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5 Things To Know About Christian Dior’s Sporty Cruise 2022 Show In Athens

By Anders Christian Madsen

For her Dior Cruise 2022 show, Maria Grazia Chiuri took out the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens for a sporty proposal for life post-lockdown. Vogue fashion critic Anders Christian Madsen reports.

The show was set in the Panathenaic Stadium

“I’m interested in clothes as a way of giving freedom of movement,” Maria Grazia Chiuri said on a video call from Athens the day before her Dior Cruise show. After a year in domestic confinement, she felt the call of sports and decided to seek out its most original arena: the Panathenaic Stadium, built by the Ancient Greeks in 330 BC as a sporting ground for their beloved games and astute appreciation of movement. “I wanted to make a collection for women today,” she said. “Women want freedom, especially after this long lockdown. That’s what we desire: to move our bodies.” The show – which was mainly attended by local guests due to ongoing travel restrictions – fused Greek cultural heritage with the legacy of Christian Dior through the lens of Chiuri’s inspired union of sportswear and savoir-faire, and culminated in a Leda-inspired swan dress to rival Björk.

Maria Grazia Chiuri has a bond with Greece

Chiuri first went to Greece with friends after graduating high school. “We visited all the antiquities together, without money, in a car. It was super fun,” she recalled. Here, she recognised the genetics between Ancient Greek culture, her own Roman upbringing, and her father’s Apulian heritage. “I come from Roma , don’t forget. Around me, the reference of Greece is everywhere, on every statue. It’s my background,” she said, noting how traces of Greece are still strong in the Puglia region where she owns a house not far from Grecia Salentina, home to the Griko people who speak Italiot Greek. If not home turf, those facts made the Panathenaic Stadium something of a comfort zone for Chiuri, whose collection exercised her knack for real clothes rooted in the bulletproof silhouettes of the ancient world.

The collection was about movement and freedom

Inspired by an archive picture of a model wearing a Christian Dior outfit in the Acropolis, Chiuri set out to adapt the formal lines of her house’s founder with a sportier, more contemporary sensibility. She relaxed the construction of the Bar Jacket and re-energised it with technical fabrication, elevated athleisure with couture-level techniques, and handed her spotlight to the ancient peplos, a Grecian dress type – and a Chiuri all-time favourite – which you might call the world’s first-ever wardrobe staple. Along with a series of white suits in homage to Marlene Dietrich (Chiuri had fallen in love with a photograph of her dressed up as the Greek heroine Leda), the collection was a study of contemporary wardrobe through the unclichéd binoculars of ancient history.

Dior commissioned a string of local talent

As her Cruise tradition dictates, Chiuri enlisted a number of local craftsmen to work on the collection. Fisherman’s caps were created by Atelier Tsalavoutas, purveyor to the real fishermen of Hydra, while the tailor Aristeidis Tzonevraki crafted a Book Tote and a Bar Jacket through his unique embroidery method, and Silk Line – a factory based in Soufli, known for its silks – adapted Dior’s houndstooth. The artist Christiana Soulou drew seven female figures from Greek mythology, which Chiuri immortalised in jacquards in the folds of dresses, and the Los Angeles-based Greek musician Ioanna Gika read a poem during the show.

Chiuri wanted to convey the true character of Greece

Asked how she convinced the Greek state to let her show in the Panathenaic Stadium, Chiuri said it was simple. “I asked. I gave them my project. Honestly, I think what we did in Lecce was helpful. They knew I was interested in many different aspects of the country,” she said, referring to last summer’s Dior Cruise show, which celebrated Apulian culture. “Greece and Athens have a huge history. I had to study a lot. In this case, it was very hard because the reference of Greek culture is really the reference of the West. When you look at it now, it’s completely different from when I was studying Greek culture in school,” Chiuri reflected. “I don’t understand why, in school, everybody talked to me about Odysseus but never how much cleverer Penelope was.”

