Retold Mythology at Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023

So often, haute couture is mistaken as avant-garde, expected to be a collection full of grandeur and over-the-top silhouettes. But as Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri shows us season after season, haute couture can be (and should be) wearable too — highlighting that extravagance can be found in simplicity.

For Dior's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023 collection, inspiration was found in the retelling of mythology through a feminine perspective. Lining the runway were illustrations of exotic animals, primitives, women, and nature, crafted by Italian artist Marta Roberti. The lively backdrop provided context for the show, whilst simultaneously being a juxtaposition from the garments that came down the runway. 

Opposite of the vibrant colors that surrounded the room, the haute couture collection was filled the neutral shades. The opening looks began with a sea of white, before evolving to beige, black, silver, and pale gold. As expected, the attention was truly all in the details. Silky silhouettes of column dresses, tunics, and capes that fall fluidly off the body, crisp textures constructed with intricate weaves, and refined craftsmanship of pleats, pearls, embroideries, and fitted draping encapsulated the collection, all alluding to the mythological goddesses that have held and still hold divine power.

"With each new look, the Artistic Director perpetuates the cult of the goddess and reinterprets the founding emblems of Antiquity. The défilé becomes a contemporary ritual, illustrating the strength and fragility of femininity, which supports and sustains the community we form. Recalling the past, it guides us towards a vision of the future endowed with sensitivity and essential attention to detail," the show notes read.

In totality, it was quintessential Dior: romantic, feminine, elegant, and the pinnacle of understated luxury.