Dior goes green as style stars touch down in Paris
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The drizzly weather in the French capital didn’t rain on Dior’s parade as the powerhouse staged the first major show of Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.
On the contrary, rain was a fitting accessory for a forestthemed show at the Longchamp Racecourse that celebrated nature and ecology. The earthy scent of wet soil from a forest nearby wafted around fashion editors and celebrities who included Julianne Moore and Jennifer Lawrence, The Associated Press reported. Guests jetted in from around the world, including influencer and beauty entrepreneur Negin Mirsalehi, Malaysian actress Neelofa Mohd Noor and Lebanese influencer Karen Wazen. Mirsalehi and Noor were both photographed wearing similar looks — blue-and-white, nature themed outfits. For her part, Mirsalehi showed off a printed jumpsuit with leaves and flowers trailing over the length of the belted outfit. She paired the look with black boots, a classic navy handbag and a messy bun.
Noor showed off the same print, but in the form of a fringed jacket, which she paired with wide-cut jeans and a white shirt. Wazen stood out in a plaid dress with a matching, oversized coat and fishnet tights. She finished off the outfit with a string of pearls and a sleek teal handbag.
Dior’s first female designer, Maria Grazia Chiuri, pulled off a clever twist for the season, when the House of Dior’s legendary founder wasn’t the usual inspiration for the designs. In Christian Dior’s place was his colorful and rebellious sister, Catherine Dior, known simply as Miss Dior. Chiuri delved into the house archives and came back channeling a photo of Catherine, who was a gardener and born in 1917, surrounded by flowers. The result was a decorative and quirky collection. It riffed on gardening and on the buttonedup collar styles Miss Dior wore. Straw hats in natural hues or dyed black, some with contrasting trim, defined the tone of the 67-look show with a central eco-theme, The Associated Press noted. The program notes said the hats were fashioned in raffia, a natural fiber made from palm leaves. Against the forest backdrop, it made quite the fashion statement.
A loose striped mini-dress in the style of a gardener’s apron opened the show alongside a beautiful A-line full skirt that teemed with intricate organic embroidery. Later, the collection loosened up with as an open coat-collar silhouette and a series of fluid silk gowns in pastel shades and floral prints.
But despite the fresh quirks, the collection had many designs that left an impression they have been seen before.