For her fall show, Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri reined in the volumes often associated with haute couture fashion and sent out a line-up of slender dresses and capes in neutral tones and touches of gold and silver.
"The complexity is not so visible," Chiuri told Reuters, pointing to tiny stitches fixing pleats on a dress.
The designer mined styles associated with classical antiquity – she grew up in Rome, surrounded by statues from the era – and, moving away from pinched waists, offered long, column dresses, opera coats and capes.
Embellishments were kept to a minimum, and included pearls and flat braids, while metallic threads added texture to jacquard fabrics.
"I like to transform the traditional jacquard and brocade into something more natural – I like the contradiction between the two materials, I think I can create something new," she said, noting raw silk was woven into the fabric of a dress and jacket ensemble, alongside metallic thread.
The show kicked off the first day of Haute Couture Week in Paris, drawing crowds, photographers and celebrities to the entrance of the Rodin museum.
It was held in a tent lined with artwork by artist Marta Roberti. Towering scenes of animals, plants and naked women in yoga positions sought to evoke goddesses and animals associated with them.
Haute Couture shows run until July 6 in the French capital, and include fashion houses Chanel, Balenciaga and Valentino.
