Spring 2020 Haute Couture: Dior’s Modern Peplos

For her spring-summer 2020 haute couture collection for DIOR, Maria Grazia Chiuri continues her committed reflection on the complexity of the relationship between feminism and femininity.

What if Women Ruled the World?” A committed question raised by the American artist Judy Chicago became the driving inspiration for the creations in the collection.

Chiuri highlights the vision of a pioneer, a founder of American feminist art, as the revivor of a triumphant, divine conception of femininity, mistress of her destiny.

The peplos, a garment of timeless modernity, is reinterpreted as evening dresses. The drape, with its clean line, follows the curve of the body and gives structure to the silhouettes, such as fitted jackets with loose collars, and skirts and pants that are transformed into tuxedos in more masculine materials - like houndstooth and herringbone – woven with gold.Going back to the origins of these ancient costumes extends the question“Are Clothes Modern?” as a recurring thread in Chiuri’s creative process – while enhancing Dior’s codes. These new reinterpretations are given a marvelous palette, wrapped in braided cords.As she developed her looks, the Creative Director drew inspiration from classical representations of goddesses, such as Athena. Her majestic allure is a neo-platonic allegory of beauty, magnified by iconic works such as the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, combining intellectual strength and aesthetic harmony.The collection’s key motifs — golden, wholesome ears of wheat — once again recall women’s unstoppable creative force.