Dior, California dreaming

A couture journey combining California and France, Venice Beach and the 8th Arrondissement of Paris. The stage? An iconic street in Los Angeles. Windward Avenue in Venice Beach that, for one evening, became a fashion set tinted cobalt blue. In the air, fragments of memories bringing the mind back to Monsieur Christian Dior's April 1957 trip when he visited Los Angeles on his first American tour. In the eyes, the surfers of Malibu and the skateboarders of Santa Monica. Because for one night the City of Angels became the new home of the man from the Dior Maison. However, it was not just another show: the spring 2023 capsule collection that graced the stage, accompanied by music by Simon Parris, was created by Kim Jones, Artistic Director of the LVMH brand’s menswear, taking a different approach. That is, calling Eli Russell Linnetz, founder of E.R.L., on board and unveiling a unique collection named Dior Guest designed by E.R.L.

The result is the clash of two worlds, or rather three. There is couture rooted in the history of the brand. There is the modernly cool tailoring of Kim Jones. And there is the whole underground world of Eli Russell Linnetz, built between music and cool streetwear. «Throughout my journey at Dior we have collaborated with different people and personalities,» Kim Jones explained backstage at the show. «However, this time I wanted to go in a different direction, choosing a distinct look that could read the fashion house and its universe. With this concept in mind, I wanted to work with Eli Russell Linnetz, whose creativity I deeply admire. And I wanted to see things from a different point of view, that of a young creative with incredible creativity. The path was very simple and revealing, and it made us understand why we both work in fashion».

Alongside Kim Jones, who also collected the applauses at the end of the show, this season featured the modernly nonconformist and provocative spirit of E.R.L., with a multifaceted and multicreative character. «We were inspired by the Dior archives starting from my year of birth, 1991. Those were the unique years of Gianfranco Ferré as Creative Director, which seemed perfect for us to interpret this moment. The idea of a certain maximalism pervading the entire collection comes right from there, and also from a side of my aesthetic universe,» the Venice Beach-born designer, who was one of the finalists for the LVMH Prize 2022, continued. «We explored a mélange of chaos and manic perfectionism. We generated a clash of eras and moments, between fragments of historical antiquity and contemporary. All of this under the banner of an encounter between different spaces, times and generations».

The result of this encounter materialized before the eyes of Paula Abdul, Christina Aguilera, Rita Ora, Christina Ricci, Amber Valletta, Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham, Lucien Laviscount and Shalom Harlow. Among fragments of the Hollywood universe, citations to pop art and references to youth cultures. The outfits treading the stage are the result of a sui generis creative dialogue exploring generations and styles, a conversation starting in the atelier to arrive in a skater park. The line-up is punctuated by 41 hyper-colored and maximalist looks, just like the sound by DJ Harvey, at the console during the post-show. A puzzle mixing embroidery and couture workmanship with the colors of Hollywood beaches.

In a crescendo of lurex and sportswear, of padding in fondant tones and refined tailoring, of talking sweaters screaming «California couture» and tailored constructions, of street bomber jackets, over skater knits and light-embroidered cannage. The accessories play on the same contrast: XXL sneakers and saddle bags with oversized gold chain straps. The cape made from a patch of sports jerseys and fragments of college tartan tells of opulence in pure Ferré style. Until the final look: a groom in a white suit, with gym shoes and haute couture veil.

Judgment. The marriage between the two designers is working. The one treading the stage is a purely Dior collection by Kim Jones but capable of speaking to a young & cool generation that worships E.R.L. The show is immediate and powerful, featuring a family of übercool accessories and outfits poised between couture opulence and street easiness. To the delight of Gen Z and of the followers of Kim Jones’ way of thinking. (All rights reserved)