By Sarah Mower

By Naomi Pike

By Daniel Rodgers

What to Expect from Dior’s Cruise 2022 Show at Athens’s Panathenaic Stadium Tonight

Dior’s spring 2020 couture collection was inspired by Greco-Roman peplos. Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com

Athens, Greece is gearing up for the unveiling of Dior ‘s Cruise 2022 collection by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri tonight. The “Croisière 2022” collection will be showcased on a runway at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, also known as the Kallimarmaro, to some 400 international guests. Besides being broadcast live worldwide on television and via social media, Dior is also planning to also broadcast the event live in public areas in Soufli and Kalamata. The two Greek towns have inspired the fashion house and connected it to local textiles and materials. In Athens, the event will be broadcast in Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

  googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("desktop-halfpage-single2"); }); View this post on Instagram   googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("desktop-halfpage-single3"); }); A post shared by Dior Official (@dior)

Dior has a long, beloved history with Greece. The French house’s first step onto Greek soil was 70 years ago for its photoshoot for the French-language weekly news magazine  Paris Match . Set at the Acropolis of Athens, it featured the fall 1951 “Longue” haute couture collection captured by photographer Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini.

“Greece is a country that has been always close to my heart,” Chiuri told WWD . “From mythology to the ‘Odyssey’ and from architecture and philosophy to priceless crafts, Athens for me represents a dream destination for staging a show and celebrating, more than ever, the magic and the transmission of cultures,” she added.

Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Photo: Getty

Blending tradition and modernity, the Dior Cruise collection will highlight the ancient Greek aesthetic values of light (phos) and beauty (kallos). Dedicated to the ongoing bicentennial celebrations marking the Greek 1821 War of Independence, “Dior Celebrates Greece” will depict Greece as the birthplace of civilization and promote Greek traditions, craftsmanship, and expertise worldwide with fashion events and ten photoshoots at major famed Greek archaeological sites, including the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Agora of Athens, the temple of Poseidon, and the temple of Zeus.

The grand couturier will pay tribute to Greece with a week full of events until June 22, promoting works of local artists, craftsmen, musicians, and technicians. The maison de couture will further join forces with Greek creators specializing in the arts of weaving and embroidery with local textiles and materials, as well as in pottery and jewelry.

Stay tuned and make sure to follow @VogueArabia for more updates straight off the runway.

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Fireworks filled the night sky above Athens as Dior staged the first major runway show with an audience since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Paris Bureau Chief

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Fireworks filled the night sky over Athens as Dior heralded the return of destination resort shows with a spectacular display in front of more than 700 guests, marking the first major runway show with an audience since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Anya Taylor-Joy, Catherine Deneuve and Suki Waterhouse were among the VIPs who joined local dignitaries led by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou at nightfall on the soaring marble stands of the Panathenaic Stadium, a venue for sporting events since Antiquity that now serves as the finishing line for the Athens Marathon.

“It feels good to be able to share an experience again,” said Marisa Berenson. “It’s incredible. I mean, you feel the energies of the past here, with all these gladiators.”  

Taylor-Joy straightened the fringes of Cara Delevingne’s dress before they posed for photos. “It feels so, so magical, and it’s so wonderful being here with a family like Dior because they make you feel so welcome and they’re so generous, so this feels particularly special,” she said.

The actress wore Dior on two of her biggest nights this year, taking home the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards for her role in the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit.”

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“I feel incredibly lucky to be able to collaborate with somebody, and a house, that understands how special those moments are, and really helps to make them as special as they can be for you. Because the right dress just makes you feel so much better,” she said.

She will certainly have her pick of red-carpet stunners after Thursday’s show, which featured a parade of goddess gowns and closed with a couture version of the swan dress that Björk famously wore to the Oscars — though Maria Grazia Chiuri’s version was inspired by a photo of Marlene Dietrich disguised as the Greek mythological figure Leda.

Models made their way down a 1,650-foot-long catwalk lit by 20 braziers and rows of searchlights, to the ethereal sound of Greek singer Ioanna Gika backed by a 55-strong orchestra.

Chiuri combined updated versions of the peplos, the robe traditionally worn by women in ancient Greece, with athleisure staples and futuristic sneakers, capturing the mood of elation that is sweeping many countries as lockdowns lift and athletes gear up for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

“I was aware of how tricky it can be to stage a show in Athens. It’s like Rome: it can quickly become something too theatrical, from my point of view, less a real ready-to-wear show, and more a reference to the surroundings, a costume or something that you might find in a museum, a play or an opera. I didn’t want that,” she told WWD during a preview in Paris .

