Vogue's best looks from the Christian Dior resort 2026 show
'I want to show what I love, what I really love.' So declared Maria Grazia Chiuri before she sent out a heart-felt, nearly all-white celebration of Rome, her birthplace. The women in the audience had been asked to dress in white, and gathered to watch in the spectacular formal gardens of the Villa Albani Torlonia. We were anticipating a crescendo, a grand finale of a show from the homecoming queen of feminist standard-bearing.
In fact, what we got from Chiuri was a resort show with a couture collection mixed in with it, for the most part wispily romantic and fragile-seeming. Emphasis on the 'seeming,' that is. To the designer, it was an enactment shot through with autobiographical meaning, cultural nuance—a bit of nonsense frivolity—and historical symbolism. And—she was laughing about this in the tented backstage area beforehand—it was deliberately intended to confuse. La Bella Confusione, a novel set in 1960s Rome was one starting point out of the many she infused into this show and its production. 'A beautiful confusion,' she chuckled.
Well, you don't need to spend half a day in Rome to realise how densely, layered and criss-crossed it is with archaeology and history. Chuiri said, in part, that she was drawing attention to the role her city has played in fashion—wrapped up as it is in the Dolce Vita of the fifties, the glamorous heyday of the Cinecittá movie industry, and the glory of Valentino and Fendi, both of whom she worked for. On top of that, she was celebrating the life of the heiress, hostess and patron of the avant-garde arts, Mimi Pecci-Blunt. (Chiuri and her daughter Rachele have just restored her theatre, Teatro di Cometa.)
You can see why Chiuri might identify with Mimi. In many ways, over nine years at Dior, she has also been a relentless supporter and ally of women artists, artisans, and performers. On this night, she had local dancers—dressed in white by the Roman movie costumers Toricelli—performing a Commedia dell'Arte-cum-contemporary ballet around the gardens. This, as a reference to Mimi's 'Bal Blanc,' which took place in 1930 in Paris. All guests wore white and were photographed by Man Ray while they posed surreally as historical figures.
Which was why we began by looking at four long, slim, beautifully tailored double-faced cashmere ensembles—one of them a trouser suit and tailcoat. 'These are haute couture,' she said. 'You can only make these by hand. Some of the simplest things are the most difficult to make.' This ideal, minimalist yet sumptuous simplicity was followed by many variations on the theme of the long, slim, semi-sheer dress. The lace effects were almost countless—3D florals, rivulets of ruffles, leafy cut-outs, wavy art deco frills, gilded latticework covered with silken fringe—and more, and more. Underwear visible, shoes flat.
This, surely, was Chiuri staking claim to the look she has coined at Dior; her contribution over nearly a decade to the history of the house. But within this, there was yet more to be drawn out. One dress in particular, number 63, used an almost transparent curly ruffled technique that looked like a salute to her old employer Valentino Garavani—and his breakthrough White Collection from 1968.
And then, there was her Vatican Conclave moment. It came very obviously in a short, black, red-buttoned cardinal's coat; and maybe not so obviously, but definitely when you look twice—in the vestment-like white shirts with deep lace hems. As it happens, Chiuri added, her heroine Mimi had a Pope as an uncle. More strange, blurry connections.
But she had a more serious observation to make about the significance of Mimi's life. 'She was working during World War II. It was a terrible moment, and she was obsessed—in any case—[with] organising concerts, performances within theatre, exhibitions for art. Monsieur Dior had a gallery in Paris during that time, too,' she added. 'They had hope in their hearts for the future. I think that is what art is: it gives hope in the future.'
