Dior pulls off a fashion and dance spectacle

Paris Fashion Week opened yesterday with a blockbuster: Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Dior, took over the equestrian hippodrome in the Bois de Boulogne and filled it with a dance and fashion spectacle that won a rapturous reception, even from that segment of the fashion audience she has previously found hard to crack.

It’s proving quite a dance-themed season. In London, Hussein Chalayan showed his collection at Sadler’s Wells, although there were no actual dancers.

In Milan, Gucci hosted an evening with dancer Michael Clark, although there were no Gucci clothes (it has temporarily moved its show to Paris).

Dior’s show demonstrated how weightless Chiuri’s clothes are – not just the tulle skirts, but the jackets. Her blend of lightness and (light) feminism are fundamental to why women have been returning to Dior.

While she has assiduously paid homage to the tailoring that is key to the house’s history, she has reengineered the interior of its iconic Bar Jacket to make it appeal to modern consumers. This dance-alliance meshes perfectly with its core values.

The first part of the show began quietly, with models in Martha Graham-esque hair bands and long silk jersey or mesh tunics. It gathered pace as Chiuri took inspiration from the way dancers layer their stretchy workout wear in the rehearsal studio.

If the least appealing items were the fishnet pieces, the standouts included feathered skirts, white Edwardian silk dresses and satin trenches.

Tailored dresses, waistcoats, tie-dyed combat pants and jeans jackets brought an everyday functionalism to the Dior offer that it hasn’t really ever had.