Dior

5 Things To Know About Dior’s Craft-Focused Pre-Fall 2023 Show In Mumbai

5 Things To Know About Dior’s Craft-Focused Pre-Fall 2023 Show In Mumbai

Photo: Getty
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s destination Cruise shows for Dior celebrate the craftsmanship of artisans and heritage ateliers around the world, from Seville to Athens. For 2023, fans of Dior and dazzling handiwork alike were in for a treat, as the Parisian maison staged a pre fall show in Mumbai, in celebration of India’s excellence in embroidery, embellishment and textiles. Laura Hawkins was in the heat-drenched city to take in the spectacular show alongside local A-listers and international stars.
Photo: Getty
The show was held at Mumbai’s Gateway of India monument

The relationship between India and Dior goes back to the time of the Parisian maison’s founder, who in 1955 designed the asymmetric sari-inspired Soirée de Lahore dress, adorned with metallic thread and diamanté crystals. The brand’s subsequent creative directors have also been captivated by the country. Marc Bohan staged Dior fashion shows in Mumbai and Delhi in April 1962 (where models exited an Air India plane wearing haute couture and floral garlands) and Gianfranco Ferré, who travelled from Milan to India in the early ’70s, looked to India’s vibrant jewel tones and embellishments in his 1996 Indian Passion collection. For pre-fall 2023, Chiuri presented her collection outdoors in the balmy evening heat at the historic Gateway of India, a ceremonial arch-monument built in the early 20th century in the style of 16th-century Gujarati architecture, which is the most popular tourist attraction in the city. The catwalk was lined with carpets of vibrant marigolds, and had its own miniature arch adorned with a patchwork of fabrics, a nod to Toran, a decorative tradition of suspending welcoming wall hangings at the entrance to Indian homes.
Photo: Getty
Dior collaborated with female trailblazers on the ground

The collection celebrated Dior’s collaboration with the Chanakya School of Craft, a Byculla-based nonprofit founded by Monica Shah and Karishma Swali in 2016, where more than 700 women have enrolled in an embroidery curriculum encompassing more than 100 types of stitching. It forms part of the embroidery house Chanakya Atelier, which Chiuri first began working with two decades ago. During her creative tenure at Dior, she has collaborated with the Chanakya School of Craft on breathtaking ready-to-wear and textile art for several recent haute couture shows in collaboration with artists Judy Chicago, Eva Jospin, Olesia Trofymenko, Mickalene Thomas and Indian artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh. Before the show, guests toured the Chanakya School of Craft’s ateliers, where students and master artisans demonstrated their skill in crochet, metal work, beading, block painting and embroidery.
Photo: Getty
The collection celebrated Indian sartorial tradition

Think of the collection as sartorial cartography, mapping and tracing the artistic traditions and visual landscapes of India. It abounded in relaxed day- and eveningwear looks, which were also worn on the front row by Dior’s Indian A-listers: Nehru collar shirting and bar jackets, sari-inspired asymmetric gowns and lean tabards, opulent evening jackets in jewel-tone silks woven by sari artisans in Tamil Nadu and pencil skirts swathed in dense sequins, beading and Zardozi, embroidery in metallic thread. “The idea was to work in a pure line,” explained Chiuri backstage. A Dior Toile de Jouy fabric was reimagined with a tropical Indian landscape, a striking pink somewhere between fuchsia and neon celebrated Indian rani pink, and peacock and floral prints evoked Bollywood film posters.
Photo: Getty
It was an A-list affair

A host of global A-listers sat front row at Dior’s show, from Sonam Kapoor to Naomi Ackie, Jessie Buckley to Simone Ashley, Cara Delevingne to Charithra Chandran, Maisie Williams to Laetitia Casta. Kapoor’s top Mumbai tip? “Chaat at Elco.” The A-list energy doesn’t stop at the Dior show. This weekend also sees the opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre gallery, a hotly anticipated cultural landmark bankrolled by the billionaire Ambani family.
Photo: Getty
Pearls are a girl’s best friend

