Festival vibes for Dior's Cruise collection
Luxury fashion house picks Californian mountains as show backdrop in change of scene from Hollywood
Fringed capes, pleated skirts and bolero hats peppered the runway at the Dior Cruise 2018 collection last week, as the luxury Parisian label spun its own twist on music festival fashion.
The show drew inspiration from the scenic landscapes of Los Angeles and took place outdoors, against the backdrop of the Santa Monica Mountains at sunset.
"Hollywood, it is about celebrity and red carpet, but I think there is also another side of Los Angeles," Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri told Reuters before the show.
"The natural element and open space... In some ways, Dior says that California is a new paradise."
Between tents, models walked wearing pleated skirts with painted-on horses or embroidered birds, wide-legged printed trousers, capes with fringe details and belted furs, accompanied by studded bolero hats and laced boots.
The collection was a modern-day spin on styles of the old west, with a palette of dusky reds and oranges that accented earth tones and textured plaid.
Layering was a key element to the collection, which elevated the fashion often seen at festivals such as Southern California's Coachella.
"I want to have a dialogue with the new generation of Dior women, that they can choose the piece and they can mix in different ways," Chiuri said.
Popular with celebrities, the Dior show drew Rihanna, Charlize Theron, Demi Moore, Nick Jonas and Brie Larson.
"It is always a pleasure and a luxury to wear Dior. For one, it is expensive," Rihanna said with a laugh.
"For two, it is always well made, and it is always something that allows you to express your femininity in the highest level."
Theron said the show's rustic and rural setting was "somewhat magical".
"It reminded me of home," she said.
Christian Dior Couture, recently acquired by the world's largest luxury group, LVMH, has 198 stores in more than 60 countries. Sales for the brand have doubled over the past five years.
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Dior is the latest luxury label to head to Los Angeles, following Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry and Tom Ford, which showcased collections there in the past two years.
"It is good business and it is good inspiration," Christian Dior Couture president and chief executive officer Sidney Toledano said of Los Angeles.
"You have a lot of people from Europe - from France and Italy - and Asia, so it is becoming a cultural hub... there is a fantastic energy." - REUTERS
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