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 With restrictions on travel and
gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LVMH-owned
Dior skipped its traditional catwalk show for an
online version filmed in the chateau outside
Paris and called "Disturbing Beauty".
The camera followed dancers performing at night
in the mist-filled grounds, before zooming in on
the looks paraded by models in the 17th century
palace, as they strutted in and out of the
shadows.
In Dior's dark fairy tale, which featured black
leather dresses with puff sleeves,
princess-style tulle gowns and velvet coats
among the winter styles, gone are the damsels in
distress waiting to be rescued.
"I am not obsessed with the idea of a princess.
Each woman wants to play (a) different
character, with different clothes, to be one
moment a soldier, then a princess," designer
Maria Grazia Chiuri said in a interview.
Chiuri - who has sought to stamp an overt
feminist stance on her designs - said she had
wanted to rethink the reading of tales as coming
of age stories.
"These women are not waiting for a prince but
more going the world to realise themselves," she
said. "I think women are better when they build
their life with their own hands and not to wait
on someone to help them."
Nods to the past in the collection ranged from
the leopard print the brand's founder Christian
Dior introduced in 1947, to a vivid red colour
he used to give a look a kick and the iconic
cannage motif on quilted jackets.
[to top of second column]
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 Other looks included trousers
with golden thread paired with a short jacket in
shearling, pinafore dresses in broderie anglaise
and aviator looks.
Dior virtually ushered viewers into Versailles'
most famous room at a time when France's
cultural institutions remain closed to the
public due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Versailles' finances have suffered as ticket
sales tumble.
In the sumptuous hall, the brand added mirrors
covered in wax and prickly spines, designed by
Italian artist Silvia Giambrone and adding to
the edgy atmosphere.
Paris Fashion Week runs until March 10.
(This story adds dropped word Hood to the first
paragraph)
(Reporting by Laetitia Volga, Editing by Sarah
White and Alison Williams)
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