“We are doing fashion for now, not for the past and not for the future, but about now. After the pandemic — though we’re not completely out of it yet — we want to move,” Chiuri added.

The brand is launching a line called Dior Vibe, including transparent sneakers with gold or silver accents, and gym bags with rubberized bases, which it hopes will become a pillar collection. Footwear alternatives included sock sneakers with sculpted heels, and chunky boots with thick rubber soles.

The previous night, the house took over the picturesque Plaka Stairs in central Athens for a welcome dinner, where guests feasted on local delicacies like stuffed courgette flowers and salt baked sea bass, to the sounds of traditional Greek music.

As Eugenie Niarchos snapped pictures of Bianca Brandolini swishing the skirt of her evening gown, it felt almost like old times — barring the multiple COVID-19 tests or vaccine certificates required to travel to Greece and to access the show venue.  

“We have to be exemplary,” Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive officer of Dior said in an interview on the terrace of the penthouse suite at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, which has a striking view of the Acropolis. “We will have the maximum safety at the stadium. On top of it, it’s windy and we are in an open space.”

He noted that Dior was the first to stage a physical fashion show in Lecce, Italy, at the same time last year, albeit without guests — a bold decision that helped it to outpace its peers and start 2021 in “pole position.” A former professional footballer, Beccari is a highly competitive executive who does not shirk from taking risks.

“Instead of just changing gear and shifting gear toward the bottom, and hitting the brakes, we accelerated. And we kept on the track, and we came out of this track very fast. I’m very proud of my team, and I’m so happy that we had the courage collectively to do what we did,” he recalled.  

“We’re just continuing to do what Mr. Dior did, opening his own business,” he continued, noting that Dior launched his brand in 1947, right after World War II. “Our optimism, our courage, is part of the DNA of the brand, and tonight, we do that again.”  

Beccari praised Greece’s Central Archeological Council for green-lighting the project, which included a series of photo shoots at protected locations, including the Acropolis.  

“It was a big deal. But in the end, I think that our authenticity and our sincere intentions convinced them to give us the permission, which we are very proud of. It wasn’t easy and many, many people were denied in the process,” he said, in an indirect reference to Chanel, which was reportedly refused a similar request in 2017.

When protests broke out across town on the eve of the show, Beccari feared the worst. “I was scared that it was against us when I saw them in front of our hotel. It was just because they have to pass a labor reform bill,” he said.  

Beccari was briefed on the situation at dinner with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who gifted him a blue and white limited-edition Swatch watch commemorating the 200th anniversary of Greece’s struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire. The Dior show comes at a crucial time for the country, as it seeks to rev up tourism after a lost year.

“I was told that there was a very emotional press conference today with Maria Grazia and the Greek press. People were crying,” Beccari said. “I’m very happy if we can contribute modestly to the image of Greece with this event, which will be seen by millions of people.”

In preparation for the show, Chiuri toured archeological sites, including the ruins of the palace of Knossos in Crete and the Oracle of Delphi, to find out more about the worship of female divinities in ancient times.

Also on her mood board were black-and-white photographs by Edward Steichen and George Hoyningen-Huene; a poster for a recent exhibition about the Greek gallerist Alexander Iolas, curated by Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli, and a photo of Dietrich in a white suit.  

The latter inspired a relaxed version of the hourglass Bar jacket with tone-on-tone embroidery, with a razor-pleated white skirt in lieu of pants. Known for her love of black, Chiuri embraced her Greek goddess theme with an abundance of white and stone colors, set off by splashes of Aegean blue on workout gear including leggings, windbreakers and running bras.

In line with recent tradition, the brand also used the event to showcase the creativity of local artists and artisans. Dior tapped Silk Line, a factory based in the ancestral silk hub of Soufli, to produce the house’s signature stripe and houndstooth motifs using a traditional weaving technique. Family-run Atelier Tsalavoutas made the fishermen’s caps worn with striped tops and shorts.

The scale of the venue drowned out some of the craftsmanship details, but what came through loud and clear was the attitude of the models: poised, erect and purposeful. As the fireworks exploded above, the crowd rose in a standing ovation. If there were an Olympic contest for fashion, Dior just won a gold medal.  

