“Only the inevitable theatricality of my life interests me.” - Leonor Fini

The history of haute couture is intimately linked with the history of modern art. The couturier is an artist unto himself and the word “atelier” designates equally the studio of an artist or that of a designer. But any artist’s true “studio” is his or her spirit. It’s in this dimension, located somewhere between dream and reality, or imagination and realization, that Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Artistic Director of the House’s women’s collections, pursues her research and explorations. Because haute couture is a dream of fashion. It’s a place where there are no limits to pushing boundaries and experimenting with technique, material and form. Immersing herself in the heart of the Surrealist movement made it possible to bring a fresh breath of imagination to the spring-summer 2018 haute couture collection, conjuring an otherworldliness and constant optical illusion.

Surrealism also applies to the evocative words and phrases that guided Maria Grazia Chiuri in creating a collection predominantly in black in white sprinkled with illusion and surprise.

Never trust a first impression… In that spirit, generous pleats on a white evening dress are etched in black like the pages of a book, while caging, a recurring motif in Surrealist works, is transformed into a black mesh fabric that hugs the body and underscores transparency as silvery fishnet mingles with the density of velvet.

Related: Couture Spring Summer 2018 | Paris

Source: FB/hautecoutureweek
Courtesy of Dior