You wondered, at the end, at the beauty of her liquid gold velvet goddess dresses and the trompe l'oeil caviar beading which superimposed statue-like drapery on two dresses. The simplicity of the peplos has been another of Maria Grazia's obsessions over the years—a point on which she has veered very much on her own path and away from the corseted Christian Dior template. There was only one moment when there was any suggestion of an encased torso, and that she saved for last. Not a corset, but armour. She was a Roman woman centurion, striding forward. Paolo Lanzi
1 / 12 Look 1 Paolo Lanzi
2 / 12 Look 5 Paolo Lanzi
3 / 12 Look 6 Paolo Lanzi
4 / 12 Look 7 Paolo Lanzi
5 / 12 Look 16 Paolo Lanzi
6 / 12 Look 24 Paolo Lanzi
7 / 12 Look 26 Paolo Lanzi
8 / 12 Look 47 Paolo Lanzi
9 / 12 Look 48 Paolo Lanzi
10 / 12 Look 54 Paolo Lanzi
11 / 12 Look 71 Paolo Lanzi
12 / 12 Look 80
This story was originally published on Vogue .com
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Vogue Singapore
20 hours ago
- Vogue Singapore
Maria Grazia Chiuri to exit Dior
It's the end of an era. After a nine-year run as Dior's creative director of women's haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri is leaving the French luxury house. 'Christian Dior Couture announces that Maria Grazia Chiuri has decided to leave her position as creative director of women's haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections,' the house said in a statement on Thursday. 'I extend my warmest thanks to Maria Grazia Chiuri, who, since her arrival at Dior, has accomplished tremendous work with an inspiring feminist perspective and exceptional creativity, all imbued with the spirit of Monsieur Dior, which allowed her to design highly desirable collections,' Christian Dior couture chairman and CEO Delphine Arnault said. 'She has written a key chapter in the history of Christian Dior, greatly contributing to its remarkable growth and being the first woman to lead the creation of women's collections.' 'I would like to thank Monsieur Arnault for placing his trust in me and Delphine for her support, Chiuri said. 'I am particularly grateful for the work accomplished by my teams and the ateliers. Their talent and expertise allowed me to realise my vision of committed women's fashion, in close dialogue with several generations of female artists. Together, we have written an impactful chapter of which I am immensely proud.' A successor has yet to be announced. This comes after Dior appointed Jonathan Anderson as its artistic director of men's collection in April, succeeding Kim Jones, who exited in January. The Italian designer began her career at Fendi in 1989 as a handbag designer and moved to Valentino in 1999 as an accessories designer before being promoted to co-creative director alongside Pierpaolo Piccioli in 2008. She was appointed at Dior in 2016, becoming its first female designer since the house was founded in 1947—she succeeded Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano and Raf Simons. Her debut collection for Spring/Summer 2017, inspired by fencing, featured slogan tees, which read 'We should all be feminists'. That set the tone for her tenure, which consistently referenced women's empowerment. 'The message, really, is that there is not one type of woman,' she told Vogue Runway at the show. Over the years, Chiuri has collaborated with several female artists for show sets, including Judy Chicago, Faith Ringgold, Eva Jospin and Mickalene Thomas. In the Dior SS25 show, Italian artist and competitive archer Sagg Napoli shot arrows at a target as the models did their circuit. Chiuri also consistently drew on the archives beyond Christian Dior's era. 'Monsieur Dior only [lived] 10 years. It can't only be about him!' she told Vogue Runway at her debut show. 'In some ways, I see myself as a curator of the house.' For example, in 2018, together with CEO Pietro Beccari, who was appointed in 2017, she relaunched the Saddle Bag, one of the house's iconic bags from the Galliano era. For AW24, she paid homage to Marc Bohan's invention of the Miss Dior line, and notably the opening of a (now defunct) Miss Dior boutique in 1967, as a way to offer ready-to-wear to couture clients. 'I'm very fascinated by this collection and this moment of Mr. Bohan's history,' she told Vogue Runway . The Dior AW25 show had 'Dior-isms', including nods to Galliano's Saddle bag and J'Adore Dior T-shirts and to Gianfranco Ferré's white shirts, according to Vogue Runway . Maria Grazia Chiuri poses with models backstage at the Dior resort 2026 show. Acielle/StyleDuMonde The designer has navigated the course through the whirlwind of runway shows, including women's ready-to-wear couture, cruise, and even pre-fall shows (such as the one in Mumbai, which highlighted the works of artisans, and most recently in Kyoto). It all translated into enormous commercial success. Dior couture sales went from €2.2 billion in 2017 to €9.5 billion in 2023, per HSBC. Dior isn't