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The Dior Cruise 2022 Runway Bag Collection

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2022 by Sabrina · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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Set at the birthplace of sports, Dior featured its Cruise 2022 Collection at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece. The only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri presented a tale of transformation and awakened femininity in this collection. Admirably modern wardrobe taking its cues from couture, athleticism and antiquity.

A new addition to the Dior Cruise 2022 collection, the Dior Vibe line designed by Chiuri brings a hybrid universe to life, with leather goods associated to the sneaker universe like the Dior Vibe Weekender Bag, available in different colors, designs and sizes, this version reimagined the bowler bag by enhancing them with Dior emblems and signature embroidery, Also presented in the show are the Lady Dior, Bobby Bag and Dior Book Tote.

Take pleasure in feminism and athleticism at the same time, check out the Dior Runway Bags below.

More Christian Dior

Fashion & Runway

• June 21, 2021

Dior chose Athens, an exceptional destination – the cradle of Western civilization and of European arts – to present its Cruise 2022 collection.

In the heart of the city dedicated to Athena, Maria Grazia Chiuri reinvents her genealogy and tweaks House codes like the peplum.

In that spirit, she created her own map of Greece, i nformed by the personalities and images that nourished her references and poetry, from the works of Giorgio De Chirico to vases decorated with wrestling matches by Alexandre Iolas.

Giant silhouettes stand out in close-up on sketches by the artist Pietro Ruffo or are camouflaged on a selection of sportswear pieces.

A series of white trouser suits evoking those worn by Marlene Dietrich structure a lexicon balanced between classicism and freedom: oversized houndstooth becomes Hellenized, the cannage motif takes on new abstractions, a star appears. An alliance of heritage and modernity that – within the iconic Panathenaic Stadium, the setting for the show – reveals a manifesto for a body that more than ever enjoys the liberty of movement, performing without constraint.

The Dior Cruise 2022 Collection

A series of photographs of one of Monsieur Dior’s haute couture lines, taken near the iconic Pantheon in 1951, was the inspiration for the Dior Cruise 2022 collection. In the heart of the city dedicated to Athena, Maria Grazia Chiuri reinvents her genealogy and tweaks the codes, art lies not in the object created, but in one’s ability to create, such as the peplum. The goddess tunic, evoking marble and ancient statuary, is resolutely ethereal thanks to its fabrics and handmade pleats, a chiaroscuro is fluting. A rediscovery of civilization’s roots – not out of nostalgia, but out of a desire to recompose, in the present, the fragmentation necessary to our understanding of the world. Maria Grazia Chiuri was inspired by Giorgio De Chirico, a pioneer of Surrealism who drew on poignant memories of Greece to paint metaphysical places frozen in silent contrast of light and shadow.

The Creative Director then explored the universe of Alexander Iolas, the cosmopolitan gallery owner who preserved his close ties to Greece and his home in Athens. There, he assembled an incredible collection of vases decorated with the intertwined bodies of wrestlers.

Giant close-ups of those silhouettes stand out in sketches by the artist Pietro Ruffo or are camouflaged on a selection of sportswear pieces, a synthesis of technical and formal research, the backbone and manifesto of a body performing beyond gender boundaries, in Panathenaic stadium where the cruise show is staged. That body dons a series of white suits – jackets and pants – like those worn by Marlene Dietrich, structuring a sartorial lexicon poised between classicism and freedom: the oversized houndstooth is Hellenizes; cannage reveals new abstractions.

Gold dialogues with white: a hood grafted onto different looks is line punctuation, on engraved inscription. Greek blue become both a signature and an homage. Each collection is an ongoing reflection on the paradigms that distinguish fashion and the House of Dior; an occasion to further expand collective work. Maria Grazia Chiuri underscores the extent to which the variations on femininity in Dior creations emerge from a past that honors a beauty with multiple facets.

• dior , runway

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Dior’s Revisit of Greece: Cruise 2022 Collection

Erol Degirmenci 15 May 2023 min Read

Ria Mort, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection featuring Parthenon, Athens, Greece. Greece Is .

