Dior Spring Summer 2024: Your first exclusive look

WORDS Elyssa Kostopoulos PHOTOGRAPHY IMAXtree PUBLISHED Tue, 26 Sep 2023 - 11:43 pm

There's no denying that the Spring Summer 2024 fashion month has been a big one, but somehow, we have made it to the final week and Paris Fashion Week is well underway. And what better place to begin than the all-encompassing world of Christian Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri? In the case of Dior Spring Summer 2024 – the latest collection from the luxury French House – Chiuri's world is not seen in black and white, but rather, yellow and fuchsia; two vibrant and striking colours that laid the groundwork for a show that was prepared to speak volumes.

It's no secret that much of Chiuri's tenure at the House of Dior has been celebrated and honoured through a lens of female empowerment. Her first collection for the brand for Spring Summer 2017 as Dior's first-ever female creative director marked the beginning of an ongoing conversation, with the debut of her iconic 'We Should All Be Feminists' t-shirts imprinting on the industry for years to come. Since then, she has continued this dialogue throughout her creations, and often subtly – honouring inspiring female creatives and thought leaders across all parts of history. But for Dior Spring Summer 2024, the message was loud and clear.

Partnering with visual artist Elena Bellantoni, a seven-metre long LED screen encased the runway that was hosted at the Tulleries, displaying the artist's digital work, titled NOT HER. Bellantoni – who is a research artist that mostly focuses on body and language – created an installation of both imagery, posters and messaging, speaking to the captivating, plural links between femininity and feminism that are often communicated in Chiuri's collections. The work masterfully showcased a dialogue of the sexiest advertising from the past as the back drop to the collection; one being a typographical precursor to the show and a nod the to the acid yellow and pink striped set we were met with.

“Fuschia wilt yellow is not a marshmallow. It’s my way to highlight what is wrong and what is right.” Maria and Elena’s message could not be more direct.

However, Bellantoni was not the only inspiration and collaborator of the collection. Leading up to the show, Dior shared an intimate video with anthropologist Michela Zucca, author of 'Donne Deliquenti, who spoke about the historical appreciation and condemnation of wise and rebellious women. Elsewhere, Monsieur Dior himself had a role to play, leaning on his penchant for mystical objects and superstition.

So, how did these various influences manifest in the show?

What were the standout looks from the Dior Spring Summer 2024 collection?

The opening look of the show was a black, lace, sheer dress, complete with artfully placed ruffles and complemented by a charcoal lip and slick back hair. A basey remix of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares pulsed through the space, setting the tone for what was to come. The words 'NOT HER' projected around the space, as the second look – a more relaxed iteration of Dior's iconic bar jacket – followed suit. With a huge amount of exists, the collection spoke to a more youthful play on the House codes and a largely muted palette of black, white, navy and grey denim. The denim arriving in the form of an oversize jacket and Bermuda shorts; a sign of the pieces we will be desperately lusting over for the season to come.

"For me this was a story about the white shirt and what it means for a woman. Maria did them in many ways: an expertly tailored asymmetric style, oversize, one-shoulders. All crisp and with accent," shares RUSSH editor-in-chief Jess Blanch, who attended the show.