Aseel Omran Made a Statement in a Gold Lace Kaftan at this Dubai Iftar

Aseel Omran Made a Statement in a Gold Lace Kaftan at this Dubai Iftar

Aseel Omran made a case for gilded glamour at the Dior iftar last evening.
Photo: Instagram.com/aseel
The Saudi actor and singer opted for a gold lace kaftan for her most recent outing, which was cinched in at the waist with a belt crafted from the same fabric. The Dior ambassador, who was also recently revealed as the face of the house’s new Ramadan collection, completed her look with matching accessories in gold, including a gold cuff and delicate rings. For arm candy, Omran carried aling a new iteration of the iconic Lady Dior Bag, and one of the latest La D My Dior timepieces by Victoria de Castellane.
Photo: Instagram.com/aseel
Aseel Omran paired her gold lace kaftan with a soft beauty look
For her Dubai iftar, Aseel Omran complemented her metallic kaftan with soft, mermaid-like waves, and an equally romantic makeup look. Her picks included coral cheeks, a soft nudey-pink lip color, sculpted brows, and lush lashes. The overall look worked perfectly with her delicate ensemble, and would work just as well for an evening occasion as it would for a mid-day soiree post Eid.
Read Next: Dior’s Peter Philips Reimagines Traditional Arab Makeup for the Modern Woman

Princess Iman of Jordan Was a Radiant Bride in Dior and Chaumet for Her Royal Wedding

Princess Iman of Jordan Was a Radiant Bride in Dior and Chaumet for Her Royal Wedding

Photo: RHCJO
Princess Iman of Jordan married Alexander Jameel Thermiotis in an elegant ceremony on Sunday, March 12. The couple got engaged in July 2022 and since then speculations have been rampant about what the princess would wear on her wedding day. Surrounded by her family and close friends, the bride was a radiant beauty in her exquisite Dior gown and Chaumet tiara.
Photo: RHCJO
In the ceremony at Beit Al Urdon Palace, the princess opted for a bespoke gown from the French fashion house. With long fitted sleeves and a soft A-line skirt, her bridal gown was the perfect ensemble for a royal that is known for her sophisticated elegance. Other elements such as the fitted bodice and square neckline overlaid with delicate floral lace added an air of timeless beauty to the look.
Her veil perfectly complimented the dress with its floral detailing but it was the Chaumet tiara that demanded attention. The dainty-looking diamond diadem that adorned her head reportedly belonged to her paternal grandmother, Princess Muna al-Hussein.
Earlier last week, Princess Iman also favored for an accessory belonging to her mother for her pre-wedding henna party. Dressed up in a bridal gown by Jordanian designer Reema Dahbour, the princess was spotted wearing her mother’s Bruce Oldfield belt last worn by the Queen during her own wedding in 1993.
Read Next: Pictures: Inside Princess Iman of Jordan and Jameel Thermiotis’s Stunning Palace Wedding

Balqees, Salma Abu Deif, Karen Wazen and Other Style Stars Spotted During Paris Fashion Week FW23

Balqees, Salma Abu Deif, Karen Wazen and Other Style Stars Spotted During Paris Fashion Week FW23

All eyes have been on the streets of Paris as sartorial enthusiasts from around the world flocked to Paris Fashion Week. While the runway certainly presented some unforgettable collections, a lot of our major style inspiration came from the Arab tastemakers as they flitted around corners on their way to fashion shows or lounged in bistros.
The much-awaited Loewe FW23 show under Jonathan Anderson had many Arab faces in attendance with Rania Fawaz supporting an oversized knit dress in lavender and furry sage green boots reflecting the playful identity of the brand. Saudi influencer Hala Abdallah was spotted at the show in denim-on-denim with a white Loewe puzzle edge bag in her hand. Later, Abdallah opted for a burgundy ensemble at Stella McCartney with delicately designed jewelry from her personal brand Ofa.
Karen Wazen was understandably busy this season as she attended multiple shows in Paris – from Lebanese couturier Elie Saab to Isabel Marant, Dior, and Coperni. Valentino FW23 also saw a number of Arab stars in attendance – Salma Abu Deif was spotted in a shimmering mini-dress while Emirati singer Balqees adorned herself in a modest animal print jumpsuit.
Scroll down to discover what your favorite Arab style stars wore to Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023.
Imaan Hammam in Loewe. Photo: instagram.com
Karen Wazen in Coperni. Photo: instagram.com
Rania Fawaz in Loewe. Photo: instagram.com
Nojoud Alrumaihi in Hermès. Photo: Instagram.com
Zeynab El Helw in Givenchy. Photo: Instagram.com
Hala Abdallah in Stella McCartney. Photo: Instagram.com
Nada Baeshen. Photo: Instagram.com
Balqees in Valentino. Photo: instagram.com
Salma Abu Deif in Valentino. Photo: instagram.com
Dima Sheikhly in Elie Saab. Photo: instagram.com
Read Next: Here’s What Arab It Girls, Hala Abdallah, Rania Fawaz, and More are Wearing During Milan Fashion Week

