Maria Grazia Chiuri has long been adept at blending the conceptual with the sartorial, with Dior FW21 ready-to-wear collection exploring the world of fairytales. Serving as a mechanism to challenge and revisit archetypes and stereotypes, the depiction of classic fairytales in Dior FW21 is decidedly more Brothers Grimm than Disney.
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Titled ‘Disturbing Beauty’, the collection showing takes place in the Palace of Versailles and sees models traipse through the Hall of Mirrors clad in cashmere coats, face obscuring hoods and veils, shimmering lamé, and lurex jacquards. Simultaneously fantastical yet stoic, hues of red weave throughout the collection, illuminating capes and raincoats with hoods, or resting atop tartan in the form of a rose that evokes the tale of Beauty and the Beast.
Inspired by the tales of Jean Cocteau and fairytale writers Madame d’Aulnoy and Madame Leprince de Beaumont, Dior FW21 takes on the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, and Alice in Wonderland. However in Grazia Chiuri’s interpretation, Little Red looks less likely to be fooled by the wolf, perhaps the Beast quite simply is a beast, and the Queen of Hearts may just be the protagonist.
Reminiscent of the childlike innocence we initially approached fairytales with, the collection is dotted with schoolgirl-esque pinafores, tartan skirts, white collars, plastrons in broderie anglaise, woolen blazers, and white knee-high socks, which stand starkly against the series of princess-like tulle gowns the collection finishes with.
View the Disturbing Beauty film and full collection below.
Words by Theo Rosen
