An outspoken feminist, Dior's womenswear designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said the corsets, crinolines and other historical items, inspired by 16th-century French queen Catherine de Medici, remained modern and functional despite their appearance
Women have spent centuries trying to liberate themselves from heels and corsets, but the latest Dior collection at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday presented them as a sort of "ironic power dressing".
An outspoken feminist, Dior's womenswear designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said the corsets, crinolines and other historical items, inspired by 16th-century French queen Catherine de Medici, remained modern and functional despite their appearance.
"The idea that amused me was that there are elements in the clothes that create a regal imagination," Chiuri told AFP ahead of the show.
She presented the spring-summer 2023 collection against the backdrop of a grotto in the Jardin des Tuileries on the second day of Paris Fashion Week.
With dancers twisting in the background, the show sought to bring a "baroque party" atmosphere, reflecting the key inspiration of the collection.