“Guided by the stars”. And not just metaphorically, since it was under a magical Egyptian starry night that Dior Men’s Fall-Winter 23 show took place. “My interest in ancient Egypt is about the stars and the sky. It’s that fascination with the ancient world and the parallels with what we look at today; what we inherited from them and what we are still learning from the past,” tells Kim Jones, the designer behind the collection. It is indeed fascinating to think how the cosmic lights that hit our eyes do it only after years of travelling and may not even exist today. This strange effect caused by the finite speed of light is embodied by the figure of the star, also dear to and representative of Dior’s origins and present. A starry night is a moment of convergence, a moment when the past returns and looks to the future. And just like that, at the foot of the Pyramids of Giza, Dior’s sky was perfectly aligned: Seventy-five looks composed the catwalk celebrating the years passed since the brand’s foundation, the location paid tribute to the “Cairo” dress designed by Monsieur Dior in 1947, and, of course, one the seven wonders of the Ancient World as background setting is quite hard to outdo. “There is the idea of being guided by the stars and what this can entail in many ways. It’s about the way the past shapes the future or an idea of the future coming from the past,” continued the designer.
And so it was under this celestial guiding principle that the collection took shape on the catwalk. A parade of desert explorers, of future time travellers. Their suits follow the brand’s sartorial tradition and are delicately structured. Lightweight silk pieces and capes paid homage to the local costume and were nicely balanced by escorting armour-like pieces, made of stiffened papyrus worked into Vienna straw. A masculine collection with couture finishings that does not renounce contemporary and technical practicality. Short-sleeved sweatshirts with jacquard work and anoraks made of technical fabric, and, adding a futuristic arsenal note, applications of archive embroidery. Footwear also nods at futurism, technical helmets covered the models’ faces, and leather goods reinterpreted luxury with a new organic utility. These modern digital navigators’ wardrobe is filled with layered silhouettes that balance a predominantly grey palette with yellow and orange hues, echoing the tonalities of the desert. Printed images of telescope shots from NASA are also incorporated into some looks, putting forward once more the idea of a new future.
The night overlooking the present finally found light when the models emerged from the catwalk and presented themselves to the press, customers and VIPs. Like a ritual of passage: from a world too dark to a bright future, guided by the stars. Among those present at the show were Naomi Campbell, Lewis Hamilton, Lila Moss, Robert Pattinson (face of the Spring/Summer 2023 campaign), Aron Piper, Oliver Sim, and Paolo Busti. The final note of the evening was provided by composer and musician Max Richter, who brightened up the atmosphere with a stellar performance.
