Dior Brings It Back To Black With Its AW19 Haute Couture Show

Dior Haute Couture AW2019 drew inspiration from Rudofsky and Greek caryatids, making for a distinctive, predominantly black haute couture collection.

"Are clothes modern?"

Back in 1947, Rudofsky questioned the functionality of clothing, feeling that many clothing designs were impractical and even harmful. His thoughts inspired creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri's new vision for haute couture, which she defines as an art that is destined to dress bodies that are unique and have a singular identity.

Hence, Chiuri looks at architecture and couture in this collection, also drawing inspiration from Greek caryatids - resulting in a striking, almost all-black collection.

Here are the highlights from the show:

Scenography

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lighting indoors interior design chair furniture room hall auditorium theater lamp

restaurant interior design indoors flooring chair furniture floor cafe metropolis room

tree plant nature weather outdoors bird animal

The collection was shown in Dior's Paris headquarters - Dior's hôtel particulier, an iconic location that Christian Dior used to present all his collections in the past. The scenography of the place was done by feminist surrealist artist Penny Slinger, who took inspiration from air, water and fire in hostile nature to make a stunning black and white set. Scroll through the gallery to check out various parts of the set, such as the tree of life, photographs containing the seven elements, and more.

Looks

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person human shoe footwear clothing apparel fashion chair furniture

clothing apparel coat person human overcoat suit

clothing apparel person human evening dress fashion gown robe

clothing apparel person human evening dress gown robe fashion

person human clothing apparel runway shoe footwear

clothing apparel shoe footwear person human pants

The predominantly black collection goes back to the very basics of haute couture, with a focus on architecture, opening with a white dress bearing the famed question: "Are clothes modern?".

The show progressed on with mainly black pieces, purposefully eliminating colour to focus on the texture, details and silhouette of the designs. The use of black is also a nod to Christian Dior's quote in his Little Dictionary of Fashion: "I could write a book about black".

Peplums and peplos, worn in ancient Greece, were a source of inspiration for the collection, as with the Greek caryatids - female structures that held up and supported ancient structures like temples and Parisian edifices - a symbol of where women stand in society.

The show closed with a unique final outfit which caught the attention of many - a model of Dior's hôtel particulier, which literally emphasises the collection's focus on architecture.

Swipe through the gallery to have a look at some of the key outfits of the show, and check out some of the collection's details below.