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Dior show packs drama and intrigue in Fellini-inspired love letter to Rome

Haute couture mixes with theatricality in Maria Grazia Chiuri’s deeply personal show, with hints this may be designer’s swan song

Chiuri was born and began her career in Rome, and the deeply personal nature of the show, which was a passionate love letter to her home city, fuelled longstanding rumours that this was orchestrated as a swan song. Each outfit brought the drama: a tailcoat suit with tiny ivory silk buttons; silvered latticework fit for a Renaissance princess; translucent classical gowns that looked like marble goddesses come to life; liturgical pomp in capes and collars tipping a hat to the Vatican in its jubilee year. Christian Dior himself lovedItaly, declaring in a letter home from holiday in Capri in 1957 that “this is paradise!” More pragmatically, Italy has been the chosen destination for several luxury houses this year, with Gucci and Chanel staging shows in Lake Como and Florence respectively.

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