Your First Look at the Stunning La D My Dior Timepieces Designed By Victoire de Castellane

Your First Look at the Stunning La D My Dior Timepieces Designed By Victoire de Castellane

Photo: Courtesy of Dior
Dior has launched the newest iteration of its iconic timepiece, La D My Dior designed by Victoire de Castellane. This latest creation of the artistic director of Dior Joaillerie is a continuation of the coveted La D de Dior which was originally launched in 2003. Instantly recognizable and highly sought after, the La D de Dior is an exquisite amalgamation of femininity, combining materials, colors, and dimensions.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior
For the current season, Dior has given this desirable model an elegant new version in the La D My Dior. Paying homage to the history of the house, the timepieces feature the signature cannage motif. The distinctive pattern first appeared at the Avenue Montaigne during the 1947 New Look fashion show where it adorned the Napoleon III chairs used by guests. Today, the cannage is a characteristic trait of the House of Dior inspiring multiple collections over the years.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior
The strap is defined by Dior as a “ribbon that tells the time,” and features hand-engraved geometric lines that continue to the dial in a captivating interplay of shapes and ornamentation. No matter which design buyers opt for – one is set with brilliant diamonds while the other showcases delicate drawings reflecting the delicacy of a strip of silk – the case on these watches is a testimony to the skill of Dior’s master watchmakers.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior
The watches are available in gold or silver plated steel and come in two different sizes – 19mm and 25mm.
Read Next: Exclusive: Aseel Omran is the Face of the New Dior Or Collection, Dropping This Ramadan

Exclusive: Aseel Omran is the Face of the New Dior Or Collection, Dropping This Ramadan

Exclusive: Aseel Omran is the Face of the New Dior Or Collection, Dropping This Ramadan

Photo: Fiona Torre. Courtesy of Dior
Aseel Omran is luminous in the new Dior Or Ramadan drop. Long dresses and midi skirts are crafted from poetic tulle and lace or woven with cotton lurex jacquard, alongside cozy knits. A boxy jacket in blistered fabric features CD signature buttons. The Lady Dior and Dior Caro bags glimmer in iridescent leather in gold, gold pink, and silver. Meanwhile, her 30 Montaigne and Dway mules and Walk’n’Dior sneakers appear to have been dipped in fairy dust. An ambassador of the Dior Or capsule, launching this Ramadan, Omran, once a golden child herself, is now resplendent as a woman with a firm grip on her career.
Photo: Fiona Torre. Courtesy of Dior
The 33-year-old Saudi Arabian actress and singer shot to fame at 16 years old when she sang in her first live performance on Gulf Stars. Today, she’s working on “a huge play about Saudi Arabia, which will be showcased live and is the first of its kind. At the moment, my life revolves around rehearsals and filming at all times, which is taking up most of the time and days, but I absolutely love it.” While she can’t reveal more, she does share her acting process, explaining that she first reads a script, researches the role, and then analyzes the character further to assess whether it’s something she feels she can undertake. Taking on the role of ambassador for Dior was organic for Omran, who admits to looking up to the brand ever since she was a little girl. “To be honest, the best thing about the role is being able to work very closely with a name that I absolutely love and respect,” she says. Her role entails “representing the brand in a way that brings its values to the everyday.” The codes she identifies with include “its elegance in all aspects of life, whether it is being elegant in our looks or in the way we treat people.” Omran offers that she aims to always “be true to myself and the people I love, regardless of the circumstances.” Dressed in Dior she feels “confident, elegant, and proud.”
Photo: Fiona Torre. Courtesy of Dior
Omran is exactly where she wants to be – right down to her city. “I am now in Riyadh, where I was born and where I love to be. The thing I appreciate and cherish the most is the love I get from everyone around me here; people are super nice and hospitable.” Particularly now, as the holy month will soon get underway. “Ramadan, to me, is all about spending qualitative time with the family and reflecting on the year that has passed.” During Eid, a movie will be released in which Omran plays the role of a big sister to a sibling with a psychological disorder. “In the role, the sister is the only one that can deal with him, and tries to convince her parents that her brother is not crazy. That he is just facing issues; keeping in mind the parents live in an old village and the mentality is a little outdated.” When life gets too fast, Omran reveals that the remedy is never too far. “I pack and go straight away to my parents’ home and back to my childhood bedroom.” There, she’ll ask for a helping of her mother’s eggplant maqluba, a dish she’s currently craving. One wouldn’t be wrong to assume that in her overnight bag is a golden bundle signed Dior.
Photo: Fiona Torre. Courtesy of Dior
The Dior Or collection lands in all Dior boutiques in the Middle East from March 9. It is available worldwide from March 16.
Originally published in the March 2023 issue of Vogue Arabia
Read Next: Aseel Omran Showcases the Most Stunning Pieces From the Dior Print High Jewelry Collection

Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023: 3 Shows That Celebrated Parisian Style

Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023: 3 Shows That Celebrated Parisian Style

French style is what Paris Fashion Week is all about.
Here we are, a few weeks after the spring/summer couture week that was somehow less inspiring than usual, looking at designers and maisons blooming in creativity, and bringing back what Parisian style is all about.
First came Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior, who has been paying tribute and taking inspiration from iconic women throughout history. And her FW 2023 collection for the French maison is no exception. With a spectacular set by the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos and sharp collection inspired by Monsieur Dior’s sister Catherine, Chiuri seemed to be looking to the pivotal point of Dior’s history, the New Look, which defined the brand and had a strong connection with Catherine Dior herself. All 96 looks of the FW 2023 Dior collection put forward a very good indication of what the French girl wardrobe is made of, but of course “a la Maria Grazia Chiuri”.
Dior
Another maison, with as big of a history, brought back the epitome of French style this week. And frankly, it was, (and still is) by far, the best I’ve seen in years. Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent redefined and revived the ’80s, the blazer, skinny pants and skirts, with of course big accessories “a la Francaise.” Size and scale and proportions were everything at the Saint Laurent show. All models had sleek, puklled-back hair, black leather gloves, and big earrings. Besides the blazer being the master of the show, Vaccarello emphasized the cape on some of the looks too. Capes draped on top of blazers gave the collection a certain “flow”. The aestethic of the maison has been taking a new shift, a stronger one, a bolder one, an oversized one. And Saint Laurent FW 2023 is what we call power dressing.
Saint Laurent
Presented last night in Paris, the Balmain FW 2023 show was all about sculptural looks and angular silhouettes—think big shoulders, big collars, big bags, big hats and small berets, making it all so French, and so on-point. Compared to last season’s attention-grabbing show, the FW 2023 line is considerably more discrete (yet opulent somehow, staying true to the brand’s DNA), offering luxurious yet timeless pieces with impeccable attention to detail. Reminiscing the old-school glamor of the ’50s and even a touch of ’80s glam rock was what Olivier Rousteing made us feel last night: The new Parisian chicness.
Balmain
Below, a closer look at some of the looks that best embodied Parisian style
Balmain
Balmain
Dior
Dior
Dior
Saint Laurent
Saint Laurent
Saint Laurent
Saint Laurent

5 Things To Know About Christian Dior’s Existentialist AW 2023 Show

5 Things To Know About Christian Dior’s Existentialist AW 2023 Show

For her autumn/winter 2023 collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri turned to the ’50s for inspiration. Below, Anders Christian Madsen reports.
The show drew a parallel between the ’50s and today

While the idea of reduction is always relative in high fashion, the season has so far seemed like a dialed-down proposal for our autumn/winter 2023 wardrobe. It was true for Milan’s endless parade of demure grey coats that felt ever so appropriate for the spirit of the times. Opening the Paris shows, Maria Grazia Chiuri cemented that sensibility in a largely black and white Dior collection that drew parallels to another time of existential fashion reflections. “A big shock is the Ukraine war in our lives. It’s the first time we’re experiencing a war in Europe in my generation,” she said during a preview. “That’s why I wanted to reflect on the ’50s. I know stories from my family, but I’ve never lived during a war. Now, we’re reflecting on what that time was like for them. The parallel is in the sensitive attention we now give that history. We’re also coming out of a pandemic, which was like a different kind of war.”
Maria Grazia Chiuri painted an authentic portrait of the ’50s

Evading the Hollywood idea of the ’50s as an era of glamour and optimism, Chiuri instead focused on the zeitgeist that would actually have surrounded Christian Dior in post-war Paris. “The reality in France – as in Italy – was a moment of existentialism. Europe was poor. I wanted to reflect on that because it’s so close to the history of the house and the women who were around Mr. Dior,” she said. She made three of them her muses: Edith Piaf, who embodied the era, Juliette Gréco who was a Dior client, and the founder’s florist sister, Catherine Dior. “I’m obsessed with Catherine Dior. The first sketch Mr. Dior did was of his sister. In each collection, he would dedicate a dress to her. She was Miss Dior. She was in the resistance, she was in a concentration camp, she never married,” Chiuri explained. Through her trio of muses, she evoked the real everyday look of the time in an adaptation for today.
It adapted a ’50s wardrobe to contemporary needs

Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” filled the tent in the Tuileries – its title echoed in a slogan on a t-shirt – as Chiuri’s present-day take on the existential wardrobe unfolded. Focused on Dior’s neat ’50s silhouettes, she modernized the tropes of the house through contemporary construction. Dresses stayed true to the duchesse, moiré and chenille that originally gave them life, but Chiuri lightened the construction by imbuing the fabrics with a super fine thread known as Linux, which allowed her to relax garments but keep the precision of shape. “Lighter, softer, easier to wear,” she said. As her research reached 1960, she recreated the shearling-lined crocodile jacket Yves Saint Laurent designed for the house in a less rigid embodiment. “I found this magnificent shearling leather with a crocodile imprint,” she smiled. Throughout, Chiuri kept a chic, muted silhouette, only interrupted by florals as a nod to Catherine Dior, some of which also manifested in black three-dimensional leather applique. The coats were dreamy.
Chiuri reflected on fashion amid a time of war

Asked if the times we live in are changing her proposals or her approach to Dior itself, Chiuri said it was a matter of adaptation. “I’m very confused about this time, but I’m not confused about my work. The time is more aggressive, but I have a very clear vision for the brand. I know what’s good and how to work well in this industry, and how to try to do better in a community way. I’m 59 with a long background, so I think about all the good things in the industry and how we can move forward in a better way. I try to see the opportunity in what fashion can do. Probably because I’m old,” she paused and burst into laughter. “But I want to bring sensitivity to the young generation!”
The set was created by Joana Vasconcelos

True to tradition, Chiuri invited an artist to collaborate on her set for the show. She had first started speaking to Joana Vasconcelos a year ago, detecting a parallel between the Portuguese artist’s practice – expressed in sewing, knitting and embroidery – and her own work in the Dior ateliers. The partnership materialized in an ode to Catherine Dior whom Vasconcelos imagined as a Valkyrie – the warrior women of Norse mythology. Realized through lace, embroidery and crochet, the artwork was an abstract spider-like sculpture that created a kind of roof over the runway and turned the space into a multi-colored cave. It was patchworked from floral motifs interpreted through the various techniques of Vasconcelos’s expression. “I sent her all the flowers found in the archives,” Chiuri said of the creative process. “It’s the first time I’ve had this kind of collaboration with an artist, because she works so similarly to how I work in fashion.”
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk

5 Things To Know About Dior’s Josephine Baker-Inspired SS23 Couture Show

5 Things To Know About Dior’s Josephine Baker-Inspired SS23 Couture Show

Josephine Baker, Marlene Dietrich and other powerful women of the ’20s served as inspiration for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s spring/summer 2023 Dior couture collection.
The collection took inspiration from the Roaring ’20s

Maria Grazia Chiuri’s haute couture collection for Christian Dior was inspired by Josephine Baker and the glitz and glamour that defined her era. But beyond that, it was an accomplished exercise in distilling a reference to an expression that suited the present-day mentality. The minimal lines and faded opulence that embodied her proposal captured the not-so-roaring ’20s in which we find ourselves through a distinctly modern, slick and relevant lens that felt both appropriate and desirable. “I came back from Christmas and the atmosphere was heavy,” Chiuri sighed during a preview. “The war in Ukraine, Iran, the cost of living crisis… We are very scared in Italy with new legislation about abortion. England is having a difficult moment after Brexit. I understand that the minister of New Zealand says, ‘I’m tired.’ She’s brave and honest,” she said, referring to Jacinda Ardern’s resignation. While this collection reflected that sensibility, it was anything but tired.

Josephine Baker and Marlene Dietrich played muse

After studying the power-dressing of Catherine de’ Medici for last season’s ready-to-wear collection, Chiuri detected a similar approach in the wardrobe of Josephine Baker. As a Black cabaret singer in 1920s Paris – and an example of the nouvelle femme – she used clothes as a tool to combat and transcend the racial stereotyping and gender roles of her time. With her growing stardom, Baker became a couture client at Dior and upon her triumphant return to America in 1951, Jet magazine ran a cover line that boasted about her “$250,000 wardrobe”. A wartime resistance fighter and early civil rights activist, Baker – who attended Yves Saint Laurent’s haute couture show for Dior in ’59 – took fashion seriously as a cultural force for change. In doing so, she echoed her contemporary Marlene Dietrich, whose provocative penchant for masculine dress codes earned her a spot alongside Baker on Chiuri’s board of season muses.
Chiuri reduced the cabaret wardrobe into a relevant expression