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The fashion industry’s deep interest in Ancient Greek aesthetics is not some recent fad. Many of the leading fashion houses have been integrating the visual elements of antiquity in their products and line-ups for a long time, and Christian Dior is one of them. Of course, major fashion brands often have their runway shows in an extravagant manner where they share what they have designed with the public, media, and fashion coteries. After 70 years, Dior revisited Athens and conducted its show along with a series of photoshoots in various archaeological sites. In this article, we will take a general look at the collection and question the practice of letting brands temporarily occupy important archaeological sites.

The Inevitable Cycle

Elina Kechicheva, Artemis, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece. Barefootdutches .

Dior introduced its inter-season collection— Cruise 2022 , in June 2021 in Athens, Greece. The collection’s artistic characteristics and aims were shaped and orchestrated by Italian fashion designer and Dior’s current creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. One might ask, “Why did Dior pick Athens to stage the show, and why did they decide to derive inspiration from Ancient Greek aesthetics?” Well, I’ll provide you with my subjective answer. Whether the subject is fashion, architecture, literature, or art, when we engage in any artistic creation or pondering process, we are often drawn to a few specific periods and locations in history, and one of them is undoubtedly Ancient Greece . With its timeless and unwavering aspects, this era stands in our history like one titanic and sempiternal muse who is always there for minds seeking a starting point in their creation course that does not lack beauty. It is why eight models posed for photojournalist Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini for Dior on the Acropolis of Athens in 1951, and after 70 years, it occurred in 2021 again.

Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini, Campaign for Dior Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 1951 featuring Parthenon, Athens, Greece. Bangkok Post .

Ria Mort, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection featuring Erechtheion, Athens, Greece. ZOE Magazine .

Expectedly, the most common traditional ancient Greek garments, such as peplos and chiton, formed the mainstay of Chiuri’s designs. A peplos is a sewn tubular-shaped piece that was exclusively worn by women. The top layer of the peplos would be draped at the waist, which created the illusion of two-piece attire. On the other hand, a chiton sometimes consisted of two pieces or was one big rectangular cloth worn by both men and women. Depending on the style, it was supported by a belt and various clips. When we look at the pieces worn by the models, obviously the Ancient Greek influence is apparent, but along with that, we also see various important design choices to maintain modern comfort and aesthetics. Chiuri beautifully managed to render her creations up to date without overly diminishing the influence of ancient perspectives. In some cases, the structure of the piece has a vague connection to antiquity, but even in those instances, Chiuri implemented ancient Greek motifs or the portrayal of a figure—such as the goddess Athena — on the piece. In this way, she overcame the constraint of the past and was still able to present a modern creation that harmonized with an ancient narrative in possible forms.

The Greek Touch

Myrto Papadopoulos, Photo of Aristeidis Tzonevrakis, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece. Aeworld.

While utilizing Dior’s resources and her years of experience to create this collection, Chiuri also greatly relied on the craftsmanship of notable Greek artisans. This was both a practical and meaningful decision because their mark would bear the region’s cultural and artistic heritage, and without it, the collection could not attain its true potential. One of these artisans was Aristeidis Tzonevrakis , a tailor and embroiderer based in Argos, Peloponnese. With his beautiful approach to embroidery, which has both motifs from the mainland and the islands, Tzonevrakis worked on a jacket and Dior Book Tote (a signature bag introduced by Chiuri). The other atelier/factory with which Chiuri collaborated was Silk Line established in Soufli near Evros River. The small town is famed for its long past in the quality linen industry. Silk Line contributed to the collection by using their unique silk weaving techniques that include creating a Jacquard Loom.

Myrto Papadopoulos, Family-owned atelier Tsalavoutas working on caps, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Piraeus, Athens, Greece. Delood .

The family-owned atelier, Tsalavoutas , located in Piraeus, Athens, was also onboard. Established in 1936, this atelier is famous for manufacturing one specific thing; authentic Hellenic fisherman’s caps. Starting from the 19th century and onwards, this historic accessory was able to embrace ancestral and modern techniques within a single garment. Besides these crafters, Chiuri collaborated with Greek artist Christiana Soulou and Italian artist Pietro Ruffo . Soulou drew well-known female figures from ancient Greek literature and myths such as Arachne, Ariadne, and Penelope, whose tales converge with the acts of transformation and adaptation. She also drew more subtle and abstract designs where the figures were represented by single colors and portrayed as they were in motion. Soulou briefly describes her art with these sentences:

--> My drawings will never be seen in their entirety. Only fragments will be seen. You can only approach truth through the things that you do not fully say or show. Christiana Soulou -->

  On the other hand, Ruffo contributed to the collection by depicting female athletes from certain ancient Greek vases . He also redesigned the Dior star, which is a dear talisman for the fashion house.

