Maria Grazia Chiuri introduced feminist ideology to Dior with loud and proud slogans for SS17 inspired by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. T-shirts emblazoned with the words 'We Should All Be Feminists' tell it how it is.
The creative director's very first resort collection held at the Santa Monica Mountains Nature Preserve yesterday may have been less of a political call to arms but it was no less loaded with meaning. Inspired by the primitive art of the Lascaux cave – discovered in 1940 and a great source of inspiration to Monsieur Dior who created prints inspired by its ancient drawings for his 1951 Ovale range – Grazia Chiuri's collection was anthropology of a different kind: earthy, natural and spiritual. There is nonetheless a unifying sensibility at work here: Grazia Chiuri's pursuit of femininity and truth laid bare is already becoming something of a trademark, be it through arresting pro-feminist slogans, or via folklorish animal motifs, as seen on cinched coats and floaty feminine dresses here.
So, in this dusty desert atmosphere, peppered with the usual coterie of A list celebrities – Rihanna, Charlize Theron, Miranda Kerr – the models roamed the Dior tents like free spirits, kitted out in Western-inspired outfits in tones to match the arid landscape - rust, ochre and tan, as well as pops of cactus flower red - tassels aplenty and flat-brim hats by Stephen Jones, worn like audacious cowgirls (see Raquel Welch in Hannie Caulder).
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The designer is said to have been inspired by author Clarissa Pinkola Estés and her book Women Who Run With The Wolves for this debut Resort collection which was indeed a celebration of female empowerment as a natural and vital force to be reckoned with. Who knows what Maria Grazia Chiuri will come up with next? Whatever is in store, it's bound to compound her new directive which is very much anchored in deeper questions about female identity and matriarchal potency through history.
Hats off to her. Or as they say in France, 'Chapeau!'.
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Alexandra Zagalsky is a London-based journalist specialising in luxury, art and travel. She began her career working on a cultural guide for English-speaking expats in Paris, where her first major break was an interview with Lionel Poilâne, the late baker of Saint-Germain-des-Prés famed for his signature sourdough loaves. Returning to London in her early 20s, she went on to write for not only The Week but also The Art Newspaper’s Art of Luxury supplement, The Telegraph and The Times, as well as art and design platforms including 1stDibs’ Introspective Magazine and the magazines of the V&A, Sotheby’s and Christie’s. She studied fine art and art history at Goldsmiths, University of London and continues to explore travel journalism through the lens of art, craftsmanship and culture.
