The Dior magic parade finally stepped foot in the Middle East amidst contradicting feedback. Occupying Safa Park in Dubai, the Parisian fashion house brought its colourful circus tent to the opposite side of the world. While a number of regional influencers were spotted amidst the crowd dressed in Dior from head to toe, many loyal clients were keen to express their disappointment online.
While the brand has already introduced their ready to wear fall/winter 2020 collection back in February in Paris for their middle-eastern debut, they chose to once again visit the couture collection, which was initially introduced in January for the current spring/summer season. Even though, the creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, introduced 15 new designs, made especially for the region, loyal clients seemed to hope for more.
Saudi blogger and entrepreneur, Marriam Mossalli, who is recognised by Business of Fashion as one of the 500 most influential fashion experts around the world, was quick to discuss the redundancy of this particular show on her Instagram account. Many of her 51,000 followers replied with comments about their disappointment as they anticipated to see more clients than influencers amidst the crowd as well as more exclusive designs.
According to Chiuri, the 15 exclusive items were inspired by Christian Dior’s rich archive. Nevertheless, they also highlight the designer’s flair for feminism as she chose to reinterpret those classic designs to suit a modern woman. The items varied between colourful pleated skirts that glimmered under the spotlights as well as picturesque mini dresses that were embellished with clown collars. All ensembles were accessorised with netted face veils and skullcaps, which maintained the circus theme.
With that said, the makeup delivered absolute mastery and attracted praise. Peter Philips, who is the creative and image director for Dior’s makeup line flew all the way from Paris with the circus in order to recreate the same beauty looks. Philips subtly managed to turn his models into edgy clowns with old and graphic black eyeliner. Furthermore, with the hair turned into slick ponytails, he also went further with sparkling “clown tears”.
Despite the earlier promises of a show that is a replica of the original Parisian spectacle, the acrobats were missing from the Dubai evening. Meanwhile, celebrities such as Yousra, Nelly Karim, and Mona Zaki enjoyed a nostalgic atmosphere inside the gigantic tent. Seated in a central centre, all guests were able to absorb the walking designs up and close.
According to the brand’s history, the circus theme is not a foreign element to Dior as Christian Dior was known to be a big fan of Cirque d’Hiver. Meanwhile, the brand’s very first female creative director, Chiuri, describes the circus as the most magical venue.