immune to the wider luxury slowdown, though. In 2024, sales decreased to €8.7 billion, according to HSBC. And in the first quarter of 2025, sales of LVMH's fashion and leather goods division were down 5 per cent. Dior hired Benedetta Petruzzo as managing director, who took up the role on 15 October, reporting to Delphine Arnault, and Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou as deputy CEO in April. In her downtime, as a personal project, Chiuri has been restoring a historic theatre, Rome's Teatro della Cometa. The Dior resort 2026 show, held on Tuesday, was 'a heartfelt, nearly all-white celebration of Rome, her birthplace', according to Vogue Runway. It was her last show with the house. The story was originally published on Vogue Business.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri stepping down at Dior
Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri receives applause after presenting Dior Women's 2026 Cruise collection in Rome on May 27. PHOTO: AFP PARIS - Dior announced on May 29 that Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri was stepping down as artistic director of the French fashion house's women's collection after almost a decade on the job. Dior has boomed since Chiuri took over in 2016, becoming the second-biggest brand in the stable of luxury labels owned by French powerhouse LVMH. The 61-year-old designer's modernisation and feminist activism helped attract new customers. Chiuri, who was the first woman to be named Dior's creative director after a career at Italian brands Valentino and Fendi, had long been rumoured to be on her way out. 'The house of Dior wishes today to express its deepest gratitude to Maria Grazia Chiuri after a wonderful collaboration as artistic director of the women's collections since 2016,' Dior said, in a statement. 'After nine years, I am leaving the house of Dior, delighted by the extraordinary opportunity I have been given,' Chiuri said in the statement. Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson, who was named creative director of Dior Men in April, has been tipped as a possible successor, which would make him the first person to head both the men's and women's collections. If that came to be, it would give 'greater consistency' between the men's and women's offerings and would be 'impactful for the public and for consumers', said Serge Carreira, an academic specialising in the luxury industry. Already anticipation is building around Anderson's first Dior menswear show in June. Chiuri's last show Chiuri on May 27 presented Dior Women's 2026 Cruise collection in Rome, the city of her birth, in an 18th century villa. The show concluded with a standing ovation for the designer. Guests including Silvia Venturini Fendi, granddaughter of Fendi's founders and the menswear artistic director of the brand, and Valentino founder Valentino Garavani. After training at Italy's Istituto Europeo di Design, Chiuri worked for Fendi in the 1990s before joining Valentino in 1999, where she and artistic partner Pier Paolo Piccioli became creative co-directors. In 2016, she was tapped to succeed Raf Simons at Dior, and 'she really wrote a whole chapter in Dior's history', said Carreira, who teaches at Paris' Sciences Po university. Even if some critics argued that she lacked creativity, he disagreed, saying: 'She managed to boost and create a very consistent identity at Dior Women... that she constantly refreshed and fed with new ideas.' Speculation already swirled around Chiuri's future at her last Paris Fashion Week in March. Her face was inscrutable at the end of a 25-minute Fall/Winter 2025 show in the Tuileries Gardens, as she briefly acknowledged applause from a crowd that was relatively low on A-list celebrities. Important to LVMH Some observers had suggested the classic French house was growing stale. Its growth is of crucial financial and dynastic importance to LVMH owner Bernard Arnault, who placed his daughter Delphine in charge of Dior in February 2023. In the Dior statement, Delphine Arnault praised Chiuri's 'immense work with an inspiring feminist viewpoint and exceptional creativity'. Speaking to Grazia magazine in February, Chiuri said she had seen the fashion business change greatly over her 40-year career. 'Fashion used to be about family companies and there were small audiences – clients and buyers,' she said. 'Now fashion is like a channel. It's something more popular, it's like pop. It's a form of media.' LVMH's global first-quarter results were weaker than expected, with sales over the period dropping 2 per cent against the backdrop of trade uncertainty unleashed by US President Donald Trump's tariffs. French group Hermes overtook LVMH as the world's most valuable luxury company in April after shares in the Louis Vuitton maker tumbled following weaker-than-expected quarterly sales. LVMH shares have been sliding since the end of February. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Vogue Singapore
2 days ago
