Christian Dior Cruise 2015 Runway Review

The Scene: To say the show was a production would be a gross understatement. The French fashion house flew out editors from all over the world (Germany, Japan, Russia, Dubai and India, to name a few), shuttling them out from Manhattan to the show’s location at the Brooklyn Navy Yard via Dior-commissioned ferries staffed by some very good-looking sailor boys. According to WWD, the house built another floor in the venue, 16.4 feet above the main level, accessible by stairway, so that the audience, which included names like Rihanna, Marion Cotillard, Ruth Wilson, Linda Evangelista, Allison Williams and Maggie Gyllenhaal, could see a view of the Manhattan skyline just across the river.

The Inspiration: Vintage carrés (that’s scarves) crafted by Christian Dior, inspired by New York City. Creative director Raf Simons says he looked through the archives and commissioned his own recreations of old Dior pieces, but enlisted his design staff to help create modern interpretations on the classics.

The Look: Simons played with the basic scarf shape to create a cornucopia of silhouettes. Sheer fabrics, about the size of your average square scarf, were pieced together to create fluttery silhouettes on dresses. There were square necklines, abstract geometric brush stroke patterns on several pieces, as well as lots of painterly florals, sometimes paneled together with stripes and sequined portions that looked like tiny rainbow-colored candy. Simons also created the looks keeping in mind the different shapes in which you can fold scarves, which explains folded over necklines and tops blousing over high-waisted pencil skirts. Many of the pieces looked like giant scarves simply reworked into the forms of layered skirts, blouses and dresses. There were also several smart tweedy looks, serving as a foil to the airier pieces.

The Accessories: The ugly shoe trend rears its homely head again for Dior. Simons uplifted an athletic Teva shape with floral-printed ties as straps. More classic footwear included peep-toe booties, sometimes laced up, other times embellished with thick, leathery tie straps embracing the ankles. Scarves tied around the wrists, structured top-handle bags rounded out the looks.

The Beauty: This show marked the debut of Dior’s new makeup creative director, Peter Philips, who pared down the makeup this time around. The past few seasons have all been bedazzled eyes and lips, as well as streaks of color on the face, but Philips chose to keep his debut cleaner, opting for a natural-looking face and thick, double wingtip eyeliner using Dior Addict’s It-Liner, a new product which will launch in June.

The Takeaway: Simons typically crafts beautiful collections for Dior, and this time was no exception. Still, we’re not sure if we’re on board with this latest reprise of the ugly shoe trend.

Images: Getty Images