A look into Dior women’s Autumn-Winter ‘24 Show

“Women, with their intuitive instinct, understood that I dreamed not only of making them more beautiful but happier too.”

-Christian Dior

From the culmination of fashion designer Maria Grazia Chiuri’s creative, bold explorations to Mumbai-based artist Shakuntala Kulkarni’s exhilarated backdrop for Dior’s runway presentation, the diaspora of female liberation took centre stage for Paris Fashion Week’s Fall ‘24 collection.

BTS: Mind behind Miss Dior’s Marvel

The 1960s were a vibrant era, with winds of change pulsating through the hems of skirts and seams of societal expectations. This is when female liberation rose from the ashes of gendered norms, and the world of ready-to-wear fashion for working women became its avant-grande canvas. Dior’s Fall ‘24 show serves as a piece of that time with its nod to the suave, sophisticated, but revolting designs from back then. 

A cultural and commercial force, Christian Dior was once again on full display in the Autumn ’24 collection. With the front row being embellished with celebrities like Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, and the Dior ambassador, as well as K-pop sensation Jisoo, amongst others, the show was held this Tuesday, March 5, as the last show of Paris Fashion Week. But did they end it with a bang?

An absolutely stunning ode to the house’s feminist pioneering spirit and the 1967 birth of ready-to-wear, the women’s AW 24-25 collection at Paris Fashion Week by Dior was a sight to behold. Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of Dior’s ready-to-wear line, harkened back to the late 1960s for the fall/winter show, evoking feminine, fitted silhouettes that took over the runway. 

Diverging from the brand’s usual up-scale historical significance, this runway show, like Chiuri’s other works, served as an amalgamation of fashion and fine art. The runway show was a beautiful creative product of Kulkarni’s vision and featured thick bamboo canes resembling cane warriors, essentially showcasing a compelling representation of the dying culture.

With Miss Dior splashed across the tailored looks, the show mostly focused on more feminine but ready-to-wear designs that would be easily wearable by working women, thereby highlighting the needs of independent, liberated women. It was Dior’s attempt at honouring its legacy while embracing its modern trend.

Contrary to their brazen, supersized logo splashed across the pieces, the collection had a muted neutral palette, consisting of trench coats, skirts, mesh dresses, and handbags of all possible shapes and sizes. Oh, and let’s not forget the shoes too, which ranged from tall riding boots to everything under the sun. 

A highlight for us, however, would be Dior’s reinterpretation of the iconic or classic (we leave it up to you) miniskirt, a clothing piece that has been a symbol of female empowerment and liberation. The house played up the classic piece with its own contemporary twist and paired it with structured blazers and thigh-high boots.

As had been seen in Chirui’s previous explorations too, Scarves played the main character here as well. Dior’s show was indeed an insight into ready-to-wear history, showcasing the house’s innovative spirit and its groundbreaking work in making high fashion accessible to all. 

The show’s inclusion of peppy short trench coats and a-lines coordinating with the right amount of ‘bling’, aka gold chains, introduced the decade’s cheeky vibe and style that used to be preferred by then artistic director Marc Bolan. The entire show seemed to circulate around the Bolan scarf print era. 

Serving as a tribute to a time when minskirts twirled in defiance, trousers marched in solidarity, and ready-to-wear garments whispered promises of a new dawn for women, the show was a true celebration of the ‘60s notion of sexual liberation in more ways than one.