In this unprecedented period still marked by the confinement, Maria Grazia Chiuri designed her autumn-winter 2020-2021 haute couture creations in the light of the Théâtre de la mode. This unique event, initiated in 1945, at the end of the Second World War, aimed to make French couture shine around the world, at a time when the textile industry, the organization of transport and the presentation of collections were completely disrupted; luxury being above all a story of emotion and dreams, an eternal emblem of poetry and joie de vivre.

Perpetuating the spirit of this reinvention in the name of creative energy, the Creative Director of Dior women’s collections chose to produce thirty-seven miniature haute couture silhouettes, embodying the quintessence of the excellence in the Dior Ateliers. 

Working on a small scale offers the opportunity for the House’s craftsmen to re-embrace and elaborate on precious techniques – such as embroidery and hand-pleating to the nearest millimeter – but also to transpose, on mannequins measuring precisely fifty-five centimeters high, the essentials of tailoring: from white toile to the sumptuousness of draping; from buttoning to the precision of linings; from cut-outs to the rich diversity of fabrics; to miniature labels bearing the House seal.

Six looks have also been created in life-size versions, based on scale models. Reawakening enchantment, these captivating silhouettes reflect the House’s passion for the transmission of savoir-faire and serve as a precious source of inspiration and a symbol of hope.

Overall, the haute couture collection was inspired by Surrealist artists, including Lee Miller, Dora Maar, and Jacqueline Lamba. “Surrealist images manage to make visible what is in itself invisible. I’m interested in mystery and magic, which are also a way of exorcising uncertainty about the future,” Maria Grazia Chiuri in a statement.

Matteo Garrone also signed an exclusive film for Dior, unveiling Maria Grazia Chiuri’s autumn-winter 2020-2021 haute couture collection.