Today, Maria Grazia Chiuri presented Christian Dior’s Fall 2021 ready-to-wear collection, titled Disturbing Beauty, in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. Thanks to an installation by Silvia Giambrone, however, the reflective surfaces were hidden; the historic light-filled room, arguably the most famous in the palace, was transformed, by way of wax and thorns, into what the Italian artist dubbed “The Hall of Shadows.” It was a dark twist for the French fashion house‘s new lineup, which was seemingly plucked straight from the pages of a fairytale.
“In every collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri chooses a territory where the time-space dimension is erased: suggestions and intentions give form and contours to an articulated constellation of clothes and accessories,” the show’s notes read. “A network of symbols, the tale is hardly just a means of escape: it serves to challenge and revisit stereotypes and archetypes. It consists of a narrative projected into the future.”
Red hooded capes and raincoats could be traced back to Little Red Riding Hood (or, more specifically, English novelist Angela Carter’s version, which appeared in her 1979 anthology, The Bloody Chamber), and an archival rose print evoked Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Meanwhile, a toy soldier’s uniform was remade into a series of blue cashmere coats. Black full skirts and Bar jackets, which had been accented with the luxury label’s iconic cannage motif, were offset with childlike white collars, broderie anglaise, and white bobby socks. (A hefty dose of sooty black eyeliner gave such prim pieces a subversive edge.) The season ended on a high note with a collection of layered tulle evening gowns. They are certainly worthy of a princess—or, at the very least, Hollywood’s version of one.
Below, take a front row seat to experience Dior’s mythical Fall 2021 collection, directed by French director Fabien Baron.
