Designers in Paris frequently refer to their ateliers as laboratories, but for her AW22 collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri turned to a real-life lab: the Italian tech company D-Air Lab, which develops body-mapping and ergonomic technology more commonly found in (extreme) sportswear. Given that she has been working on a line of athleisure and Dior-branded treadmills, surfboards, and ski clothing, it seemed only natural that she would start mixing some of that high-spec functionality into her normally romantic ready-to-wear collections. As a result, the show began with bodysuits illuminated by high-vis seams, mapping the arteric geography of the body.
It was temperature-controlled technology, designed to keep you warm when you're cold and cool you down when you're flustered — ideal for the extreme weather conditions that will undoubtedly occur as a result of you-know-what. The second style, the classic grey Bar Jacket, with a puffed-up mesh peplum that was actually a grisaille airbag designed to protect the wearer if she fell over. Yes, really.
Why would she collapse, you might ask? Most catwalk mishaps are caused by those pesky high-heeled shoes. Not to worry. The famous MGC-era Dior kitten heels included "anti-twist" straps that guard against damage from, say, navigating Paris' cobblestones. If it looked extreme, that’s because it was. Alongside the trusty tweed trench coats, asymmetrically-pleated skirts and diaphanous plissé chiffon gowns that are mainstays of Dior these days, the robotic-looking gadgetry gave the impression of female cyborgs with mechanised silhouettes. At times, it looked jarring, perhaps intentionally — after all, we’re living in extreme times (!!!!) and bodies are more weaponised than ever. I guess this was Maria Grazia’s way of protecting women’s bodies from the literal and figurative risks at play in a patriarchal society. Or, a simpler explanation: Dior has recently appointed a bevvy of female athletes as house ambassadors; their high-performance training gear and equipment is having its influence.
Not to mention the metaverse and all that jazz. If the collection was about the capabilities — or even craftsmanship — of technology within the Elysian realm of Dior, then perhaps the most interesting facet was how ordinary things seemed in comparison to the techy fibres and armour-like padding. Plus ça change! Though it may be extreme in one sense, the abundance of Dior checks, pleated chiffon, dusky brocades and classically hourglass grey suiting insisted that the technological demands of “The Next Era” — the unofficial title of the collection, which came emblazoned across certain pieces — may have existed in strange harmony with the hallmarks of sartorial classicism. Come autumn, we may be wearing a body-mapping catsuit one minute and a Delphic chiffon gown the next. And when you think about how fragmented our social media timelines are, there may be some kind of prophetic message hiding in the seams of biker leathers, embroidered dresses and tech-y Lady Diors.
