Dior's 2024 Spring Haute Couture Collection

From the Whimsical World of "Poor Things"

Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director for Dior, offers a fresh take on the fashion industry's expectations for women's modern wardrobe staples.

The collection opened with an unconventional, surreal experience, featuring massive dresses towering 15 feet high, amplified by the haunting sounds of Jerskin Fendrix's soundtrack for Yorgos Lanthimos's latest film, "Poor Things." But despite its otherworldly spectacle, Chiuri's collection focuses on practicality and wearability.

The pieces are a mix of high fashion with couture flourishes and everyday, mundane clothing. Notable pieces include textural wonders of feather details, little tailored suits, black pleated dresses, and sheer beaded skirts worn with wool pants. Regardless of their extravagance, the clothes maintain an everyday appeal.

The collection's core pieces prioritize wearability over fantasy, while still having a couture attitude. The vintage and innocent edge of the playful opening ode to "Poor Things" is apparent in some pieces, such as billowing floor-length polka-dot dresses and a very Victorian-looking black gown with feathered arms. A slinky mustard yellow slip dress that was twisted at the neckline also plays with the delicate balance between girlhood, womanhood, and the fashion industry's expectations.