The lights at The Gateway of India, Mumbai, shone brighter on Thursday night, March 30, 2023 as Dior showcased its Fall 2023 collection in the middle of a divinely glamorous show that was attended by the crème de la crème of the fashion and entertainment fraternity. Maria Grazia Chiuri, Artistic Director of Dior Women’s Collections, showcased the luxury brand's latest collection that was met with plenty of accolades.
The event saw a slew of international celebs such as Cara Delevingne, Yara Shahidi, Karlie Kloss, Bridgerton 2 fame Simone Ashley, Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams, Poorna Jagannathan, and popular Thai Boy Love drama stars Phakphum Romsaithong and Nattawin Wattanagitiphat in attendance.
Indian celebrities who showed up in their finest included Rekha, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Merchant, Isha Ambani, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, Khushi Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Diana Penty, Athiya Shetty, Mira Rajput, Raja Kumari, Masaba Gupta, Shweta Bachchan Nanda, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Ujjwala Raut. And this is just a little peek into the list.
Many of the guests turned up in Dior collections emphasising the atelier's long-standing India connection. Dior's Fall 2023 pret line was designed in collaboration with the Mumbai-based Chankaya School of Craft that’s led by Karishma Swali. As the stunning models sashayed down the ramp, which was set up by Delhi-based floral decor company, Kalikaar Designs, the whole scene looked ethereal. The collection too in fact was a homage to India’s culture, its people and the diversity that exists within its boundaries.
Here’s a lowdown of all that happened at Dior’s first-ever fashion show in Mumbai, India.
Why did Dior come to India?
It all started with a vision to support female empowerment while preserving the heritage of India’s craftsmanship. Sharing glimpses of her visit to the Chanakya School Of Craft on Instagram, Maria wrote, “The Dior Fall 2023 women’s collection is dedicated to the long-standing relationship with India and the exploration of century-old techniques. Chanakya‘s ability to experiment with embroidery techniques from India’s various regions has allowed me to understand the potential of embroidery as an art form.” Talking about her long association with Dior, Karishma says, “We met more than 25 years ago and discovered our common love for excellence in hand craftsmanship and began exploring innovative ways to preserve our artisanal legacies. Over the years, we have dreamt and envisioned a world where our craft communities continue to grow and women find a shared space to express themselves freely and creatively.”
Dior Fall 2023 collection
Archives reveal Dior's designs created by Marc Bohan, the artistic director of the luxury brand who travelled to Mumbai and Delhi in April 1962, sparked the discussion between France and India. For Bohan, these presentations were key and heralded a new movement under his direction. The brand took a more contemporary approach to ready-to-wear and the customers were younger.
For the Dior Mumbai show, Maria Grazia Chiuri chose colour palettes and materials that worked together with Chanakya’s Karishma Swali’s vision. A sequence was dedicated to silks in green, yellow, pink and purple that manifested in the form of evening coats, straight skirts that were inspired from sarees, boleros, jackets, etc, – tying the two nation’s fashion aesthetics together.
The decor at Dior's Mumbai show
The runway was adorned with Indian floral artwork, with Toran, a 14-metre-tall installation to welcome guests, being the major highlight. Seen as a symbolic ceremonial entrance, it served as a metaphor showcasing the cross-cultural influences, heritage and traditions. Elements of elephants, mandalas, lotus, tigers, and peacocks were also used to adorn the Toran.
Maria took to Instagram and wrote, “Women in India have crafted torans for centuries, decorating local fabric by using embroidery and patchwork as a way to welcome guests into their home. It has been a dream of mine to create a Toran for the show installation. Drawing on their own design vocabulary and each choosing which symbols of good fortune to integrate into the piece, the female artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft and the master artisans from the Chanakya Atelier handcrafted the Toran as a communal activity. They have worked together over several months, required 35,000 hours of handwork to complete this piece and employed 25 craft techniques including phulkari, mirror work, French knotting, and kantha.”
Who wore what at Dior's Mumbai show
Sonam Kapoor
Acing the monotone style, Sonam sported an all-pink look - a shirt, a skirt and an overcoat. She finished her look with traditional Indian jewellery.
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli
Anushka stunned in a bright yellow floor-length Christian Dior dress, while husband Virat complemented her in an olive coloured suit.
Ananya Panday
Ananya turned up in a bright pink co-ord set and accessorised her look with a pearl choker, black Dior purse.
Rekha
The legendary actress, staying true to her signature style, opted for a red and gold silk saree and accessorised her look with gold jewellery, a potli bag and bold red lips.
Natasha Poonawalla
Natasha was seen in an ivory and gold-toned embellished mini dress paired with a choker necklace and a Dior clutch.
Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka looked stunning in a sequinned maroon tulle Dior dress paired with black heels.
Cara Delevigne
The supermodel wore a beige printed kimono-styled mini dress with a sleek black belt. However, her dramatic smokey eyes with black and silver beads turned out to be more striking.
Maisie Williams
The Game of Thrones star looked adorable in a crimson-red crinkled dress.
Simone Ashley
The Bridgerton 2 star arrived dressed in a captivating white sleeveless gown from Dior’s new collection.
Athiya Shetty
The actress was spotted wearing a one-shoulder white gown paired with a matching Dior clutch. She finished her look with red lips and a sleek bun.
Karisma Kapoor
The actress opted for a classic grey midi dress, a matching bag and rounded off her look with a pair of sleek black footwear.
Mira Rajput
Mira looked gorgeous in a black side slit dress, teamed with a choker and a matching clutch.
Indian star kids made their debut on the Dior runway
Among the 99 models who walked the ramp, there were two star kids who made their debut on the runway last night. Actor Arjun Rampal and model Mehr Jesia's daughter Myra Rampal and Bengali actor Jisshu Sengupta's daughter Sara Sengupta walked the ramp with great confidence.