A shimmering night in Du Dior debuts collection in te

Under a large circus-style

tent, Dior showcased its latest haute couture collection to a crowd of Mideast-based fashionistas, social media figures, celebrities, buyers, designers and editors on Monday night. It was the first show in Dubai for the French fashion house, which initially presented its Springsummer 2019 haute couture collection in Paris in January.

The presentation in Dubai, however, also included 15 entirely new creations unveiled especially for the show’s design conscious Gulf-based audience.

Dubai’s exuberant displays of luxury and the city’s surreal, futuristic-looking skyline were the ideal backdrop to the show, where creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri was on hand.

The well-heeled crowd was wowed as models in sequined helmets presented the pieces inspired by Chiuri’s memory and imagination associated with the circus. Dior has a history with the big top, with the circus theme first appearing in a 1955 styled photo and reappearing under John Galliano’s creative direction.

The haute couture collection included details like a “tattooed” body suit that conjured up images of Victorian-era circus performers and a tulle jumpsuit of multi-coloured streaks in satin bands and dramatically square shoulders.

Haute couture is an artisan-based method of making clothes that dates back over 150 years. The highly expensive garments, shown in collections in Paris twice a year, are bought by a core group of no more than a few hundred women around the world.

The exclusive pieces at the invitation-only show, which took place in a public park (Safa), reflected in many ways Dubai’s own ambitions to become a global fashion and design hub.

Minna Joseph, who attended the show in a tulle skirt of her own creation, said it was amazing to witness the collection.

“I mean this is the park that I grew up in, I bring my kids in. And having something symbolic as Dior come, it’s monumental for Dubai, for all of us, for the fashion community,” she said.

The Dubai Design District, or D3, was launched in recent years with offices dedicated to the fashion industry. The district’s modern architecture and modish cafes cater to fashion editors of magazines like Vogue Arabia, emerging designers and local artists who can afford the steeply priced office space.

In a first in 2015,

Chanel held a show in Dubai to unveil a cruise collection by Karl Lagerfeld.

Dubai is a major shopping destination, drawing tens of millions of visitors from around the world to its mo malls each year.

“Today Dior is in Dubai. This is the bi example that the UAE is making a place on the fashion map,” Lebanese TV perso nabella Hilal said.

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