“In fashion, you can’t invent something new,” said Dior’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, backstage before unveiling her autumn/winter 2025 collection. “But you can reinvent it.”
And that’s exactly what Chiuri did in the Tuileries garden, transforming a wardrobe staple—the white shirt—into a statement piece at the heart of a monumental five-act show. The spectacle featured mechanical pterodactyls, towering boulders, flashing lights, and an abundance of lace, pushing the boundaries of classic fashion with dramatic reinvention.
Chiuri is no stranger to reimagining the past. Tuesday’s Dior show marked a major moment at Paris Fashion Week—the largest of the “big four”—coming hot on the heels of the Oscars. There, Chiuri achieved what many designers dream of: dressing the winner of the Best Actress Oscar. Her reinterpretation of Dior’s 1956 Bal à Paris gown, updated in pink silk satin, was worn by Mikey Madison, star of Anora.
Madison’s decision to wear Dior was a surprise even to Chiuri. “You send a sketch and some material, and then you just have to cross your fingers,” she said. “It’s a lottery—they might not like it!” In the end, Madison wore two Dior dresses, while Anora director Sean Baker also sported a Dior tux.
The Paris collection itself paid homage to past Dior designers while drawing literary inspiration—a signature of Chiuri’s work. This time, it was Virginia Woolf and her novel Orlando, a theme that has influenced brands like Burberry, Fendi, and Givenchy, as well as entire Met Gala themes and Harry Styles’ love for statement pearls.
Woolf’s fascination with fashion made her a fitting muse. She wrote for Vogue, was frequently photographed, and explored the power of clothing in literature, coining the term “frock consciousness” to describe how clothes shape mood and identity.
Reflecting Orlando’s gender-fluid narrative, Chiuri delivered one of her most androgynous collections yet. Models with cropped hair strutted in structured trench coats and bold red military jackets, while others with flowing locks showcased ethereal lace gowns, leather bombers, and detachable ruffles.
The collection also included Dior’s iconic Bar jacket, first designed in 1947 by Christian Dior as part of his New Look collection, symbolizing post-war femininity. Over the decades, Dior’s creative directors have reinterpreted the design, but Chiuri’s modern stretch-infused version remains one of the most wearable yet.
Another standout piece was Chiuri’s take on John Galliano’s iconic J’adore Dior T-shirt, originally a Y2K staple before Galliano’s departure from the brand.
The show’s centerpiece—the white shirt—paid tribute to 90s Dior designer Gianfranco Ferré, known for his structured tailoring. Some designs featured dramatic ruffles, while others were paired with corsets, a nod to both elegance and practicality. The white shirt’s resurgence aligns with a broader cultural moment, as seen in Meghan Markle’s recent Netflix appearance, where she sported a J.Crew version. Whether signaling a return to simplicity or conservatism, the trend reflects fashion’s recurring embrace of basics during uncertain times.
Dior itself has seen fluctuations in recent years—quadrupling sales between 2017 and 2023, only to face a recent decline.
With speculation swirling about Chiuri’s potential departure and Jonathan Anderson—the Irish designer known for revitalizing Loewe—being tipped to take over both Dior’s men’s and women’s lines, this collection may serve as Chiuri’s grand farewell. If so, she leaves on a high note, proving once again that reinvention is always in style.
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