Tonight Christian Dior will present its Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2019 collection at an exclusive show in Dubai. The first of its kind in the region, the presentation will be a re-show of the Haute Couture looks that were presented In January but will also feature some exclusive pieces designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri for the Middle East only. Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri is in town for the show as well as Creative and Image Director of Dior Make-up, Peter Philips.
While the finer details of the show are still under wraps it’s thought the Dubai presentation will follow the same circus theme that we saw in Paris. Stemming from Christian Dior’s love of the Cirque d’Hiver, the circus has played an important role in the evolution of Dior. In 1955 Richard Avedon captured the essence of Christian Dior’s image when he took the now famous photo, Dovima and the Elephants, an image that perfectly evokes the wonder and majesty of haute couture. Then under John Galliano’s creative direction the circus reappeared in Dior’s designers.
For the spring/summer 2019 Haute Couture collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri brings together a superposition of images: a woman’s tattooed skin, reminiscent of the Victorian circus and its fairground phenomena, becomes a motif-drenched unitard that shapes the body and tells a wearable story under dresses. Powdery shades that come together and blend into an infinite palette – like those on the curtain painted by Pablo Picasso for the ballet Parade – also symbolize this sense of the worn, of the fine dust that sprinkles stage clothes. Skirts embroidered or inlaid with opaque sequins are shortened as tutus that nod to the circus codes of acrobats, tamers and riders.
Full and very light pants, narrowing at the ankle, also come in the form of jumpsuits. Shorts are paired with sheer white shirts accented with ruffs or ribbons seemingly frayed at the edges. There are also leather corsets, sailor stripes, and black jackets inspired by that of the lion tamer. The geometric white clown outfit, whether spare or sumptuous, is reinterpreted through its materials, embroidery and proportions.
Stay tuned to aeworld.com for all the front row action and show reports later today.
READ MORE: The Greatest Show: See Dior’s SS19 Haute Couture Collection
READ MORE: Christian Dior At Paris Fashion Week 2019
