a quick history of dior: the maison was founded in 1946 by christian dior. he gained notoriety by inventing a “new look” for women: his “bar” coat and voluminous skirt created an extreme silhouette, which contrasted with the simpler forms in vogue at the time and was heavily +
influential in the next decade. dior was cd until his death in 1957. he was succeeded by yves saint laurent (1957-60), marc bohan (1960-89), gianfranco ferré (1989-97), j*hn galliano (1997-2011), bill gaytten (2011-12), raf simons (2012-15) serge ruffieux & lucie meier (2015-16)+
and finally, maria grazia chiuri (2016-). she is an italian fashion designer, and has previously worked at fendi and valentino, where she was co-cd along with pierpaolo piccioli. she claims to be a feminist, and frequently designs graphic tshirts with +
“empowering” slogans, such as an 860$ linen tee that reads “we should be feminist” (title of an essay by nigerian author chimamanda ngozi adiche) and “why have there been no great women artists” (also an essay, by art historian linda nochlin). however, contradicting her +
discourse of promoting female empowerment, chiuri has been heavily criticized for exploiting other cultures, when she presented dresses at the resort 2020 collection which were “heavily inspired” by those worn by chitenge/kitenge women in the african continent. she was also +
accused of copying a traditional jacket from the bihor people in romania, and recreating it as a 30,000€ haute couture peace. speaking of haute couture, she also has presented garments deemed by many as “underwhelming”, a far cry from those by other houses and diors previous cd+
also, many people call her out on her lack of imagination, giving the fact that she seems to be churning out the exact same silhouette with very little variation, since her debut, and also how she relies very heavily on reusing the dior monogram and the reissued saddle bag. +
that being said, here are some other designers who i personally think would be a better fit for the maison christian dior than maria grazia. +
zac posen
-had his own critically acclaimed fashion house from 2001-2019
-his silhouettes and draping are incredible
-closest things the usa has ever had to a couturier
-had his own critically acclaimed fashion house from 2001-2019
-his silhouettes and draping are incredible
-closest things the usa has ever had to a couturier
clare waight keller:
-current (about to leave tho) cd of givenchy
-can serve impeccable tailoring, dramatic silhouettes and weird blobs
-makes women look fierce yet ethereal
-is an actual couturier
-current (about to leave tho) cd of givenchy
-can serve impeccable tailoring, dramatic silhouettes and weird blobs
-makes women look fierce yet ethereal
-is an actual couturier
bill gaytten:
-worked at dior under galliano and was cd for like a year before raf
-has designed one of my favorite dior couture collections (fw12)
-does more than one look
-worked at dior under galliano and was cd for like a year before raf
-has designed one of my favorite dior couture collections (fw12)
-does more than one look
iris apfel
-is not a designer but has better taste than mgc
-has probably never designed any clothes but has one of the most incredible fashion archives ever
-idk i just think she’s lovely
-is not a designer but has better taste than mgc
-has probably never designed any clothes but has one of the most incredible fashion archives ever
-idk i just think she’s lovely
viktor & rolf:
-couturiers
-already live in paris so they’ll save on plane tickets
-dramatic and campy
-couturiers
-already live in paris so they’ll save on plane tickets
-dramatic and campy
alexa chung:
-is also a skinny rich and privileged white woman, although a much nicer one
-her rtw clothes look almost identical to mgc couture
-has been wearing graphic tees and breton tops since she was born so like no one will be able to tell the difference
-is also a skinny rich and privileged white woman, although a much nicer one
-her rtw clothes look almost identical to mgc couture
-has been wearing graphic tees and breton tops since she was born so like no one will be able to tell the difference
every single student from csm, parsons, fit or any other respectable fashion school:
-actually know how to sew
-will cost less than her
-can do more than graphic tees
-actually know how to sew
-will cost less than her
-can do more than graphic tees
most architecture students:
-let’s be honest our first year models look better than that whatever the hell that golden doll house
-let’s be honest our first year models look better than that whatever the hell that golden doll house
chloë sevigny
-her collections for opening ceremony are more interesting than anything that other lady has put out
-will forever be an it girl
-her collections for opening ceremony are more interesting than anything that other lady has put out
-will forever be an it girl
judy chicago:
-feminist icon that knows what she’s talking about
-has already collaborated with dior before
-feminist icon that knows what she’s talking about
-has already collaborated with dior before
jenny humphrey:
-was annoying as hell but probably matured a lot since 2012
-has design experience
-is also a platinum blonde with raccoon eyes
-was annoying as hell but probably matured a lot since 2012
-has design experience
-is also a platinum blonde with raccoon eyes
eleanor waldorf:
-since we’re already here why not go all the way
-head of a reputable fashion house
-since we’re already here why not go all the way
-head of a reputable fashion house
marc jacobs:
-was already cd of a major french fashion house
-has fallen a bit behind but his last few collections were incredible
-has also been culturally insensitive
-was already cd of a major french fashion house
-has fallen a bit behind but his last few collections were incredible
-has also been culturally insensitive
doris raymond:
-owns an incredible vintage store
-probably has seen everything the house of dior has ever produced
-knows more about fashion history than mgc
-owns an incredible vintage store
-probably has seen everything the house of dior has ever produced
-knows more about fashion history than mgc