Dior celebrated youth, whimsy, and escapism in the gardens of the Musée Rodin at Paris Haute Couture Week.
The spring/summer collection was a fashion fantasy set among the surreal embroidery of Indian artist Rithika Merchant. Her tapestry depicted colorful creatures and dreamlike illustrations.
Dior’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, has long incorporated the strength and power of women into her designs. For this collection, she appears to have turned her attention to girls.
“For this collection, I drew inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent’s Trapeze Line because it references children’s clothing in several ways,” Chiuri explains.
“I believe we should revisit our childhood, as it is a crucial formative period in our lives,” she states.
“I believe that anyone who wants to pursue a creative job must view their work with the wonder and amazement of someone experiencing these things for the first time. This mindset helps to create something dreamlike.”
As Dior’s first female creative director in its 70-year history, Chiuri has transformed the label into a more youthful and feminist one. Since joining in 2016, she has often cited her daughter, Rachele Regini, as a muse. Furthermore, this inspiration has guided her creative process and significantly shaped her work.
In contrast, the silhouette that dominated the runway was far more structured than Chiuri’s usual style; however, it represented a departure from the draped, fluid lines of last season’s haute couture show. Additionally, this shift in design approach highlights an evolving vision that could redefine future collections.
Saint Laurent launched his Trapeze Line collection in 1958. He deviated from Dior’s romantic New Look lines to prove that women could look sexy without accentuating a slim waistline.
Inspired by this ground-breaking fashion initiative (which influenced the shift and swing dresses of the Sixties), Chiuri showcased an abbreviated take on frock coats and cocooning outerwear.
The collection’s consistent play on proportions didn’t mean the details were pared back.
Dramatically sweeping and densely ruffled fabrics imbued the gowns with a sense of motion. They seemed to take flight from the runway’s reality into a fantasy world.
Extravagant embellishments featured flowers and butterflies. These evoked a naturalism made famous by Christian Dior’s ‘Miss Dior’ dress of 1949.
Chuiri attaches transparent organza, broderie anglaise, and lace to cage-like crinolines adorned with streaming ribbons. This creates a naïve rawness, making it feel as though the photographers have caught the models in the act of dressing up. Moreover, this impression added a layer of authenticity to the overall presentation, making it more relatable to the audience.
While the fabrics were fancifully feminine, Chuiri’s monochromatic palette and the Sixties accents of Jackie O shift coats and military jackets signaled the 1960s revival in 2025 fashion.
Celebrities in the front row included Pamela Anderson, Venus Williams, Elizabeth Debicki, and Jenna Ortega, channeling the collection’s somber palette.
Model and actor Pamela Anderson, 57, wore a slate grey suit with an Alice band, veil, and matching Lady Dior bag.
Actor Jenna Ortega, 22, best known for depicting Wednesday Addams, wore a peplum suit and micro shorts. Her outfit included cinching waist buckles, black leather opera gloves, and dark cat-eye sunglasses.
