Mood board: Guests to the Christian Dior show had to pass through a giant hill of blue delphiniums constructed in the centre of the Carre du Louvre in Paris before entering a pristine all-white box. Artistic director Raf Simons connected the dots for his collection and that mammoth mountain by stating that ‘just as in nature, I wanted to find a new kind of precision, purity and ease.’ His clothes looked decisively more precise than organic, and yet there was something of the outdoors in his sheer looks and voile-like dresses that took their cues from Victorian style underwear. More than anything, though, the show felt futuristic and cleaned up of excess in the Simons way.
Best in show: Without a doubt, Simons has a hit on his hands with the new exaggeratedly cropped sweaters that he showed layered over gauzy dresses. Less commercial but no less impactful were the sporty-like canvas anoraks covered in couture-like furry white embroideries. We also ogled a dynamite red and navy broad striped coat dress.
Finishing touches: The shoe this season is as pointed as any witch-wear but offered in modernist shiny patent leather. Either flat as paper or launched up onto thick heels, both shoes came with contrasting coloured, thick patent leather straps that wrap around the ankle.
INFORMATION
Photography: Umberto Fratini; Jason Lloyd-Evans
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New York cool meets vintage glamour in Jade Trau's gold and platinum jewelleryJade Trau looks to past eras to bring a design frisson to her chunky gold jewellery
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Workstead's lanterns combine the richness of silk with a warm glowAn otherworldly lamp collection, the Lantern series by Workstead features raw silk shades and nostalgic silhouettes in three designs
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Head to Lupa for a taste of Rome in the heart of HighburyEd Templeton, Theo James and Naz Hassan unveil an intimate 28-seat restaurant that balances a cosy, candlelit atmosphere with Roman-style dining
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Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: what to expectFive moments to look out for at Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 in Paris (starting Monday 7 July), from Glenn Martens’ debut for Maison Margiela to Demna’s Balenciaga swansong. Plus, ‘new beginnings’ from JW Anderson
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Donna Trope celebrates the power of the Polaroid in Paris‘Polaroids used to be my rejects, and now they are my holy grail,’ says the beauty photographer, as she shows rarely seen images in a Paris exhibition
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Summer games, from pétanque to pool floats, get a fashionable spinFrom a luxurious pétanque set to pool floats and playing cards, summer games and toys from the world’s best-known fashion houses
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‘Modern beauty’: Pieter Mulier on his new vision for AlaïaAs creative director of Alaïa, Belgian designer Pieter Mulier honours the timeless vision of the maison’s founder while rewriting the past anew. Here, speaking to Jack Moss, he tells the story behind his first year at the house
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Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
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Mariella Bettineschi’s feminist artworks survey guests at Dior A/W 2022 showAs guests gathered at Dior’s A/W 2022 womenswear show venue in Paris, sets of duplicated eyes stared down at them from the artworks of Mariella Bettineschi
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Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
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Scene-stealing runway sets from A/W 2022 menswear showsA Kubrickian space odyssey at Prada; a recreation of the Pont Alexandre III in Paris at Dior; and colourful, artist-created flags at Loewe: explore the best runway sets from the A/W 2022 menswear shows