Beauty Captured

Giovanni Giannoni, Three models posing in the Panathenaic Stadium, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Athens, Greece. GRAZIA .

Of course, all of these beautiful pieces had to be captured by talented photographers and directors, so the world could appreciate the essence of what was collaboratively created. For the main show of the collection and Dior Magazine No.36 (from Dior to Greece), the fashion house worked with terrifically talented female photographers— Elina Kechicheva , Ria Mort , Mara Desipris , Efi Gousi , and Ioanna Sakellaraki— to conduct a series of photoshoots in different locations of Greece including Athens, Milos, and Ancient Nemea. I was lucky enough to ask one of these talented photographers— Ioanna Sakellaraki —about her experience and the work that she undertook for Dior. Here’s how she explained her work:

“In my images for the Cruise 2022 collection, I experiment with scale, form and monumentality through a play of mirrors, aiming at composing time-sequenced moments of architectural and sculptural realities, as manifested through the dialogue of the female silhouette with the Greek landscape on the volcanic island of Milos. Inspired by mythological personas and enigmatic female figures in the works of surrealist painters such as Giorgio de Chirico and Paul Delvaux, I aimed at retracing such visual narratives in Greek antiquity rediscovering womanhood through archetypes, symbols, allegories and forms.”

Ioanna Sakellaraki, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece, Courtesy of the Artist. Dior’s website .

“The original idea of the mirror came from the initial stages of my research around the ancient Greek sculpture of Venus of Milo of the Hellenistic period and the various attempts to restore the statue whose arms are broken. Multiple restorations deny the authenticity of the right hand holding an apple while other creators who exercise more freedom in their reconstruction work, depict Venus holding a shield on her knee and writing on it. Others assume that her right hand is holding a mirror, while others who claim that there is no need to interpret the statue as Venus, believe that it is Victory and place wreaths in her hands.”

“This fragmentary approach to the anatomy of the statue led me to envision images of a body performing beyond boundaries, embracing variations of femininity in a universe of noble expression through nature and form. My initial ideas were further enhanced once in the real site interacting with the ethereal fabrics and accessories in the collection, beautifully worn by the muse Nassia I worked with. The collection itself inspired me to look into how garments go beyond traditional use leading to the continuous rediscovery of femininity and female creation in past and present forms.”

Additionally, Dior truly distinguished itself in its cinematography and filmmaking departments. So far, four collection-specific videos were shared; two campaign videos ( first and second ), one behind-the-scenes video that solely focuses on Magazine No.36 , and an hour-long documentary that narrates the origin story of the collection. Each of these videos was directed by the following prominent names: Fabien Baron , Benjamin Vu , and Marianna Economou . If you happen to take a look at these ethereal videos, an angelic voice can be heard in two of them. This voice belongs to Ioanna Gika , a Greek artist who also appeared on the collection’s show with a fascinating orchestra.

You can also watch the entire show which took place in the historic Panathenaic Stadium below:

Some Food for Thought

Julia Hetta, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece. Dior’s website.

The Panathenaic Stadium was not Dior’s initial choice of location to execute the show; the fashion house’s goal was to stage the entire show at the Acropolis of Athens itself. It was clearly a bold request as the National Archaeological Council and Ministry of Culture rejected the proposal. In fact, in 2017, Gucci made the same request to perform a fashion show on the Acropolis, but the authorities’ stance was firm back then as well. After negotiations, Dior was only allowed to conduct photoshoots on the Acropolis, and the main show was to be staged in the Panathenaic Stadium. Additionally, the fashion house was allowed to conduct photoshoots in the Ancient Agora, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion, and the Temple of Zeus in Nemea. Chiuri also acquired the necessary permissions to observe Knossos, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Akrotiri in Santorini, Delphi and Eleusis thoroughly, to enhance her vision even more prior to the show.

