Part of my still expects to see Raf Simons’s work show up when I click on a link to take me to a new Dior collection. Simons was only at Dior for a few years, but his time there left an apparently indelible impression of what Dior is on my brain, and I have a hard time shaking it when it’s time to see Maria Grazia Chiuri’s work. I think that’s because the two are so different; Simons’s Dior girls always looked ready for a garden wedding 15 years in the future, while Chiuri’s girl look like they might be going to a really chic, casual lunch. (Which is not to say there weren’t plenty of party dresses in the collection; there were.)
This season of Dior bags was exactly in line with what Chiuri has built during her tenure: compact shoulder bags with logo hardware, as well as some judicious use of Dior’s logo jacquard fabric that I’m still hoping to see even more of in future seasons. There were also some party bags on delicate, jeweled chains that reminded me most of Chiuri’s tenure at Valentino, but on the whole, this is a Dior that’s less overtly and traditionally feminine. It’s as modern as that of Raf Simons, but in a decidedly different way.
[Photos via Vogue Runway]
