PARIS, Sept 27 (Portal) – Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri looked back to the reign of Catherine de Medici and revisited the hoop skirts, corsets and platform shoes of that era, which she worked into a modern take for the label’s spring collection .
“I think she was the first to understand the power of fashion,” Chiuri told Portal in an interview, describing how the 16th-century Queen of France introduced platform heels to accentuate her petite stature.
Models in baggy, bell-shaped crinolines, lace shorts and long black coats covered in embroidered flowers marched through an ornate grotto structure carved from layers of cardboard.
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Built by artist Eva Jospin, it was at the center of a temporary structure erected in the Tuileries Gardens.
A model presents a creation by designer Maria Grazia Chiuri as part of her Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Dior during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 27, 2022. Portal/Johanna Geron
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Outside, crowds gathered under umbrellas to catch a glimpse of celebrity arrivals, including K-pop star Jisoo, Natalie Portman and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The LVMH-owned label marked the second day of ready-to-wear shows for Paris Fashion Week, which runs until October 4.
De Medici introduced embroidery to the French court, noted Chiuri, who incorporated three-dimensional raffia flowers and delicate lace lingerie into the collection — while keeping things modern, using technical fabrics for crinoline skirts and leaving the waist open for many of the looks.
The idea is to create a “baroque party in a contemporary way,” Chiuri said.
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Reporting by Mimosa Spencer; Editing by Jonathan Oatis
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