Dior Couture Goes to the Circus

Dior's spring 2019 couture collection went under the big top. Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri drew inspiration from the circus, a theme that Christian Dior himself, as well as past Dior creative director John Galliano both touched on. Chiuri used traditional circus elements as inspiration—ruffly clown collars, ringmaster dress pants and brocade jackets, tightrope walkers slippers, and acrobat headpieces—and refined them into sleek silhouettes using a muted and sophisticated palette. This was a theme that could have easily veered into costume but it didn't. It helped that Chiuri also used modern influences, like Cindy Sherman's work on clowns, to inject a contemporary feel to the collection. Knit tops and flared skirts as well as tuxedo suiting looked totally wearable, and metallic pleated gowns looked Oscar-ready.

Keeping her focus, as she has every season, on women artists and creators, Chiuri hired the Mimbre all-female circus to perform during the show.