Julia Hetta, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece.  Dior’s website .

By introducing the Cruise 2022 collection in Athens, Dior brought direct revenue to Greece, where a considerable amount of the revenue is expected to be spent towards the preservation and restoration of the national cultural and historical heritage. According to various sources, the fashion house paid over a million euros for permits. In other words, this was the price of reviving the neoclassical spirit within Dior. Thus, they were able to pay homage to the iconic 1951 photoshoot on the Acropolis, which featured an haute couture collection for the French magazine, Paris Match . Now, the question we ought to ask ourselves is whether opening the archaeological sites to these kinds of fashion houses is detrimental to the well-being of the sites or not. Should there be discussions regarding the ethicality of letting corporations occupy such important sites temporarily? In my humble opinion, as long as they are supervised by experts in the field, we should not prevent the beauty that they have been creating; for our world is always in need of more pleasing aesthetics.

What do you think about this, dear reader? Let me know in the comment section!

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See the best looks from Christian Dior’s Mexican inspired Cruise 2024 Collection

Artesanal embroidery and masculine silhouettes inspired by frida kahlo, and butterflies as design pillar, are some of the features of this collection..

Celebrities, editors, influencers, and members of Mexican society gathered at the heart of Mexico City ’s historic center for one of the season’s most anticipated events: Christian Dior’s Cruise 2024 Collection runway show in Mexico City. For fans of the brand, this setting comes as no surprise, as Maria Grazia Chiuri , the creative director of the French fashion house, has expressed her love for the country on previous occasions.

Unfazed by rain, the attendees arrived punctually at the Colegio de San Ildefonso to witness the captivating fashion show. Greeted by a vibrant group of female mariachis donning pink suits adorned with intricately embroidered butterflies, the guests were also welcomed by breathtaking floral installations. Notable figures, including Naomi Watts, Alicia Keys , and Mexican entrepreneur Carlos Slim added to the distinguished gathering, making the event even more memorable.

Once in the main courtyard of the venue, the distinctive sounds of Mexico City made their presence known: the chirping of birds, the barking of dogs, the bell announcing the garbage truck’s arrival, the harmonica of the knife sharpener, and a man announcing the arrival of gas tanks all served as the opening act for the fashion show.

During the show, guests embarked on a captivating journey that paid homage to the iconic works and photographs of Frida Kahlo . Leading up to the event, Maria Grazia had alluded to her collaboration with skilled artisans, which became evident in the collection through exquisite embroideries. The collection predominantly featured silhouettes inspired by the aesthetics of the hippie chic movement , beautifully intertwining with the vibrant indigenous textiles passionately embraced by Frida Kahlo during her era. These recurring elements breathed life into the collection, infusing it with a sense of profound cultural appreciation.

For the grand finale, a mesmerizing mini-capsule of white dresses took center stage. Each dress boasted intricate embroidered details, serving as a poignant tribute that resonated with Maria Grazia Chiuri’s consistent message across her collections: celebrating women and their causes . This culmination represented a powerful alignment between artistic expression and social awareness, encapsulating the essence of Maria Grazia’s creative vision.

The best looks from Christian Dior’s Mexican inspired Cruise 2024 Collection

Dior Cruise 2024

Hats, butterfly-inspired jewelry, and loose silhouettes.

Embroideries that evoke traditional Mexican costumes.

Masculine suits inspired by Frida Kahlo’s aesthetic

Traditional embroidery elements in collaboration with local artesanal communities in Mexico.

The butterfly was one of the main pillars explored by Maria Grazia Chiuri for this collection.

The use of green, white, and red, the colors of the Mexican flag, were present in the inspiration for this collection.

Female tuxedos played an important part in the Dior Cruise 2024 collection.

Dresses with silhouettes reminiscent of the revolutionary era with nods to traditional Mexican attire.

Traditional elements and embroidery from Mexican indigenous culture.

Traditional embroideries from indigenous communities in Mexico are also showcased in accessories like the Dior Book Tote.

Masculine tuxedos were one of the highlights of the collection.

Typical floral prints from the French fashion house.

Butterfly-shaped jewelry details, a collaboration that also involved local artists.

Suits with elements of typical Mexican mariachi attire.

