Post-war high society fashion was the inspiration behind Christian Dior’s 2017 cruise collection, so it was only fitting that the show took place on Tuesday evening at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill and current residence of the aristocrat the Duke of Marlborough.
Designers Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, responsible for leading the French house’s creative team, injected the show with an element of wanderlust, while simultaneously portraying the English countryside and its traditions through flashes of hunting red, rustic tweeds and crisp poplins.
An equestrian vibe ran throughout the collection, thanks to the pictorial jacquards and rich velvets mixed in with the country florals and exotic Asian and African-printed silks and embroideries.
The show was an ode to the mutual love affair between Britain and France, with Parisian haute couture details visible in the tailored Bar jackets cut close to the body and abbreviated at the hip. There were grand structures, in the form of full sleeves and gathered peplums, with tight basques and draped tea dresses referencing founder Christian Dior’s original New Look silhouette. The designer’s well-documented love of English tailoring (his own suits came from Savile Row) was evident throughout, as was his penchant for pairing feminine designs with masculine fabrics such as English wools and Scottish tweeds. Yet the house’s signature bow motif was pulled undone, passed through the décolleté or reversed like a foulard, adding a dash of the debonair to the looks.