The Autumn/Winter 2021 Christian Dior haute couture collection was revealed during Paris Fashion Week this past July. The newly premiered line was led by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri and emitted the magic of the fashion industry we’ve missed during the pandemic. 

Vogue writer Sarah Mower in an interview with Chiuri stated, “Coming back to in-person shows after three seasons made [Chiuri] want to reconnect with ‘being present.’” That she did, returning to the atelier with the strong intention of illuminating the craft behind the clothes — the embroidery, textiles, designs and all of the work that goes into creating the pieces was presented on the runway.

After months in quarantine, this collection lured the audience in with its glamorous, yet gentle and effortless look. 

A Vision Post-Lockdown

Upon first glance, Dior’s new collection is as chic as ever while bringing forth an element of street style. When examining the clothes in more detail, the textiles, embroidery and patterns are meticulously handcrafted and elevate the clothes to a new degree. The color palette of the line contains earth tones and appears balanced and connected, fitting Chiuri’s newfound mindset of staying present. 

You can see the story behind the Autumn/Winter collection of Chiuri’s return to Dior — the heartbreak and economic impact of the pandemic on the textile workers and the fashion industry. The full force return and emphasis on what’s behind the curtain resulted in the embroidery and the fine detail work being shown off to the world. This collection paints a picture — it’s  time to come together to create art.

Nature Through Textiles and Embroidery

The collection displays an array of pieces, ranging from floor length dresses to coats to sets with matching skirts, jackets and hats. The assortment of pieces delivers a vision of diverse community and of different lives in motion. Watching the show, you feel like you’ve recognized for the first time that people walking down the street each have their own story.

Not only is each piece unique in its design, diligently placed with its accessorizing pieces, it contains detail in the fabrics that illustrates how much care, patience and dedication went into each individual item — an encapsulation of the inspiration from the surrounding world.

The mural backdrop of the show was hand-stitched by the Indian embroidery school the Christian Dior company supports. The embroidery draws the spectators’ eyes to the matching details in the runway ready outfits. The backdrop contains the earth tones within the clothing, which aligns with Chiuri’s inspiration from animals and nature, as she explored the outdoors more during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outfits are simple in tone, yet the embroidery and details inspired by nature form that sense of the grounded community sought out as we emerge from isolation into community space.

Chiuri, as director, is able to use classic Dior silhouettes but draw inspiration from the environment bring them to life. The pieces have a movement to them that flows like nature — the things we see in our day-to-day lives like water, trees and other wonders that lure the spectators of the show into the world of Chiuri’s imagination. No longer are you watching the Dior Autumn/Winter line, but you are watching an entirely new world swiftly move across the runway.

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@KedemLee