dior NYMPHS

In light of the current pandemic, most fashion houses have been forced or chosen to forgo physical shows this Couture season, opting to present their designs through editorials, live-streams of audience-less shows, or - in Dior’s case - a film!
Directed by Italian film-maker, Matteo Garrone, ‘Le Mythe Dior’ presents Maria Grazia Chiuri’s A/W 20/21 Haute Couture collection as a Pre-Raphaelite fantasy; a fairytale where mermaids, maidens and nymphs frolic, swim, and kiss within a magical forest as two Dior porters roam the woods, carrying an enormous doll house - miniature versions of Dior creations enclosed inside, enticing each character.
I was completely enchanted and just had to draw my own version.
While the film itself has been called out for its lack of diversity (and rightly so as there was room to include POC within its cast of characters) I thought it was such an incredibly beautiful take on ethereal mythology.
I figured I could expand upon the cast within my illustration!
So here you have it - two nymph-like beauties, draping themselves over the most heavenly gown, entwined in forest vines.
Please be sure to watch the film below and enjoy it for yourselves!
(I am utterly in awe of the miniatures themselves, the craftsmanship is something to be admired.)

Images via Dior

DIOR COUTURE BEAUTY

Christian Dior Couture SS'17 / via fasionista.com

Christian Dior Couture SS'17 / via vogue.co.uk

Some quick beauty sketches from last week's Christian Dior Haute Couture show for Spring/Summer 2017. I had intended to get these up last week, but I was away and forgot to take the connection for my laptop so I was unable to finish them off until now! Whoops.
While Maria Grazia Chiuri's first Couture show for Dior was a little reminiscent of her ethereal work for Valentino, it was undoubtedly beautiful, feminine, and fantastically whimsical!
The stars! The florals! The incredible head pieces!
As soon as I saw it I was transported to the pages of a fairytale; a Midsummer Night's Dream or a Secret Garden.
Given my latest project, it was a given that I would have to capture some of it, albeit it quickly.

Stay tuned for another illustration based around one of Paris's biggest shows.
This one, however, is going into the storybook series and gracing a fictional femme...
 

FLOATING IN DIOR HEAVEN

Illustration based on the Lady Dior Pre-Fall 2014 Campaign, Photographed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

Illustration based on the Lady Dior Pre-Fall 2014 Campaign, Photographed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

I had originally intended this post to be something of a re-cap of my visit to the Christian Dior museum in Granville. The museum displays pieces from its archives, along with rotating exhibits - the current being 'Femmes en Dior' which includes 49 gowns and photographs of loyal, royal and celebrity clients and spokes models of the fashion house.
I was due to take an early train this morning, however the current transport strikes in Paris meant that it was cancelled, which was more than a disappointment.

So imagine my surprise, upon visiting instead the original Dior flagship store on Avenue Montaigne, to find a very special 'open house' at the Maison next door as part of the LVMH Journées Particulières event. Opening their doors to small groups for one weekend only, the beautiful spiral staircase led to rooms and rooms set up with displays from each area of the design house; couture, jewellery, accessories and parfums.

I can't even describe how incredible it was to see - and hear - each worker explain his or her process. I don't even speak French, but it was clear for everyone to see how each individual piece is created. I'm still pinching myself that I was able to have such an up-close experience with such a special design house and to see so many iconic pieces IRL.
It definitely more than made up for that missed train to Granville...

The illustration above is based on Christian Dior's Lady Dior Pre-Fall campaign from 2014, photographed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino. One of my all-time favourites.

WEDNESDAY INSPIRATION

Elisabeth Erm by Camilla Åkrans for Dior Magazine No.5, 2014

DIOR

Next in the Couture series is the always polished, and a little bit bold, Dior.
One of the major stand-outs of the show was the hair. The hair!
I feel like those glorious ponytails require a moment of quiet reflection, to ensure that they are fully appreciated.

One of the things that I LOVE about Dior, and especially since Raf Simons took the helm, is that each collection becomes a modern reflection on time.
Fashion is always re-inventing itself, and I feel like Raf's designs for Dior epitomise this notion.
While the last collection was influenced by a Marie-Antoinette-esque 18th Century silhouette, with large bustles and exaggerated waistlines, this season Dior have ventured a little further into the future/past and revealed a collection that is heavily inspired by the silhouettes of the 60s. Mod shift dresses and poodle skirts are given a contemporary reinterpretation through psychedelic appliqué, cut out waist panels, and shimmering pleats.

It was hard to choose just one look as they were all so incredibly different. So I went for two.

Image Credit: vogue.co.uk