Dior Fall Winter 2024-2025 “Horror, Horror… Miss Dior is coming to town”. Story by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Photo Courtesy: Dior.

A Tale of Fashion Frights and Designer Plights

As the leaves turn and the chill of fall sets in, the fashion world braces itself for the annual spectacle that is the Dior Fall Winter 2024-2025 collection. However, this year, attendees were in for a treat—or should we say, trick—as Maria Grazia Chiuri has been moonlighting as a playwright for the theater of the absurd. “Horror, Horror… Miss Dior is coming to town,” and it seems she’s brought with her a collection that’s as bewildering as a haunted maze.

Upon first glance, one might have thought the collection was the result of a frenzied fashion week where several designers, possibly locked in separate rooms, threw darts at a mood board. The pieces, with their disjointed themes, seemed to lack the coherent storyline we’ve come to expect from the storied house of Dior. Presented among wooden warriors by Indian artist Shakuntala Kulkarni, to the hauntingly soft tunes of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Je t’aime,” one could only wonder if Maria Grazia’s vision of love was akin to a battlefield narrative where one must conquer and declare victory before whispering sweet nothings.

The collection, dotted with ‘Miss Dior’ logos as if tagged by a lovesick teenager, seemed to cry out for a renaissance, or at the very least, a coherent theme.

This, perhaps, was a bold strategy to ensure that if the designs themselves didn’t leave an impression, the brand name certainly would. The disjointed blocks of the collection bore no familial resemblance to one another, suggesting a family reunion where everyone is questioning how they’re related.

Now, onto the sales strategy, which could only be described as avant-garde. Salesmen at Dior boutiques, in a plot twist worthy of a satirical novel, have reportedly been advising clients to take a leisurely stroll over to Fendi instead. This unexpected sales pitch could be the latest in luxury reverse psychology, or perhaps a new form of brand collaboration: “Buy your bag with us, and your clothes anywhere else.”

The irony was not lost on those who read the press release, which praised Gabriella Crespi as an inspiration. Crespi, a beacon of independent, pioneering women, seemed to have inspired a collection that was as disconnected from its muse as it was from the fashion house’s storied past.

The press release painted a picture of a collection bathed in the hues of Marc Bohan, with luxurious fabrics and bold embroidery. Yet, what was presented felt like a vivid dream turned slightly nightmarish. The marketing spiel seemed almost fantastical, a creative narrative that left many wondering if the team had actually laid eyes on the collection or if they had been crafting fairy tales.

With descriptions of the color palette and fabric choices that seemed to belong to an entirely different collection, one might wonder if the press team was describing aspirational pieces rather than the actual lineup.

In terms of materials, we were promised the luxury of double cashmere and gabardine, in forms that ranged from little dresses to bold jackets, all cut with the daring precision of a child’s first attempt at paper dolls. The Miss Dior logo, rather than a subtle nod to heritage, was presented as a tag-signature, in a bold move that could only be interpreted as a cry for attention in a sea of mixed messages.

Dior Fall Winter 2024-2025 collection stands as a testament to the chaos and unpredictability of our era. Maria Grazia Chiuri, with her unmatched talent in accessories and bags, may yet stop tagging the clothing with black paint. Until then, we’ll have the memories of this collection to keep us warm—or perhaps, awake at night.

And so, as the last note of “Je t’aime” fades away, we are left to ponder the eternal question: What, exactly, was Maria Grazia Chiuri thinking? Only time, a crystal ball, and possibly a fashion séance, will tell.

See All Looks Dior Fall Winter 2024-2025

See All art works by Indian artist Shakuntala Kulkarni for Dior Fall 2024