Maria Grazia Chiuri Brings Feminine Elegance To Dior's Spring/Summer 2021 Collection

The House of Dior recently unveiled its Spring/Summer 2021 collection during Paris Fashion Week, opting for a physically distanced, COVID-conscious catwalk presentation reminiscent of a pre-pandemic era. Featuring fluid tailoring, pastoral aesthetics, and an emphasis on leisurely silhouettes, the clothing revels in contemporary sartorial concerns.

Ever the proud feminist, Maria Grazia Chiuri incorporated various tangible and contextual influences from female creators throughout the clothing and setting. Italian avant-gardist Lucia Marcucci—who created the visually arresting mise-en-scène—inspired the designer to explore collage and visual poetry as a means of expression, crept up in patchworks that fused rustic floral and paisley prints, punctuated by delicate lace fragments. Additionally, legendary scribes Susan Sontag and Virginia Woolf, and their aptitude for profound thinking, inspired the creative director to reinterpret essential wardrobe staples, including men’s shirting and sleek coats, for the modern Dior woman.

Elsewhere, Chiuri further pursued her interest in augmenting traditional dressmaking techniques and motifs, ranging from Japanese to Indonesian artisanal flourishes. Dior’s worldliness remains intact, where knowledge and curiosity coalesce into a body of work that exudes effortless idiosyncrasy.