With her #DiorAW25 opening looks, Maria Grazia Chiuri laid the foundation for evocations of the eras- and gender-crossing character of Virgina Woolf’s ‘Orlando’ while referencing her Dior predecessors.
For Maria Grazia Chiuri, clothing is a vector of transformation. For the Dior ready-to-wear autumn-winter 2025-2026 show, she wanted to revisit the memories and gestures that belong to the Dior heritage, forging a pluralistic dialogue with the ever-evolving history of fashion. Thus the white shirt – a founding element freed from stereotypes – converses with the forms conceived by Gianfranco Ferré, the architect and erstwhile Artistic Director of Dior.
The wardrobe, a symbol of metamorphosis, reveals frills in the shape of a removable collar; an evolution of the Orlando ruff – inspired by the eponymous character of the Virginia Woolf novel – from a distant era that defies time and genres.
Different influences interact and draw a map marked also by the return of the J’adore Dior T-shirt signed John Galliano. Like dematerialized crinolines, black velvet ribbons attached with baroque pearls, bring texture to skirts and dresses.
The exploration of the stories traversing fashion and its digressions allows the celebration of a femininity that imagines possible futures by mixing evocations of a past that is ever closer to the contemporary wardrobe.
Groupshots © Laura Sciacovelli @laurasciacovelli
Finale © Adrien Dirand @adriendirand
Credits: © Courtesy of Dior