- Vogue Singapore
Vogue's best looks from the Christian Dior resort 2026 show
'I want to show what I love, what I really love.' So declared Maria Grazia Chiuri before she sent out a heart-felt, nearly all-white celebration of Rome, her birthplace. The women in the audience had been asked to dress in white, and gathered to watch in the spectacular formal gardens of the Villa Albani Torlonia. We were anticipating a crescendo, a grand finale of a show from the homecoming queen of feminist standard-bearing. In fact, what we got from Chiuri was a resort show with a couture collection mixed in with it, for the most part wispily romantic and fragile-seeming. Emphasis on the 'seeming,' that is. To the designer, it was an enactment shot through with autobiographical meaning, cultural nuance—a bit of nonsense frivolity—and historical symbolism. And—she was laughing about this in the tented backstage area beforehand—it was deliberately intended to confuse. La Bella Confusione, a novel set in 1960s Rome was one starting point out of the many she infused into this show and its production. 'A beautiful confusion,' she chuckled. Well, you don't need to spend half a day in Rome to realise how densely, layered and criss-crossed it is with archaeology and history. Chuiri said, in part, that she was drawing attention to the role her city has played in fashion—wrapped up as it is in the Dolce Vita of the fifties, the glamorous heyday of the Cinecittá movie industry, and the glory of Valentino and Fendi, both of whom she worked for. On top of that, she was celebrating the life of the heiress, hostess and patron of the avant-garde arts, Mimi Pecci-Blunt. (Chiuri and her daughter Rachele have just restored her theatre, Teatro di Cometa.) You can see why Chiuri might identify with Mimi. In many ways, over nine years at Dior, she has also been a relentless supporter and ally of women artists, artisans, and performers. On this night, she had local dancers—dressed in white by the Roman movie costumers Toricelli—performing a Commedia dell'Arte-cum-contemporary ballet around the gardens. This, as a reference to Mimi's 'Bal Blanc,' which took place in 1930 in Paris. All guests wore white and were photographed by Man Ray while they posed surreally as historical figures. Which was why we began by looking at four long, slim, beautifully tailored double-faced cashmere ensembles—one of them a trouser suit and tailcoat. 'These are haute couture,' she said. 'You can only make these by hand. Some of the simplest things are the most difficult to make.' This ideal, minimalist yet sumptuous simplicity was followed by many variations on the theme of the long, slim, semi-sheer dress. The lace effects were almost countless—3D florals, rivulets of ruffles, leafy cut-outs, wavy art deco frills, gilded latticework covered with silken fringe—and more, and more. Underwear visible, shoes flat. This, surely, was Chiuri staking claim to the look she has coined at Dior; her contribution over nearly a decade to the history of the house. But within this, there was yet more to be drawn out. One dress in particular, number 63, used an almost transparent curly ruffled technique that looked like a salute to her old employer Valentino Garavani—and his breakthrough White Collection from 1968. And then, there was her Vatican Conclave moment. It came very obviously in a short, black, red-buttoned cardinal's coat; and maybe not so obviously, but definitely when you look twice—in the vestment-like white shirts with deep lace hems. As it happens, Chiuri added, her heroine Mimi had a Pope as an uncle. More strange, blurry connections. But she had a more serious observation to make about the significance of Mimi's life. 'She was working during World War II. It was a terrible moment, and she was obsessed—in any case—[with] organising concerts, performances within theatre, exhibitions for art. Monsieur Dior had a gallery in Paris during that time, too,' she added. 'They had hope in their hearts for the future. I think that is what art is: it gives hope in the future.' You wondered, at the end, at the beauty of her liquid gold velvet goddess dresses and the trompe l'oeil caviar beading which superimposed statue-like drapery on two dresses. The simplicity of the peplos has been another of Maria Grazia's obsessions over the years—a point on which she has veered very much on her own path and away from the corseted Christian Dior template. There was only one moment when there was any suggestion of an encased torso, and that she saved for last. Not a corset, but armour. She was a Roman woman centurion, striding forward. Paolo Lanzi 1 / 12 Look 1 Paolo Lanzi 2 / 12 Look 5 Paolo Lanzi 3 / 12 Look 6 Paolo Lanzi 4 / 12 Look 7 Paolo Lanzi 5 / 12 Look 16 Paolo Lanzi 6 / 12 Look 24 Paolo Lanzi 7 / 12 Look 26 Paolo Lanzi 8 / 12 Look 47 Paolo Lanzi 9 / 12 Look 48 Paolo Lanzi 10 / 12 Look 54 Paolo Lanzi 11 / 12 Look 71 Paolo Lanzi 12 / 12 Look 80 This story was originally published on Vogue .com
