Haute Couture is frequently confused with avant-garde, and is considered a collection of luxury and extravagant silhouettes. Dior showcases of Goddess Couture in Paris, illustrates that Haute couture can (and should) be wearable too. Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri consistently demonstrates this, proving that extravagance can be found in simplicity.
The female viewpoint on mythology was used as inspiration for Dior’s Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023 collection. Inspired by artist Marta Roberti, the collection pays homage to goddesses and their associations with animals by infusing their postures and motions into the patterns. Exotic creatures, primitive people, women, and nature lined the runway. The vibrant setting set the scene for the presentation while contrasting the clothes paraded down the catwalk.
The garments convey reverence and holiness, with a hieratic sequence of figures reflecting the steps of ancient deities who shaped the planet. Vertical and statuesque silhouettes were seen on a 65-person procession of contemporary goddesses, each wearing her floor-length profile. For Maria Grazia Chiuri, it combined her ideas about how ‘classicism’ may be made everlastingly relevant through Dior’s haute couture with the powerful simplicity of Greek and Roman antiquity—the ancient culture in which she was raised in Rome.
The collection begins to take shape and comprises elegant but straightforward silhouettes. There are countless variations on the traditional peplos. This ancient symbol has been pleated and draped in a contemporary manner, enclosing and yet liberating the bodies of modern Greek goddesses.
The couture collection’s color scheme of white, beige, silver, and light gold gives it an ethereal feel while emphasizing purity and light. The structured coats and jackets with folds beneath the chest are reminiscent of classical sculptures and column fluting, adding to their ageless charm. Purity-symbolizing pearl embroidery shimmers with iridescent splendor as it is woven with silver threads. The designs are also nostalgic because the collection embraces the glimmering materials of the sixties. These alluring textures are added to long skirts and dresses, and wool and cashmere are prominently featured, lending an air of richness and coziness. Some outfits feature a cloak with embroidery modeled after a holy garment to lend an added air of royalty.
Pleating takes the stage, especially on the sleeves of men’s jackets, emphasizing the meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail that are hallmarks of haute couture. The collection’s ultimate goal, which is to lead us toward a future that embraces sensitivity and a profound appreciation for the past, is also guided by this attention to detail.
This perennial form of fashion flame was rekindled by crepe gowns covered in long-line stoles, pin-tucked blouses worn with silk box-cut pleat skirts, and sculpted blazers secured over column-cut sheaths. The lovely white clothing that Chiuri created, in particular, took on even more otherworldly qualities. Waist-contoured silhouettes that are softened by gathered bustiers and lean skirting, as well as floor-length kaftan cuts that are embroidered and laced, will only serve to pique our yearning for white-dress couture further, or to be sufficiently crude, will strengthen the case for a Goddess-core.
Simple leather slide sandals, some of which featured inventive bootie-style cuffs, soft hair, and a “radiant, luminous” complexion created by Dior Beauty and the superb work of Peter Philips, completed each outfit.
Dior showcases of Goddess Couture in Paris, the Fall Winter 2023–2024 Dior Haute Couture collection is a mesmerizing synthesis of fine craftsmanship, reverence, and modern artistry. Each finely created item reflects Maria Grazia Chiuri’s commitment to honoring the past while imagining a compassionate future. This collection proves femininity’s enduring strength and capacity to uphold and support the community we create.