An earthy, artisanal glamour and an ode to the natural beauty of fur: the Dior cruise 2018 show swept guests off their feet with a cinematic sunset in the Santa Monica Mountains wilderness, where models filed past between safari tents. Taking her cue from nature, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s prairie girl was, in her own words, “a little bit shamanic”, clad in fox, feathers and silk jacquards, with wide-brimmed Georgia O’Keefe-esque hats by Stephen Jones.
The fox pieces – like woven ponchos translated into soft, luxurious fur – were a focal point for the collection. Chiuri had looked at Monsieur Christian Dior’s 1951 scarf inspired by the Palaeolithic Lascaux cave paintings in Dordogne, France, and did her take on the animals and primitive signs using fox ‘n’ fabric and intarsia techniques. The use of natural fox colourings to mimic the mineral pigment used in the caves was stunning, like a mystical fusing of our Stone Age hunter past and high fashion present.
Front row, another fur look stood out as well: Rihanna in a sensual off-shoulder Dior fox coat and jeans.