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Photo Credit: @dior

Christian Dior’s Fall 2020 Couture collection was much talked about. Unfortunately, it wasn’t about how this was the best couture collection Maria Grazia Chiuri created in years, or why they originally created most pieces in only doll sizes. It was about how white the cast for their short movies is.

But first, let’s talk about the good part.

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Photo Credit: @dior

For the past several couture seasons, Maria Grazia has been struggling to put out an interesting collection. The concepts were nice, but the final product was meh. And there was always at least one piece with a not great fit. But this season she managed to create an interesting collection with pieces that properly fit the models/ mannequins.

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Photo Credit: @dior

The main inspiration was Greek mythology, and it seemed to also have mild takes from surrealism. This translated into pleated gowns with rope details, and a coat with an interesting print. But the best pieces were the white bar jacket, and the white dress with the phrase blanche et muette habillé des pensées que tu me prêtes (white and mute dressed in the thoughts you lend me). The phrase on the dress is a reference to the 1953 photo Le Tableau Blanc by Marcel Mariën. What makes both the dress and jacket so great is the simplicity of the design, but also a clear craftsmanship and elegance that maison Dior is known for, and which is essential for haute couture.

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Photo Credit: @dior

To avoid the excessive waste of fabric, most of the garments were only made in doll size. This idea was actually a nod to Théâtre de la Mode. Back in 1945 there was a short supply of fabrics due to the second world war. In order to present their work, the main Parisian designers from the time (including Monsieur Dior) created an exposition where they showcased their new collections through mannequins 1/3 of the human size.

Another great thing about this collection is that they managed to create pieces for the younger and more fashion forward clients, but also for the older and more conservative ones.

Now, let’s talk about the infamous short film.

Called “Le Mythe Dior,” the short film was directed my Matteo Garrone, and tells the story of a group of mythological women that falls in love and buys the clothes. The concept was good, the aesthetic incredible, and it was nice to see the seamstresses working. But the cast was composed only by white, young, sample sized models.

Considering that the video follows a fictional narrative, and that we are in 2020, this shouldn’t have happened. Also, this is one of the many reasons why people say Maria Grazia only pays attention to white feminism.

Talking about feminism…

It is interesting that Maria Grazia chose a man as a collaborator for this collection, it is unlike her. It was also weird that, during the short film, one of the models seemed to ask permission for her partner to wear a dress. Feminism is about gender equality. Part of that equality is being able to make choices about your life, and having control over your body. So, it is very weird that a feminist, known for creating feminist collections, is okay with a man telling a woman what to wear.

To finish, we need to talk about the fact that… they put a couture piece in a puddle? They let the model run through the woods in a couture coat? What happened to the hem? Is the fabric okay? @dior, fashion nerds need answers.