Traditional elements of Mexican clothing merged with current trends like transparent fabrics.

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Dior Men’s cat-filled set was a collaboration with ceramic artist Hylton Nel

Dior Men’s Kim Jones speaks to Wallpaper* about his collaboration with South African ceramicist Hylton Nel, revealed as part of the designer’s S/S 2025 show today in Paris (21 June 2024)

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The ‘homespun monumentalism’ of South African ceramicist Hylton Nel was at the heart of Kim Jones’ latest collection for Dior Men, seeing the showspace populated with blown-up versions of his distinct cat sculptures. 

‘He’s an old friend of mine, I’ve known him maybe 12 years,’ Jones said at a preview of the collection. ‘I love his work, and I wanted to take that idea of working with an artist and working it through the Dior archive.’

Dior Men’s Kim Jones reveals collaboration with ceramicist Hylton Nel

Located this season in the grounds of Paris’ Val-de-Grâce – a departure from the École Militaire, where Jones has shown in recent seasons – the specially constructed showspace saw guests overlooked by the playful, naive figures, which are adorned with colourful hand-drawn motifs and feature elements of the human form, like arms, legs and hair.

One of the sculptures depicts a cat in a pair of high heels, and is from Jones’ personal collection (at the preview, a selection of the original pieces surrounded the designer). Last year, partly down to Jones’ support, the UK’s Charleston House held an exhibition of Nel’s work, titled ‘This plate is what I have to say’. The home, formerly the residence of the Bloomsbury Group’s Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, previously inspired Jones’ S/S 2023 collection , the designer having first visited as a teenager.

For this collection, Jones said he was inspired by visits to Nel’s own art-filled homes on the outskirts of Calitzdorp in South Africa’s Western Cape. ‘He’s lived in two houses in the same town for years and years,’ says Jones. ‘[There is] this huge sky. That was what really drew me to the colour palette, the blues and the pinks when you are there at different times of the day.’

In the collection, motifs from Nel’s work, like hand-drawn dogs and birds, became pins, intarsia knits and embroidery, evoking the teeming shelves of ceramics in the artist’s home. Hats, meanwhile, were created in collaboration with Stephen Jones and Earth Age, a Cape Town-based company that hand-crocheted the beanie-style headwear, which was then finished with ceramic beads applied in Paris. ‘The homespun with the salon, the global with the local – the artisans’ skill, intent and pride in their work unites all,’ said Dior.

The designer also said the collection was ‘a celebration of work and an expression of who somebody is and what they achieve through work’, nodding to house founder Christian Dior, whose womenswear collections continue to be an inspiration to the designer.

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‘I look at it because of the purity, and because a lot of it is rooted in menswear,’ he said of working from the Dior archive. Elsewhere, the ceramic collars referenced an unrealised sketch by Yves Saint Laurent during his tenure at the house. Other pieces saw workwear instilled with the fabrications and silhouettes of the house’s haute couture collections.

‘In the case of Christian Dior, Hylton Nel and myself, it’s an idea of parallel paths with different stories,’ continued Jones. ‘It’s lifelong work in ceramics and paintings and lifelong work in fabrications and clothing. There is an idea of and dedication to art and the applied arts shared by all.’

Discover more from Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2025 .

Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*, joining the team in 2022. Having previously been the digital features editor at AnOther and digital editor at 10 and 10 Men magazines, he has also contributed to titles including i-D, Dazed, 10 Magazine, Mr Porter’s The Journal and more, while also featuring in Dazed: 32 Years Confused: The Covers, published by Rizzoli. He is particularly interested in the moments when fashion intersects with other creative disciplines – notably art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and reporting from international fashion weeks. Across his career, he has interviewed the fashion industry’s leading figures, including Rick Owens, Pieter Mulier, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Christian Lacroix, Kate Moss and Manolo Blahnik.

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• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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Fall 2024 Collection

An ode to the powerful ties that unite Paris and New York, two essential fashion capitals, the Dior Fall 2024 collection dreamed up by Maria Grazia Chiuri is unveiled through a series of looks sublimated by motifs drawn in homage to the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. Bridging across these cultures is Marlene Dietrich*, whose masculine-feminine style pervades the silhouettes. A prodigious field of possibilities.

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