Dior Presents Its Cruise 2021 Collection in Italy

Christian Dior hosted virtually an audience-free fashion show, its Cruise 2021 collection at the Piazza del Duomo in Lecce, a small town in Puglia, Italy.

When resort season comes, designers typically present its vacation-ready runways in historic cities such as Marrakesh, Cuba, and Calabasas.

Dior, like Chanel, continued that practice despite a worldwide pandemic. The show, which was postponed from May 27, took place with a small audience of 1,000, consisting of artisans, press, and fashion executives, watching from the venue.

https://youtu.be/T5pBRKED0Bc

On July 22, the house presented its highly-anticipated Cruise 2021 collection designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri with no shortage of production value: a theatrical stage was built, the models walked the catwalk at a social distance, while a fully-masked orchestra played and singers sang— all for the audience who streamed the show around the world from Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Dior highlighted the traditions, styles, and the pastoral environment of Lecce, which was displayed in the collection 90 designs, which were created with materials sourced by local artisans.

[caption id="attachment_139458" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Dior presents its Cruise 2021 Collection[/caption]

The designs featured long gauzy dresses with wheat embroideries, lace frocks that were cinched at the waist with wide leather belts or bustiers, relaxed linen suits, trousers, and skirts with floral appliqués sprouting from the hem.

It also showcased woven ponchos and coats that were either lined with fringe or shearling, and pinafore-style separates.

Also, the accessories followed this bucolic aesthetic in lace headscarves, wreaths, gold jewelry shaped into winding leaves and berries, espadrilles, strappy flats, and ankle boots.

[caption id="attachment_139459" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Dior presents its Cruise 2021 Collection[/caption]

Dior's Italian creative chief Maria Grazia Chiuri stated that she had sought to showcase the craftsmanship of the Puglia region, her father's homeland, as well as to help it endure by casting it in a fresh light.

Luxury labels are tentatively returning to the catwalk after the coronavirus pandemic. Many fashion houses such as Gucci, Marc Jacobs, and Saint Laurent have chosen to forgo their 2021 cruise collection.

With Italy once being the epicenter of the coronavirus, Dior's quiet return to "normal" breathes life back into the city.

[caption id="attachment_139457" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Dior presents its Cruise 2021 Collection[/caption]

Italy, which reported its first case on January 31, has been the first European country to be heavily affected by the outbreak. It has recorded over 35,000 deaths, however, the daily tally of fatalities and new infections have dwindled to a fraction of those seen at the peak of its epidemic in late March.

The first two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Rome on January 31. A Chinese couple, originally from Wuhan, who arrived in Italy on January 23 via Milan Malpensa Airport, traveling from the airport to Verona, then to Parma, arriving in Rome on January 28.

The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, and has infected about 12,081,516 million people and killed over 550,000, worldwide, a tally based on official data showed. It also hit several celebrities and top political figures around the world.