Dior Fall/Winter 2025: An Unravelling Metamorphosis

FASHION HAS LONG been a means of inventing (or reinventing) oneself. In Virginia Woolf‘s 1928 novel Orlando — which traces the epic life of a poet who traverses time and the bounds of gender, waking up one day to find themselves no longer a man, but suddenly a woman, she explored this very concept. “Clothes are but a symbol of something hid deep beneath,” she wrote in one pivotal passage. “It was a change in Orlando herself that dictated her choice of a woman’s dress and of a woman’s sex. And perhaps in this she was only expressing rather more openly than usual — openness indeed was the soul of her nature — something that happens to most people without being thus plainly expressed.” Clothes, Woolf argues, offer a chance not only for self-expression, but for self-evolution. For the Dior Fall/Winter 2025/26 presentation, Maria Grazia Chiuri drew upon these musings, as well as the “memories and gestures that belong to Dior’s heritage,” to create an ode to the transformative power of fashion.

For such a theatrical concept, naturally, the runway itself was staged in a theatrical space: a theatre-in-the-round, specifically, designed by American theatre director and playwright Robert Wilson. Throughout the runway, we see this stark space become a world in mutation — colours shifting from light to dark, as set pieces shift from a lone swing, to a prehistoric pterodactyl flying overhead, to asteroid-like rocks falling from the ceiling, and finally, icebergs emerging from the floor beneath. In this eerie landscape, the collection unfurls like a play in five acts.

In exploring the interplay of Woolf’s Orlando with its themes of androgyny and temporality, as well as the pre-existing House codes, Chiuri demonstrates “how clothing is a receptacle that affirms cultural, aesthetic, and social codes,” the show notes explain. “Temporalities sediment the creations in a continuous interplay of inspirations welcoming the imprint of bodies and modern desires.”

Throughout the collection, Chiuri turns to the humble white shirt — “the founding element of an outfit freed from gender stereotypes,” per the show notes — to represent a multitude of possibilities. White shirts with long hems and oversized cuffs are covered in ruffles and paired with Victorian-style jackets, Elizabethan corsets, or Tudor-esque pantaloons, toeing the line of androgyny, presenting opportunities to clarify or obscure one’s inner self at will.

Ruffs, in fact, are near-omnipresent throughout. There are ruff-like choker necklaces and ruffled shirt collars, and later in the collection, there are ruffs in full, crafted from delicate tulle and lace. Reinterpreting the undulating shape of the Elizabethan accessory, they symbolise the fluctuating nature of self-expression and perception of the self. Adding to that theme, there’s a throughline of unravelling, of a state of being undone, evoked through trailing frills of lace, of untied ribbons and undone jackets.

Common threads throughout are those House codes to which Chiuri nods, travelling through time like Orlando themself. There’s John Galliano‘s iconic J’adore Dior t-shirts and tanks, and there’s more subtle details that are so instantly recognisable as Dior: cut-out and appliqué embroidery, technical jackets, crinoline silhouettes, luxurious black velvet ribbons. And of course, there’s a strong language of Chiuri’s own — that distinct blend of soft femininity with a sharp edge she’s honed throughout her time at the Maison.

But while toying with the past, Chiuri’s collection is also incredibly of the moment. The combination of Elizabethan, Victorian, and more recent influences converge to evoke a surprisingly modern wardrobe. Sheer and lace garments not only continue the theme of the revealing of the self (quite literally), but tap into the new boho trend — and the addition of contrasting structured black leather evokes the moto-boho subgenre. There’s whimsy throughout the gorgeous dresses ranging from the sensual to the dainty; but there’s utilitarian edge brought on by more practical trench coats, trousers, and even rain coats.

Beauty looks further tap into the androgyny and genderless eccentricities of the collection. Makeup by Peter Philips is clean and stark, devoid of colour, with a focus on sculpting the cheekbones, defining the brows, and exaggerating the eyes with black liner. Hair by Guido Palau is swept into a glossy, side-parted ponytail, with a few stray windblown tendrils adding movement.

Given the prevailing rumours of Chiuri’s impending departure from the Maison, you can’t help but wonder if such a momentous collection — arguably, one of her best — was a swan song of sorts (or perhaps a pterodactyl song?). But in its themes of evolution and metamorphosis, it also seemingly offers a guiding comfort, too — a reminder that whatever comes next, whether a continuation or new self-expression, will be a new chapter in the epic tale of Dior.