This marked one of the most significant style showcases in recent memory. The audience included a pair of Academy Award-winning leading ladies, alongside the daughter of a third appearing on the stage. So many Korean pop idols graced the event that teenage fans had packed the Tuileries from daybreak.
Among the VIPs, a pair of influential political figures were seen chatting, both recently involved in their own public events. The stage set, created by a celebrated director, showcased an upside-down transparent pyramid, a clear nod the iconic Paris museum, that shimmering landmark of the city of Paris.
"Well, Dior equals spectacle," stated the designer behind the scenes. The 41-year-old designer, clad in his usual relaxed attire, was facing the immense pressure of his first show for the prestigious fashion house.
An Iconic Past of Revolution
Nowhere carries greater expectations to deliver a new look than the house where, in 1947, Christian Dior's New Look pioneered the very idea of style as a media event. The international frenzy resulting from those after the war silhouettes, which radically altered the way women's fashion, forms the core origin story of Dior.
This pressure was never more intense than currently, a time when the massive global luxury industry is experiencing a sharp downturn. The focus turned to this presentation – not just to redefine Dior, but to shake the entire fashion industry out of its downturn.
A Conceptual Beginning
The designer's answer was to "put the elephant in the room" with an introductory video entitled "Entering the House of Dior". This brief surreal montage combined 1950s couture dream-scenes with celebrity madness; scary film clips with images of the actress; Diana, Princess of Wales in high fashion; and John Galliano looking absurd in a astronaut gear.
In the style of an introductory sequence at a pop spectacle, it absorbed the anticipation in the room and then whipped it up further. Anderson had enlisted the filmmaker – typically known for crafting historical analyses – to Paris because "he's exceptionally skilled in rationalising, through imagery rather than words, how we arrived at this moment in politics and how we navigate it now."
Ripping Up the Iconic New Look
The designer took a risk by completely reworking the very foundation of the New Look itself. The presentation started with a new Dior suit, shortened daringly higher from its classic ladylike line so that the bottom ended at the upper thigh, where the bottom of the iconic 1947 jacket was positioned in 1947.
These mini skirts were in rose-colored jeans or black leather, revealed by jackets that flared open at the waist. Models' hair flowed freely, cosmetics was almost invisible. This was a interpretation of Dior that would fit in in a trendy neighborhood.
"The brand can often seem a bit sweet," Anderson noted. In the classic Dior story, "the woman is frequently portrayed as the fairytale character."
Beauty remains popular, however it might not create news. So there were sweet shop dresses that referenced Christian Dior's love of flowers, with embroidered floral motifs and illusionary floral ruffles, and a reading of Lord Byron's verse. ("Dior can become a bit over-the-top. That's acceptable.")
Quirky Touches
But there were also ominous bird-like caps evoking black birds, and a assortment of surreal-toned details that were signature Anderson elements. A footwear design displaying the "O" in Dior excised to show the foot within; another shoe bursting with silk roses.
He has said that his films combine politics and culture because "this way you can make pretentious shit entertaining," and this philosophy aligns perfectly with Anderson's own vibe. The most elegant brand in Paris can comment on the current moment, he said, because "Dior was birthed out of war. It came out of trauma. It was the French nation saying: 'we're back'. And currently we are living in a uncertain moment, where we feel we have limited influence over the political landscape or over elected officials, so we focus on other things – such as fashion and celebrity."
At the point where the tip of the inverted pyramid reached the stage there was a container in the house signature soft gray. The implication: indeed, there are echoes of the past in the walls of Dior. His role is to manage that legacy.