“I like the idea of creating a collection that’s inspired by the ’20s, when cabaret dresses were sparkly and embroidered and glamorous, and mixing it with real life: the tailleur, the uniform,” Chiuri said. “I’m a very pragmatic woman who likes clothes you can wear. Working with the feeling that comes from this reference, you can create something that works for today.” She took the elements of Baker’s heyday – fringed dresses, bustier dresses, metallic dresses – and purified their lines, relaxed them in construction and quieted their glitter factor until only the memory of them remained. The idea lent itself well to Chiuri’s couture practice, which has always employed the techniques of the atelier to create expressions founded in reality. And so, she hand-embroidered pale gold microcuvette with platinum tube fringes, draped burnished silver lamé jacquard into Grecian curves, and worked the finest gleaming crushed velvet into cowl-back evening silhouettes.
It had couturified elements of underwear and robes

The exuberant performances of Baker inspired research into the undergarments of the time, and the interwar period fashion for entertaining at home – or in fabulous hotel suites – in housecoats and robes. Chiuri transformed the pieces into a kind of evening look, like one composed of a black satin smocked satin swimsuit worn under a silk velvet robe with black lapels stitched in a diamond pattern. The idea expanded into more dressy oscillating crepe satin negligees paired with outerwear that borrowed from the herringbone and tweed of the gentleman’s wardrobe. Enter Marlene and her strict black tailoring, now slightly softened like a pleated marled wool jacket and skirt suit, a similar silhouette created in grey blistered jacquard, or a slate-grey felted wool cape that Chiuri understandably couldn’t help but swoon over in the showroom. “This kind of work, it’s so minimal… but it’s so couture!”
Mickalene Thomas created the set

Presented in a structure in the garden of Musée Rodin – “La Vita” by Beverly Glenn-Copeland on the sound system – the runway was framed by huge textile-based artworks created by the African-American artist Mickalene Thomas and over-embroidered by the Chanakya School of Craft in India. They portrayed thirteen Black or mixed-race women, whose contributions to culture opened the doors for new generations: Josephine Baker and Nina Simone; actresses Diahann Carroll, Dorothy Dandridge and Marpessa Dawn; actors and singers Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt, Josephine Premice and Hazel Scott; models Donyale Luna, Naomi Sims and Helen Williams; and the model agent Ophelia DeVore. “The consideration was to research a diverse and eclectic group of women with the odds set against them,” Thomas said. “In spaces that attempted to reject or impede their success, they persevered with confidence, elegance, beauty and talent.”
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk

Exclusive: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Feminism and Femininity in Dior’s New Lady 95.22 Campaign

Exclusive: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Feminism and Femininity in Dior’s New Lady 95.22 Campaign

Photo: Brigitte Lacombe
Dior has put a new spin on one of its most iconic bags, Lady Dior, popularised by Diana, Princess of Wales. The Lady 95.22 was first revealed at the fashion house’s Fall/Winter 2022-2023 ready-to-wear show and is “an ode to the connection between past and present.” Its name takes on the year of its creation (1995) as well as that of its revival (2022), while the design echoes modernity.
In the new year, the French luxury house is launching the bag on January 12 with a global campaign featuring a cast of exceptional women. Known for having made a mark in the realms of art, cinema, sports, literature, fashion, and music, many of these women have ties to creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri since she took on the role. The first chapter lensed celebrated French photographer Brigitte Lacombe stars Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Beatrice Borromeo, and Anya Taylor-Joy in a series of black and white portraits.
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A video shared exclusively with Vogue Arabia sees Nigerian author Ngozi Adichie, whose essay titled “We Should All Be Feminists” was the inspiration behind the T-shirts in Chiuri’s first show for Dior in 2016. Wearing one of the pieces in the video, paired with a black suit and a matching Lady 95.22, she says, “I feel happiest when I am surrounded by the people I love—by my family, by my friends. I think I just light up.”
She adds, “I think femininity and feminism have often been seen as mutually exclusive. And so, I think for a long time, people felt that being a feminist meant somehow to reject everything to do with feminity. Right so, you have to in some ways, kind of appropriate a man to be a feminist, and I don’t think so at all. I think that femininity and feminism actually do complement each other.”
Read Next: Here’s What Happens When 11 Women Redesign the Iconic Lady Dior Bag

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