Couture has historically been about “building the body” with its corset foundations and highly structured silhouettes. “But I don’t want to build the body, I want to release it,” Maria Grazia Chiuri said today. This bold statement encapsulates Chiuri’s approach to her work at Christian Dior, solidifying her position as the most modern couturier working today.
On the eve of the Paris Olympics, Chiuri’s vision was to recast sportswear through a couture lens. Her very first collection at Dior was dedicated to fencing, and this latest collection continues that exploration. She draws inspiration from Ancient Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics, and the 1924 Games, a pivotal moment when women fought for recognition as athletes and embraced new forms of dress better suited to athletic movement. Chiuri acknowledges Alice Milliat, a rower whose advocacy helped secure women’s track and field events in the 1928 Olympics.
We now take for granted the comfort of sports bras and leggings, but a century ago, women wore corsets even for cycling. It’s perplexing that constraints like corsets persist in the upper echelons of fashion. This is where couture, often perceived as old-world and even dusty, is challenged by Chiuri’s vision.
Chiuri returns to the peplos, a traditional draped garment that Dior himself used in chiffon. She references a captivating photograph of such a dress from 1948. In her collection, the peplos is crafted in silk or metal jersey. Instead of relying on a corset, she employs embroidered tank tops and bodysuits that shift the entire aesthetic. The pieces remain formal yet exude freedom, accentuated by the models’ strappy sandals. While these garments might not be ideal for the high jump, a sport added in 1928, they certainly lend themselves to the javelin throw, a sport that was introduced later.
“Couture gives me the opportunity to move these references, our heritage, into new territory,” Chiuri states. “Wellness, comfort, and beauty—I think these three elements are very important in our work. But sometimes fashion is more obsessed with the silhouette or the construction than the material. I want to do clothes where the body stays well, and can move freely.”
Pantsuits in white moiré́ and black velvet, featuring a peplos suspended from the waistband of the trousers, embody this relaxed yet polished vibe. A day dress in black silk cady with a hand-scalloped bib echoes this sentiment. However, the evening dresses truly steal the show. An asymmetrical dress in gold lamé, hand-pleated and suspended from a leather strap, is a crowning achievement of the collection, deserving of a gold medal.
