A deep devotion to Monsieur Dior’s heritage and British essences arrived to Blenheim Palace, a symbol of quintessential Englishness, in the style the French dubbed Baroque.
The journey from Paris to Blenheim Palace where the Cruise Collection was shown in the presence of the fashion community is the point of departure for Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, leading the Christian Dior creative team.
The inspiration was not only the post-war high society’s wardrobes, but also the restlessness and wanderlust that characterized the period: the urge to travel, to discover the new. Shots of red are evocative of the hunting pink, rustic tweeds and crisp poplin of country attire, while nineteenth-century equestrian scenes are knitted into intricate pictorial jacquards or fused into English country florals.
The curvilinear form of the Bar jacket is tailored close to the body, and abbreviated at the hip or echoed in grand gestures of cloth – a full sleeve, a gathered peplum or pocket on generous coats.
The Bar is sometimes bisected, the basque wrapping the hips; other times the shape is transposed to draped tea dresses. Each detail is drawn from the oeuvre of Monsieur Dior, a reflection of the House’s storied past.
Dior’s signature bow is pulled undone, passed through the décolleté or reverse like a foulard, to close and simultaneously embellish, adding a dynamic movement to strict shapes.
The volume is Dior, the reference is British, and the spirit is contemporary.
