In “Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve,” the lavish exhibition installed in Les Arts Décoratifs to mark the house’s 70th anniversary, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s work stands up well alongside that of three of the greatest designers to ever live — Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and John Galliano. Yet her runway continues to perplex.
Chiuri is a brave fashion soul, boldly addressing two of fashion’s current causes — one external: How to express a socially conscious point of view on the runway; the other, the giant question (one of them, anyway) facing luxury: How to woo the Millennial customer.
Chiuri is at the forefront of the former movement. The “We should all be feminists” T-shirts from her debut ready-to-wear collection for Dior, shown prior to the U.S. presidential election, ignited a pan-industry signage craze a season later, in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory. On the Millennial front, since arriving at the house, Chiuri has often stated her interest in speaking to a powerful young generation.
Admirable points of focus, for sure, and, at least regarding the second issue, essential, as Millennials will one day age into luxury’s primary consumer base. Yet those two preoccupations seem to cloud Chiuri’s showtime perspective at Dior, at least if one thinks
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