Dior’s Fall Collection Pays Homage To Its History

Our current fashion world is filled with logos: flashy emblems that show your alliance to a lifestyle company, subtle IYKYK monograms signaling how much cash you dropped on a luxury bag or shoes. But back in 1967, when couturier Christian Dior launched its Miss Dior line — the designer’s first foray into ready-to-wear — the idea of wearing a label’s insignia was a relatively new concept. “There was this idea that Miss Dior could be a slogan and manifesto for something youthful and upbeat,” the house stated in an Instagram video teasing its latest Fall/Winter 2024 show, which was inspired by that game-changing debut over half a century ago. “It was like, ‘It’s Dior, Miss Dior, and I’m proud to be wearing it.’”

One might say the clothes on today’s runway might inspire a similar sentiment. For her latest effort, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri used streamlined and classic silhouettes, like trenches, relaxed trousers, and slim-cut dresses, as a blank canvas for her modern take on a visual Dior trademark: splashy, graffiti-like letters spelling out Miss Dior (a far cry from the prim-and-proper version displayed on perfume of the same name). And who, exactly, does this spunky and sweet moniker describe? If this particular catwalk is any indication, it’s a women who can confidently wear head-toe black or khaki and still read as the most interesting person in the room. The clothes leaned heavily into neutrals and were judiciously accessorized — a flat buckled boot here, a beret cocked to one side there. The pieces all had precise fits and cuts that suggest those who wear them both know how to and have fun getting dressed.

This is not to say Chiuri shies away from a bold print or embellishment. But rather than splash a statement-making element across every inch of a look, the designer focused on balancing visually arresting touches with simpler details. There were dramatic sparkly column gowns anchored by easy, flat sandals you could also wear with jeans, and structured leopard motif jackets layered over sleek black turtlenecks. A few faded, boxy, and baggy denim silhouettes popped up, but made sense within the collection’s larger, ladylike context thanks to the addition of silky shirting.

Still, even the most dedicated capsule wardrobe enthusiasts have moments when they want to go off script — and this was accounted for by Chiuri as well. Next season, should the Miss Dior woman have an opulent party to attend where her camel separates and elegant suiting just won’t do, she’ll likely purchase a sheer and swishy bedazzled mini dress worthy of a current day Daisy Buchanan. Because sure, she might have to buy new shoes and the proper undergarments for it, but sometimes that extra effort is worth it. The key to a well-rounded closet is having both throw-on-and-go options and a few show-stoppers and this fall it seems Dior is amply providing us with both.

Check out TZR’s favorite looks from the collection below.