Alexa Chung and Elizabeth Olsen among stars welcomed at Blenheim Palace for Dior cruise show
An old alliance between Parisian Haute Couture and English aristocracy was rekindled on British soil today as Dior chose the Duke of Marlborough's residency in the Oxfordshire countryside as the setting for its latest cruise show.
The fashion house, which last unveiled a collection at Blenheim Palace in 1954 under the direction of founder Monsieur Dior, transported guests from London to Woodstock on the Orient Express ahead of a catwalk show which was among the most salubrious in British history.
Guests which included Kate Beckinsale and Lady Kitty Spencer, were welcomed at Blenheim Palace by a red-coated artillery band who played their instruments on the building’s iconic staircase while fashion fans navigated the driving rain under chic Dior umbrellas.
Staged across the vast salons of the Eighteenth Century palace, the showcase sought to combine classically English codes which were once adored by Dior - a fan of English fry-ups and country gardens - alongside a distinctly Parisian approach to craftsmanship.
If this was a high fashion anti-Brexit campaign, it was a beautiful one which demonstrated a harmonious balance between two closely aligned fashion states. For the clothes this meant 19th Century hunting scenes and countryside florals recast on sculpted ‘Bar’ jackets and slip dresses crafted from rich devore velvet worn layered over pared-back leather pants.
Keen to avoid nostalgia, the Dior design team - headed by Swedes Lucie Neier and Serge Ruffieux - chose to steer clear of any blatant references to the collection Dior presented to Princess Margaret and Nancy Mitford during the house’s maiden showcase at Blenheim. Instead, the era was celebrated through the inclusion of heavy-duty tweeds and a subtle nod to hunting culture.
As the design team went to lengths to point out in the collection notes, this was not a show about English aristocracy but rather eccentricity, with the reckless abandon that rippled through the British Isles following the Second World War very much a source of inspiration.
To this end, shirting fabric commonly associated with mid-century bankers and the Bank of England was used to create playful pencil skirts and oversized smock shirts while neckerchiefs, printed with the recurring hunting motif, served as fastenings on the house’s prestigious bar jackets.
For evening, an undone silhouette prevailed. Slip dresses and long sleeve ruffle tea gowns in rich Asian and African prints added a sense of romance to the collection and came as a delight to modern day Dior ambassadors Alexa Chung and Arizona Muse who watched form the front-row today.
For the contemporary Dior customer, there was much on offer with an approach to clean lines and modernity - a legacy of the recently departed creative director Raf Simons - arguably this collection’s greatest strength.
The Cruise collection which is the most commercial of the six womenswear offerings produced by Dior annually, must offer plentiful options in terms of accessories. This showcase was no exception with scalloped golden block heel boots, bejewelled camera bags and rose gold jewellery bestowed with heavy stone embellshment on offer.
The show kicks off a week of festivities for the Dior brand which opens the doors to a new luxury superstore on New Bond Street this Friday. Among the biggest in the house’s history, the House of Dior brings together ready-to-wear, menswear along with its childrenswear offering and a newly launched homewear collection.
ArticleStars descend upon Blenheim Palace for Dior cruise showDiorBlenheim PalaceHouse of DiorAlexa ChungKate BeckinsaleElizabeth OlsenDior Cruise at Blenheim Palace
Dior Cruise at Blenheim Palace
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Bella Hadid backstage
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Limousines queue to the front door of Blenheim Palace
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Arrivals: Alexa Chung
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Arrivals: Kate Beckinsale
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Arrivals: Elizabeth Olsen
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Models walk the Blenheim Palace runway
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A model walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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Bella Hadid walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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A model walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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A model walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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A model walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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A model walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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A model walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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A model walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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A model walks the Blenheim Palace runway
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If this was a high fashion anti-Brexit campaign, it was a beautiful one which demonstrated a harmonious balance between Paris and London