Dior Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri certainly preempted us with the Spring/Summer 19 pre-show teaser videos which showed us dancers practicing in the dance studio. The tone (and stage) was set, and when the show opened with a conceptual dance performance –  choreographed by renowned choreographer Sharon Eyal, and performed by her company of dancers – on a vast parquet floor covered in flower petals, it really wasn’t a surprising at all. Well, apart from performance art, the collection, too, was dance-inspired, not just in terms of dancewear, but more importantly, the true spirit of dance. Dance, through rhythm, movement, and music, is a way through which we connect with our bodies as a whole: mind, spirit, soul, and strength. Like fashion, dance is all about precision, execution, and discipline.

As with every Dior collection since Chiuri took the creative helm, she heroes an inspiring woman, and this time around, she chose contemporary dance heroines Loïe Fuller, Isadora Duncan (love her!), Ruth Saint Denis, Martha Graham and Pina Bausch. If you’re thinking this is rather out of character, or an excuse to bring back the ethereal organza and tulle creations that Chiuri co-deisgned with Pierpaolo Piccoli when she was at Valentino, think again. In fact, Monsieur Christian Dior was an ardent fan of dance, with archival evidence of collaborations with Roland Petite on the ballet Treize Danses, and Margot Fonteyn, dancer and one of the Maison’s clients.

The experience of dance, its most intimate truth, the fact that it is a means of universal expression, and the radically of the gestures of contemporary dance have all stimulated my imagination ~ Maria Grazia Chiuri ~

And deliver she most certainly did. From bodysuits, light jumpsuits tanks, and tutus, to the double row elasticated headbands, the criss-cross lace up shoes with or without a plexiglass heel reminiscent of ballet shoes, we definitely saw an array of dancewear-inspired looks that ballerinas and dancers wear both on- and off-stage, some of which, with a distinct Grecian goddess vibe. In fact, the meticulous attention to detail on both the day and evening dresses – particularly with regards to the treatment of the tulle, which we saw in both a knotted macrame net pieces,  as well as the knife-pleats were reminiscent of the mistress of pleating, couturier Madame Grès – felt as if they could belong to couture or demi-couture instead of a Ready-to-Wear collection. Pleating aside, there were floral prints as well as a kaleidoscopic motif that was symbolic of the colour-soaked cinematic effects of one of her heroines this collection pays tribute to, Loïe Fuller. While this may be her least androgynous collection to date, elements of boyish charm were still present, especially in relation to the pairing these diaphanous skirts with boxy blazers or relaxed fit outerwear.

Where the SS19 bags are concerned, we see a mini, and flat version of the Saddle, and the Lady Dior came in the same Kaleidoscopic print that we saw on the dresses. Chiuri also expanded the Oblique collection with the addition of a backpack, a flat pouch with crossbody strap, and a duffel. Also new were the canvas printed bags in olive, with “Peace”, “Love”, a heart, sun, and question mark with an illustrated marker pen effect to have that “hand-drawn” feel, but what really stole the show this time, was definitely the new book bag-esque satchel, which comes in 2 sizes, and several variations including Oblique as well a similar diamond-shaped embroidered ethnic motif that we saw with the embroidered Book Tote, but in different colourways.

In sum, I have nothing to say about Chiuri’s SS19 collection of Dior except this: everything was on pointe (pun intended) 😉

If you missed the show live, you can watch the FULL show via the on-demand video service right here.

Runway Images courtesy of Dior, bag shots via Vogue Runway