Paris Haute Couture Week: Dior paid homage to Ukraine with an embroidery-rich autumn/winter 2022-23 collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri, riffing on Eastern European designs

Jul 5 , 2022

Models present creations from the autumn/winter 2022-23 haute couture collection for fashion house Dior by designer Maria Grazia Chiuri during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on July 4. Photo: EPA-EFE

Images of traditional embroideries and floral paintings adorned the walls of Dior’s celebrity-laden runway homage to Ukraine as Paris’ four-day Couture Week kicked off Monday, July 4.

Instead of glitz and glamour, craftsmanship took centre stage for the autumn/winter 2022-23 haute couture collection of Christian Dior during the Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on July 4. Photo: Xinhua

The set, from Ukrainian artist Olesia Trofymenko, was the starting point for designer Maria Grazia Chiuri who returned this season to the atelier’s needle-and-thread. Dior said the embroidery-rich collection riffed on Eastern European styles that was also a message of cultural dialogue and support.

Earthy tones were abundant in the autumn/winter 2022-2023 haute couture collection of Christian Dior shown during the Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on July 4. Photo: Xinhua

A pared-down vibe greeted guest celebrities including Naomi Watts and Sigourney Weaver inside a perfumed annex of the Left Bank Rodin Museum.

Images of traditional embroidery and floral paintings by Ukrainian artist Olesia Trofymenko not only adorned the runway, but also inspired the autumn/winter 2022-23 haute couture collection for fashion house Dior by designer Maria Grazia Chiuri during Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, July 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE

A close-up of the embroidery work on a black-and-white creation from the autumn/winter 2022-23 haute couture collection for fashion house Dior by designer Maria Grazia Chiuri presented during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, July 4. Photo: EPA-EFE

Dior’s famous atelier spurned its sequinned flash to bring craftsmanship centre stage this autumn for an organic display of earthy toned gowns and the occasional muted shimmer.

A tartan design from the autumn/winter 2022-2023 haute couture collection of Christian Dior during the Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on July 4. Photo: Xinhua

The embroidery-rich autumn/winter 2022-2023 haute couture collection of Christian Dior, presented during the Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on July 4, riffed on Eastern European clothing designs. Photo: Xinhua

Whatever the display lacked in energy, it made up for in impressive detailing. Chiuri channelled the “tree of life”, the leitmotif in Trofymenko’s art, by evoking roots and branches in long, loose folksy gowns – or in stiff, cropped ethnic-looking jackets embroidered in silks and cotton threads and yarn.

The autumn/winter 2022-23 haute couture collection for fashion house Dior by designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, shown during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on July 4, did feature the occasional muted shimmer as well. Photo: EPA-EFE

In an almost poetic touch, patchworks of braids in bronze guipure on full skirts gave the impression of shimmering morning dew.

The presentation of the haute couture collections at Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, runs from July 4 to 7. Photo: Xinhua

An embroidered cape over a floaty gown strikes a romantic yet regal note at the autumn/winter 2022-23 haute couture collection for fashion house Dior by designer Maria Grazia Chiuri during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on July 4. Photo: EPA-EFE

Despite its precise execution, there was little new in the exhaustive 68-piece. At times, Chiuri seemed to fall back on the Renaissance styles that defined her tenure at Valentino from 2008-2016, such as tight round necks, long regal gowns and floaty bishop’s sleeves.

A particularly stand-out look from the autumn/winter 2022-23 haute couture collection for fashion house Dior by designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, presented during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, July 4, is this black gown with lace. Photo: EPA-EFE

Still, there were some stand-out looks, such as a cinched-waisted black gown with white lace bib that resembled a rebellious nun.

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Paris Fashion Week: Haute Couture

Paris Fashion Week’s haute couture events kicked off with Dior’s runway show, which focused on craftsmanship – though certain Renaissance styles seemed reminiscent of Valentino
Celebrities such as Naomi Watts and Sigourney Weaver took in the earthy tones, shimmering fabric and bishop’s sleeves at the Left Bank Rodin Museum