Dior takes Parisian style to Britain’s countryside

Dior staged a catwalk show
of its “Cruise collection” at the majestic Blenheim Palace in the
Oxfordshire
countryside Tuesday, in a lavish event reflecting the growing importance of
between-seasons collections.

The fashion event at the 18th century stately home, the birthplace of
Britain’s wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, was a nod to the past
for
the French design house, which held events there twice in the 1950s.
The brand’s Swiss creative duo of designers, Lucie Meier and Serge
Ruffieux, mixed references to classic Dior designs and eccentric English
influences.

Model Bella
Hadid just walked in the #DiorCruise 2017 fashion show and she will also
become a House makeup ambassador.

A photo
posted by Dior Official (@dior) on May 31, 2016 at 1:36pm
PDT

Models including new face of Dior, beauty Bella Hadid, strutted between
the
rows of gathered fashionistas in a pillared hall dressed in florals and
demure
jackets.

Dior presents Cruise collection in Oxfordshire

The styles mixed the modern and the conservative — one print represented a
foxhunt — with a muted palette of beige, black and pastels.
Bags with complex pockets and straps were worn tossed over the shoulder or
carried in the right hand, while models sported ankle boots with chunky
metallic heels.

“We were thinking of a Dior Parisienne who goes to London and becomes
more
eccentric,” Ruffieux told AFP, describing the designs as a natural evolution
from the duo’s last two collections since they stepped in after Raf Simons
left in October. No expense was spared as hundreds of clients and
journalists were brought
to the palace on a luxury train the “Dior Express”.
The brand has just opened a new flagship store in London, one of the
largest in Europe.

#Emptyspaces
at the @BlenheimPalace, minutes before our first guests arrive. Follow us
on Snapchat with our account name ‘Diorlive’ for behind-the-scene
views of the show. #DiorCruise

A photo
posted by Dior Official (@dior) on May 31, 2016 at 10:48am
PDT

It is keen to promote its cruise collection — a holiday or resort
collection produced between the traditional spring/summer and autumn/winter
shows.
Dior chief executive Sidney Toledano said customers wanted “novelty”.
“These cruise collections have grown in importance in the public eye, and
are as creative as the other collections,” he said.

Major fashion houses have been competing to hold the shows in ever more
exotic locations.
Chanel recently staged a catwalk show in Havana, Louis Vuitton in Rio de
Janeiro, while Gucci will present its cruise collection in London’s
Westminster Abbey on Thursday.

Dior is due to present an haute couture collection in Paris in July, as
it
seeks an official successor to take over from Simons who resigned three
years
after the house took him on in 2012.
His successor will be appointed “soon” according to Toledano.
“The stakes are extremely important, it will have a bearing on what
creative direction will be taken in the coming years,” he added.

A photo posted by Dior Official (@dior) on May 31, 2016 at 10:34am
PDT

Coming only weeks before Britain votes on whether to remain in the
European
Union in a June 23 referendum, some wondered if there was a political
dimension to the show — but Toledano refused to be drawn on the subject.
“I love England, it is a model of openness,” he said. “I see enterprising
men and women. I’m sure they will make the right decision!” (AFP)

Photo: Dior homepage