The French have long found inspiration in Mary, Queen of Scots, and this was never truer than on Monday night when the most recent Dior cruise collection was unveiled in Scotland. Born Mary Stuart, she was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and his French bride, Mary of Guise. Her sad background and strong will to overcome her terrible circumstances inspired one of Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri’s greatest collections for the Dior business.
And a performance that began with a female piper playing meekly while decked out in a deep red robe like to Mary’s own, a Catholic emblem of martyrdom. Zipped boleros were flamboyant before warrior princesses marched out in midnight blue, dark purple, and forest green wool plaids cut into magnificent cocktails for the décolleté. skirts as well as windbreakers.
Admired by Rosamund Pike, Lily Collins, and Jennifer Lawrence, among others in the front row. Chiuri’s unwavering ability to establish connections with uncommon local designers, craftspeople, and fabric suppliers was further demonstrated by this cruise presentation.
Chiuri studied Harris Tweed weavers by flying to the Outer Hebrides, and she used their tweeds in several looks. She traveled to the northeast coast of Scotland to collaborate with local It Gal designer Samantha McCoach of Le Kilt on creating useful pockets kilts. She also worked with Johnstons of Elgin knitwear.
Chiuri, who wore an elongated pleated kilt with multiple pockets finished like a carpenter’s harness – the better to carry a cell phone, cigarettes, or scissors – said, “We were able to work with a large group of local suppliers, which was a beautiful experience and also led to a very new palette for Dior.”
Scotland and Dior were reunited via the exhibition. Christian Dior debuted a spring/summer collection in 1955, first showcasing it at a charity gala held within the storied baronial hotel Gleneagles then on a runway in Glasgow’s Central Hotel. Images from such occasions, featuring tulle-clad runway models, Monsieur Dior admiring his masterpieces with a white tie, and even ticketless guests waiting outside, were digitally altered to seem as punky breastplates, Dior purses, and full coats.
The greatest feminist in fashion, Chiuri, also cited Clare Hunter’s cultural history of Mary Stuart, “Embroidering the Truth,” which describes how Mary utilised opulent textiles as a potential French Dauphin’s bride or, later, stitched secret messages to her followers while she was imprisoned.
The way that Claire Hunter describes Mary’s time spent in jail with her ladies-in-waiting in her novel is amazing. using needlework and sewing, her “domestic” crafts, to convey her opinions. At a pre-show backstage screening, Chiuri emphasized, “It’s feminist in the sense of community working to stand for something.” She was perched on a raspberry and orange checkered couch.
The performers wore white or flowery corsets that Chiuri had embroidered with words like aggressive, tough, nag, or hysterical as they circled Drummond Castle’s stunningly gorgeous symmetrical garden designed in the French Renaissance style. “The (Dior) collection is under wraps that are pulled tighter than a vintage corset,” the national newspaper The Scotsman said on its front page the morning of the event.
Drawing inspiration from the lineage of Mary Stuart, whose life was split between France and Scotland, Maria Grazia also commissioned Pollyanna Johnson, an artist, to produce a contemporary portrait that referenced the custom of 16th and 17th century portraiture painted on illustrated porcelain. Mary, who was born in 1542, succeeded her father as Queen of Scotland when she was just six days old. She ruled France for a year in 1559, at the tender age of 16, until her husband, King Francis II, passed away from a brain abscess.
Despite Mary’s well-known intelligence and attractiveness, this presentation featured a stunning nighttime segment with regal lace dresses, occasionally paired with contemporary trench coats and other times with Finnish fox blousons. All things considered, Dior’s collection and concept are younger, edgier, cooler, and sexier—despite paying homage to one of history’s most romanticized tragic queens. And this season, the world’s strongest cruise selection.
What more might Maria Grazia want to say at the house after eight years at Dior?She chuckled and said, “I think I want to do whatever I want. I am very fortunate to be able to work with artisans and artists that I want to work with.” Hire the craftspeople I admire and contribute to the funding of art colleges. I am really content at Dior for this basic reason.
