Photos – courtesy of Dior ©
Each collection unfolds as a visual journey, offering new experiences. In 1955, Dior showcased his work in Perthshire, Scotland, within the Gleneagles Hotel’s ballroom. For Dior Women’s Creative Director, this region forms the narrative backdrop for the Dior Cruise 2025 collection, unveiled in the gardens of Drummond Castle. Here, memories, inspirations, and suggestions blend into unique shapes and embroideries. For Maria Grazia Chiuri, presenting the cruise collection is a chance to trace Christian Dior’s global adventures.
Scotland’s symbols, the unicorn and the thistle bring a fresh twist to the Millefleurs motif, transformed into heraldic embroidery. This intricate technique, detailed in Clare Hunter’s book Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power, represents resilience and craftsmanship.
Some models in this cruise line feature a map of Scotland, highlighting collaborations and cultural exchanges specific to this show, including a tribute to tartan. Christian Dior once remarked in The Little Dictionary of Fashion that tartan is “probably the only fancy fabric that resists fashions.” This historic cloth, with its various colours and kilt-like cut, seamlessly blends romanticism with punk, transcending time.
Photographs from the spring-summer 1955 presentation are reimagined as prints or appliqués on kilts or pea coats, creating a cinematic montage. These memory-laden elements punctuate the Dior Cruise 2025 collection.
The collection melds contrasting elements, like velvet and lace, to dress the modern equestrian. Some silhouettes boast dramatically wide sleeves on white shirts, peeking out from beneath gathered skirts and embroidered bustiers. Dark, iridescent pieces adorned with pearls feature these embellishments. Lace collars add brightness to black ensembles.
Tartan, used in light materials, weaves through this celebration of the kilt, whether made in Scotland or reinterpreted. The collection also includes dresses of varying lengths, coats, and capes with large hoods. Rain boots make appearances, while small jackets feature menswear-inspired grey fabrics. The iconic Bar jacket shines with black velvet Brandenburg buttons.
Velvet also enhances an evening gown with a fitted bust and oversized skirt. Feathery woven fishnet transforms into long, lightweight dresses in nostalgic mauve hues.
This inventive choreography, built on interconnected themes, revisits historical stories, creating a journey where each stage sparks creativity.
