Christian Dior enjoyed going to the Cirque d’Hiver. For Maria Grazia Chiuri, the fantastical creative chaos of the circus provided the starting point for the Christian Dior Spring 2019 Haute Couture collection. The visual unfurling of the pieces that composed it represented an unleashing of the memory and the imagination associated with the circus through costumes, fashion and art, extending and the evocation of Cindy Sherman’s work focusing on clowns.

This collection consisted of a superposition of images: a woman’s tattooed skin, reminiscent of the Victorian circus and its fairground phenomena, became a motif-drenched unitard that shaped the body and told a wearable story under dresses. Powdery shades that came together and blend into an infinite palette – like those on the curtain painted by Pablo Picasso for the ballet Parade – also symbolized this sense of the worn, of the fine dust that sprinkles stage clothes. Skirts embroidered or inlaid with opaque sequins were shortened as tutus that nod to the circus codes of acrobats, tamers and riders.

Maria Grazia Chiuri employed this broad variety of images to compose her own “parade”, comprising full and very light pants, narrowing at the ankle, which can also become sumptuous jumpsuits. Shorts were paired with sheer white shirts accented with ruffs or ribbons seemingly frayed with the passage of time. There were also leather corsets, sailor stripes, and black jackets inspired by that of the lion tamer. The geometric white clown outfit, whether spare or sumptuous, was reinterpreted through its materials, embroidery and proportions.

The show is animated with performances by the all-female circus company Mimbre.

Watch as attended celebrities reveal their love for the show, collection and circus tent set in the gardens of the Musée Rodin.