Maria Grazia Chiuri wished to explore, through the spring-summer 2021 haute couture collection, the mysterious and pluralistic beauty of the tarot in a series of dresses featuring virtuoso constructions; manifest proof that couture remains the ultimate territory of experimentation and possibility.

Christian Dior was passionate about the divinatory arts and signs of destiny. His autobiography is punctuated with often fateful encounters with visionary personalities: &ldquo;It will be extraordinary. Your house will revolutionize fashion!&rdquo; he recalled of a prophecy come true.

Tarot cards are among the keys to accessing the magical realm, to explore the unknown while fearlessly looking deep inside oneself. Maria Grazia Chiuri immediately felt a connection with these imaginary worlds and&nbsp;this&nbsp;visual language whose symbolic lexicon is rich in complex and fascinating characters. In uncertain times marked by a palpable desire to reconnect with the world&rsquo;s soul, Maria Grazia Chiuri wished to explore, through the spring-summer 2021 haute couture collection, the mysterious and pluralistic beauty of the tarot in a series of dresses featuring virtuoso constructions; manifest proof that couture remains the ultimate territory of experimentation and possibility.

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Asked by Maria Grazia Chiuri to reinterpret the 78 tarot symbols for Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2021, artist Pietro Ruffo, a regular House collaborator, created elaborate motifs that replaced human figures with flora, fauna and the cosmos.

Pietro Ruffo

A series of extraordinary evening gowns features abstract constructions, some with veritable bas-relief openwork bodices punctuated with illustrations by Pietro Ruffo. In this spirit, the Roman artist created a singular deck of cards in which characters&nbsp;disclose&nbsp;the graphic energy of&nbsp;the&nbsp;symbols.

Dior gray appears in tweed, cashmere and organza on shirts, skirts, pants and capes. Meanwhile, the&nbsp;Bar&nbsp;jacket is revisited in black velvet, its curves reinterpreted to express a new attitude.

In his staging of these haute couture creations, Matteo Garrone, one of Italy&rsquo;s most high-profile directors, builds on&nbsp;the&nbsp;narrative iconography&nbsp;by drawing on the visual force of the Visconti-Sforza tarot. Decorated by the illuminator Bonifacio Bembo for the Duke of Milan in the 15th&nbsp;century, this tarot deck illustrates the marvelous tale of this collection. Splendid cards embellished in gold, enamel, and vegetal and geometric interlacing have a solemn and enigmatic presence, revealing an inner&nbsp;journey, like an adventure of self-discovery. A voyage&nbsp;to the heart of a castle populated by characters&nbsp;embodying the major arcana who question and disorient, inviting the viewer to look at the world from a new perspective. In the director&rsquo;s interpretation, this quest surpasses gender boundaries, presenting a synthesis of masculine and feminine in a new heraldic mythology evoking the enchanted worlds Matteo Garrone&nbsp;loves.

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A clairvoyant asks to draw a card in a deck designed as a catalogue of possibilities, a cryptic dictionary of the world. The&nbsp;High Priestess, the Empress, Justice and the Fool, are notably sublimated through excellence of savoir-faire celebrating the art of weaving: lace is inlaid with hand-painted embellishments, golden&nbsp;velvet&nbsp;is enlivened with the signs of the zodiac and precious jacquards are sprinkled with stars, while a cape in multicolored feathers showcases 3D volumes.

&nbsp;

In this story, the insider always needs the feminine complement and vice versa, because only such a fusion makes it possible to approach a formative path leading to self-awareness.

As Italo Calvino points out in&nbsp;The Castle of Crossed Destinies: &ldquo;The world has to be read upside-down&rdquo;.

Discover the Making Of 'Le Château du Tarot'

The legendary &lsquo;Miss Dior&rsquo; dress is reborn for Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2021 by Maria Grazia Chiuri in a new form embellished in a matte antiqued gold lam&eacute; lattice of Dior Savoir-Faire rouleaux adorned with appliqu&eacute;s of embroidered and smocked flowers by Atelier Paloma all realized in a matte gold lam&eacute; printed to give it an antiqued effect.

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Savoir-faire of the new Miss Dior dress

RENAISSANCE(S)

A true source of inspiration for Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Visconti-Sforza tarot &ndash; developed by Bonifacio Bembo for the Duke of Milan in the 15th century &ndash; heightens the collection with its visual force. These magnificent cards adorned with gold, enamel, vegetal and geometric interlacing brought added enchantment to the creations thanks to the virtuoso excellence of the Dior Ateliers. Symbolizing the transition from paper to fabrics, the volumes and cuts of the silhouettes evoke the aristocratic-looking outfits of characters depicted in this deck, a masterpiece of illumination.

&nbsp;

BEAUTIFUL STAR

Sources of strength and power, and magical symbols of destiny, zodiac signs constellate Maria Grazia Chiuri&rsquo;s haute couture creations, crafted from brocades adorned with golden threads and d&eacute;vor&eacute; velvet depicting celestial motifs. A dream-like invitation to follow one&rsquo;s lucky star, and an exceptional tribute to Monsieur Dior&rsquo;s superstitious nature.

&nbsp;

DIVINE GOLD

An emblem of refinement, gold punctuates the collection with its aura, illuminating creations with its delicate nuances, especially when combined with shantung silk. The iconic Miss Dior dress is reinvented in a magnificent all-gold version.

&nbsp;

MAGIC ARTS

The Roman artist Pietro Ruffo, a loyal friend of the House, was invited by Maria Grazia Chiuri to reinvent the game of tarot. Circular cards devoid of human figures thus enhance the dresses and skirts in the collection, like an ode to the symbolic richness of fauna and flora.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

POETIC STRENGTH

A symbol of protection and strength, and both armor and adornment, the plastron adorns several silhouettes in the collection, illustrating by turns the tarot&rsquo;s major arcana. Designed by Pietro Ruffo and embroidered by the House&rsquo;s petites mains, it illuminates creations with a touch of daring.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

DOUBLE &ldquo;I&rdquo;

Dressing the heroine of Matteo Garrone&rsquo;s film revealing the collection, the Bar suit is revisited by Maria Grazia Chiuri in a more masculine version, like a velvet smoking. This style icon also features in a sand-colored ensemble, paired with a jacquard skirt, or in a slate gray total look, punctuated by an elegant draped and twisted jacket. A range of reinterpretations that bring the many facets of femininity to life.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

IRRESISTIBLE&nbsp;PUNCTUATIONS

Adorned with flowers or pearls, golden head jewels recalling antique ornaments celebrate the sumptuous beauty of women, inspired by the tarot.

&nbsp;

DAZZLING GRACE

With finely braided, openwork uppers, delicate silver and gold boots mingle with haute couture dresses, revealing subtle plays of transparency. An exercise in mix-and-match that completes the silhouette with a touch of elegance and modernity.

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Tracing the origins of the tarot

Magical, hidden and mystical: Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2021

L'OFFICIEL Latvija #136

L’OFFICIEL BALTIC #42

Magical, hidden and mystical: Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2021

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