Explore the Deconstructed Looks From Dior’s Spring 2016 Collection | Verve Magazine
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Fashion
June 13, 2016

Explore the Deconstructed Looks From Dior’s Spring 2016 Collection

Text by Saumya Sinha

Although tilted by the winds of change, French fashion house Dior welcomes a fuss-free world of haute couture

It is always intriguing to see how French luxury giant Dior can so easily distance itself from the couture du jour and redefine the au courant every season. This year, the fashion house’s first couture collection after former creative director Raf Simons’ departure was awaited with equal parts inquisitiveness and concern. Currently without a creative director and helmed by Swiss designers Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, the brand taps into the essence of today’s Parisian who chooses accessible style without compromising on quality. As a result, one sees delicate hemlines replacing typical extravagant volumes (etched in our minds forever by Simons’ debut haute couture line for Fall 2012) and vintage motifs taking the place of graphic prints. Even though the collection is not without a certain queerness in silhouettes, every aspect remains on point, down to the smallest  of details.

With this line, the Dior woman finds yet another way of asserting her style. She can now wear couture with the ease of pret fashion, as the silhouettes, no longer so liberal in volume, are unfussy and practical. This season, Dior’s signature bar jacket can change the mood of a look, depending on how it is worn; for example, whether it is buttoned up or not. Layered skirts and ruffled dresses add variety to the deconstructed approach seen in the off-shoulder dresses, high-slit skirts and various jackets. Coats folded outward at the edge reveal well-finished wool; while some rest gently on the collar bone. Christian Dior’s motifs and good-luck charms are embroidered on clothing and used in jewellery such as earrings that cast a shadow in the shape of a bird. An abstract panther masquerades as a lily of the valley in an off-white silk dress and skirt, while unexpected contrasts of texture and cut put a fresh spin on skirt suits.

Behind the modernity of this collection lies all the brilliance that lives inside the brand’s embroidery ateliers. Mr Dior’s passion for flowers too is revisited in this line which is sprinkled with delicate sequinned blooms and dainty leaves made of thousands of beads and spangles. For Monsieur Dior, botanical references celebrated natural beauty. Ergo, feline patterns and peacock feather embroidery appear throughout the collection. Red, the house’s statement colour, is found in embellishments and melting onto lips, providing a blast of cannon fire. The androgynous look, one of the brand’s fortes, is illustrated through an oversized camel coat and pantsuits. Bees found darting about on tulle are a veiled reference to the seamstresses of the fashion house, who the doting designer called petites mains.

Tailored dresses draped in yards of silk, satin and tulle, and streamlined jackets cinched at the waist define the new couture collection. Wearable silhouettes — skirts bedecked with sparkly adornments and a mix of textures — ruled the runway. If the new voice lacked in pomp, it made up in fit, attention to detail and design, challenging the brand’s own attitude towards couture. Dior has now moved on from last season’s irresistible softness to draw focus to a more deconstructed and functional look.

As we eagerly wait to see if this is a new direction for Dior couture, we take a moment to applaud the real superstars behind the collection — the seasoned artisans. Behind every successful couture house is the distinctive craftsmanship that brings luxury to life. With the help of the legacy and heritage of the atelier and by diligently pursuing the art of handmade perfection for decades, they continue to enhance Dior’s own unique position amongst the fashion cognoscenti.

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