On the second day of Paris Fashion Week, Dior unveiled its Fall/Winter 2025/26 collection under the creative direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri — a show that transcended a mere homage to the past, instead crafting a sophisticated dialogue between tradition and transformation.
This season, Chiuri delved into the maison’s heritage, reviving iconic memories — such as the legendary “J’adore Dior” T-shirt, originally designed by John Galliano — while reinterpreting the architectural silhouettes conceived by Gianfranco Ferré, Dior’s Artistic Director from 1989 to 1996. The result was a collection that didn’t just revisit history but reshaped it through a contemporary, pluralistic lens.
Literary inspiration came from “Orlando”, Virginia Woolf’s groundbreaking novel that defies both time and gender norms. This fluidity was translated into ruffles reminiscent of Elizabethan neckpieces — now deconstructed — with removable collars in lace and velvet that floated around the models’ necks like delicate relics of a modern fantasy.
The show itself unfolded as a theatrical masterpiece. Directed by Robert Wilson, the runway transformed into a dreamlike stage, where prehistoric bird statues soared overhead and icebergs emerged from mirrored floors, blurring the lines between mythical history and fleeting modernity.
The collection revealed a wardrobe that balanced rigor and fluidity. The white shirt — a symbol of freedom for Chiuri — was reimagined: sometimes sheer and ethereal, other times paired with heavy, matte black felt tailcoats. The interplay between feminine and masculine codes intensified, with technical jackets layered over deconstructed crinolines, and black velvet ribbons fastened by baroque pearls adding texture to skirts and dresses.
While anchored in Dior’s heritage, the silhouettes adopted new forms: rounded shoulders structured oversized coats, while corsets and bustiers merged effortlessly with traditionally masculine pieces, reflecting a tailored fluidity that defies gender without losing its poetic essence.
Maria Grazia Chiuri crafted a winter collection that is not merely about clothing — it’s about layers of meaning. Once again, Dior asserts that fashion is a vessel of cultural, aesthetic, and social codes, with each creation weaving the marks of the bodies that wear them and the desires that shape them.
In a season where the past whispers and the future pulses, Dior delivers more than just a runway show — it offers an ongoing dialogue between memory and metamorphosis.
