The Dior haute couture spring-summer 2024 show at the Rodin Museum gardens was an enchanting portrayal of artistic finesse and historical reverence. At the heart of the presentation stood Isabella Ducrot's breathtaking installation, "Big Aura," which adorned the walls, creating an awe-inspiring backdrop for the haute couture collections.
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
Ducrot's "Big Aura" comprised twenty-three oversized dresses, some reaching five meters in height. These imposing creations were meticulously arranged against a backdrop of irregular black stripes, evoking the essence of weft and warp. Drawing inspiration from the dresses of Ottoman sultans, the installation formed an abstract symbolization of the garment, transcending mere fabric to embody a power that transcends the body.
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Creative Director of Dior women's lines, found profound significance in "Big Aura," describing it as the pervasive essence of haute couture. The collection reflects a perpetually fertile ground for contemplation, where each piece is destined to be uniquely adapted to the wearer's body, carrying its own specific aura. This concept echoes Walter Benjamin's definition of aura, encapsulating the uniqueness and authenticity of art while inscribing it in the collective memory.
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
The show delved deep into Dior's haute couture history, drawing attention to the La Cigale dress designed by Christian Dior for autumn-winter 1952. This iconic piece evoked the sacredness of the Atelier through its sculptural construction and moiré fabric, serving as the foundation for a theory that recontextualizes couture, blurring the boundary between art and life.
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
The collection showcased a stunning array of garments in a striking palette of shades, emphasizing the iridescence of the fabric, including gold, white, gray, burgundy, and green. The shapes revisited details from the Dior archives, creating contemporary looks that exuded architectural elegance through coats, wide skirts, overlapping layers, pants, and jackets. The use of cotton and silk in trench-coat colors showcased a captivating, innovative yet classic effect.
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
Black velvet dresses flowed in motion, while sumptuous feather capes rested on embroidered double organza dresses. The embroidery itself resembled fragments of ancient poems, conjuring a colorful variety of nature, as seen in the Millefiori motif punctuating the surface of a yellow moiré dress, or in the strands of long threads swaying to the rhythm of footsteps.
Photography: Patrick Sawaya
In this collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri masterfully evoked a chromatic and constructive presence, infusing the silhouettes with an aura-like dimension of haute couture. The experience was not merely contemplative but also performative, expressing the metamorphic spirit of the imagination.