For Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior Cruise 2025 collection, she took the house to the rolling green countryside of Perthshire in Scotland.
Indeed, France and Scotland have long had significant ties, from the Auld Alliance to the “Écosse” flag used by lorry drivers from the northern country to show their affinity with France.
Alongside this centuries-long French-Scottish connection, Chiuri also delved into the house archive when she chose to showcase her latest collection at Gleneagles Hotel.
It is the same spot where in 1955, Monsieur Dior – a lifelong admirer of the country – presented his work in a ballroom at the hotel.
Discussing the choice in the notes which accompanied the new collection, the house said “For the Creative Director of Dior Women’s Collections, this country has become the narrative framework of the Dior Cruise 2025 collection – unveiled in the gardens of Drummond Castle – where memories, inspirations and suggestions fuse to generate shapes and embroideries.”
Through the collection, Chiuri weaves narratives both historical and those of the more recent past. There are emblems also referencing Mary Queen of Scots and far more recent references to the punk subculture movement and its association with Scotland.
Elsewhere, a map of Scotland is depicted across pieces in the collection, while photographs from the spring-summer 1955 presentation are transformed into prints or employed as appliques on the edges of kilts or pea coats, in a kind of cinematic montage.
Throughout the collection, looks merged contrasting elements, including the diverging textures of velvet and lace dressing the contemporary equestrian. Certain silhouettes feature exaggeratedly wide sleeves which, on white shirts, appear under little dresses with gathered skirts and bustiers resplendent with embroidery. Indeed, the latter can be found on several dark, iridescent pieces that are sometimes adorned with pearls. Meanwhile, lace collars, in their turn, brighten up the black.
The French collection also celebrated the iconic Scottish design – tartan. The common thread running through this veritable celebration of the kilt, whether made directly in Scotland or reinterpreted. Not to forget dresses conceived in diverse lengths, as well as coats and capes with large hoods. Rain boots come and go. Small jackets adopt the grey of menswear fabrics and the iconic Bar jacket sports black velvet Brandenburg buttons.
The collection was a reminder that between great alliances, even better things can be born.
