Into the blue

For her second ready-to-wear collection for Christian Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri turned to a quote from the founder of the French house: ‘Among all colours, navy blue is the only one which can compete with black, it has all the same qualities.’ With a collection which celebrated this versatility of the hue, Chiuri worked with regular collaborators Bureau Betak on a runway set at the Musée Rodin, which emphasised her inspiration.

The set took a month to erect and dismantle; the tent space, featuring a double runway, was lined with 600 sq m of mirror, which reflected the navy taffeta, velvet and denim creations on the runway. The catwalk itself resembled a beautiful abstract blue watercolour, which took over 150 hours to paint by hand, and was imbued with a smoky blueish haze as the models took to the catwalk.