Mid-century couture is having a moment. With the upcoming release of the FX series “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” the refined elegance of post-war style icons like Babe Paley and CZ Guest is poised to become the next viral fashion trend.
It was the era of Raymond Loewy, who defined the look of the decade with his stylized industrial designs. Christian Dior was watching.
The creator of the New Look, who revolutionized fashion with his wasp-waisted silhouettes and full skirts, incorporated the aerodynamic curves of 1950s cars in designs such as the La Cigale dress from his fall 1952 Profile line, which is now It is part of the permanent collection. Collection at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
According to the museum's website, Harper's Bazaar described it as constructed of “gray moiré, so heavy it looks like flexible metal.” The design was the springboard for Maria Grazia Chiuri's couture collection this season, but the challenge was how to make its unique material and cut relevant to a modern clientele.
“We want to emphasize this idea of Mr. Dior, but in a more wearable way, because at the time what he did was magnificent, but today it is really uncomfortable,” the designer said in a preview. “It's also a way to explore heritage in a different way, for this heritage to become something that can be present.”
Chiuri worked with a supplier near Lyon, the silk capital, to produce a lighter version of the fabric, which she used for garments ranging from jackets and coats to wide-leg pants and evening dresses.
He said it was his first time working with moiré, also known as watered silk, known for its wavy appearance and historically prized as a symbol of sovereignty.
There was a touch of cardinal cape in an oxblood belted coat dress with an ostrich feather petticoat, while a black mini cape was paired with a tuxedo vest and trousers for an elegant masculine-feminine evening look.
Chiuri sculpted the exaggerated hip line of the Cigale dress in a ruby red bustier dress, but also mastered the unwieldy material in a sensual plunge at the neckline of a trench coat-inspired dress. The collection was kicked off by artist Isabella Ducrot’s installation “Big Aura,” which featured oversized dresses designed to illustrate the power of clothing.
Christian Dior, a frustrated architect, was a fan of clean lines, contrasted with delicate colors and ornate embroidery inspired by the 18th century. That sensibility could be felt in a beige coat with a gold thread tapestry motif, and a black tank top with graphic embroidery and a matching ivory skirt.
There was plenty of rigor too, with linear skirt suits in gray plaid wool and minimalist evening dresses in inky black velvet. Chiuri pointed out how pleats were used to shape one of her signature white Greek goddess dresses. “This can only be done in haute couture and only on the client's body,” she noted.
It's the kind of meticulous technique that can be easily overlooked in the age of social media scrolling, which is why I was eager to watch “The New Look,” the 10-part Apple TV+ series hitting screens on February 14th. .
Guests at Monday's show included cast members Ben Mendelsohn, who plays Christian Dior; Juliette Binoche, who plays Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, and Glenn Close, who appears as Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow.
It is one of a series of new designer biopics that provide new insight into the roots of haute couture, which refers exclusively to tailored suits, as opposed to ready-to-wear.
“If we want to understand fashion, we have to understand the moment when the brand was born,” Chiuri said. “TV shows can help a broader audience understand this.”
The moiré trend has one of the first adopters. Rihanna turned heads at the show in a black belted jacket with a shawl collar and a pencil skirt with a matching baseball cap: retro chic with a modern twist.
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