Taking over the Jardin des Tuileries, this season Dior went avant-garde with the setting for their FW25 collection. In a space designed by the legendary theatre-maker Robert Wilson, a solo female model sat on a solitary swing, on which the words “Once Upon a Time” had been written. Those familiar with Wilson’s work (he’s probably best known for co-creating the groundbreaking opera Einstein on the Beach with Philip Glass), will immediately recognise his numerous calling cards — the clinical strobe lights, the pale kabuki-style make-up, and the electronic drone music. In a very nice touch, Philip Glass was actually on the soundtrack for this show, bringing the two famed collaborators back together.

Wilson was a canny choice for more than just aesthetics reasons however, in much the same way that his theatrical productions are often mammoth works, so was this Dior collection which clocked in at exactly 80 looks. There were two main threads of inspiration this season – former Artistic Director of Dior Gianfranco Ferré and Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando. Ferré, whose tenure at Dior lasted from 1989 to 1996, was the man in charge during the height of the supermodel era of fashion in the early 1990s. His designs were opulent, often dropping anchor in the world of ballroom, eveningwear and Versailles-inspired gowns. 

Mixing Ferré with Woolf’s Orlando made for a ruff-heavy runway – all designed to be removable – but we are living through ruff times. The Elizabethan throwbacks were stylish, not costume-y and many of the pieces looked technically impressive. Corsets and coats that were decorated in a tapestry print pointed towards an emerging trend for tapestry prints this season. And, of course, how could we not make a song and dance about the return of the iconic J’Adore Dior t-shirt throughout this collection? Originally designed by John Galliano, it was another nice reference to one of Chiuri’s predecessors in a show that felt like a loving tribute to Dior’s recent history.