring breastplates of the Cruise Collection, the empire waisted wool skirts and nude, sheer dresses of the Haute Couture Collection feels like a palette cleanser, a deep breath, a cup of coffee after a long night of good company and delicious food.
Though delightful, cleansing and calm are not normally words associated with couture. Chiuri’s approach to couture might not be the most visually risky, but where she chooses to shine Dior’s great spotlight is the refreshing - if not a bit overdue - venture the fashion industry needs.
Chiuri’s Dior has been known for being the most progressive of any modern fashion house (many of the bags and accessories in Cruise collection were sourced from local craftsmen), but her Autumn/Winter Couture takes this to a whole new level. The collection of heavy wovens and spectacular layering was presented against walls of a mural designed by Eva Jospin and hand embroidered by the women of an Indian embroidery school Dior financially supports. The intention of the show, from construction to final presentation, was to shine a light on the hundreds of people who contribute to the production of a couture collection - from embroiders to dressmakers. It is so rare to see such a brilliant designer shine the spotlight away from themselves.
Still, the Haute Couture Collection of daywear didn’t breed quite the same excitement as the Cruise Collection. Haute Couture will always be present in fashion houses and serves a purpose for the rich and famous (and those of us onlookers who can dream), but is the Cruise Collection the new fascination of the rising generations? It would make sense for a society under reform that values experience and long term relevance over brief extravagances, making Chiuri’s reform-charged-couture and dynamic Cruise collection the torch to lead fashion forward.
