A high fashion highland adventure
Fashion is no stranger to the lure of regal attire and theatrical displays. Neither, it seems, is Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri. She chose to show her Dior Cruise 2025 collection in Scotland – the latest in a series of far-flung show destinations for the house.
Magical Scottish castle
In the gardens of the historic Drummond Castle, lucky attendees (moi included) were invited to enter a world where punkish accents fused with royal-inspired silhouettes and emerging trends of the moment to create something truly worthy of noble fanfare. House signatures reborn, fresh silhouettes solidified and Dior’s longstanding ties with Scotland spectacularly honoured.
For the show, I was blessed to be dressed by the brand in a strapless shift dress, accessorised with a boxy Cannage pattern top-handle bag and CD logo strappy heels. And to brave the Scottish chill, I wrapped up in my favourite Dior belted wool coat featuring the iconic Oblique monogram interior.
In this post, I’m going to take you through my thoughts on the collection, delve deeper into its influences and talk about the key pieces and trends I loved.
This show was a Dior history lesson in itself
Christian Dior showed collections in Scotland in the ‘50s, touring the country and becoming fascinated by the kilt. Grazia Chiuri remarked how, “In some ways the Bar jacket and skirt is an interpretation by Mr Dior of the kilt and its jacket.” Who knew?! Grazia Chiuri embraced these Scottish influences, and even collaborated with local tweed, cashmere and milliner artisans to celebrate the country’s rich textile history, with tartan and argyle aplenty.
When a brand has a heritage as storied as Dior’s, it’s a hard task to interpret it in new and interesting ways. For Cruise 2025, it was all about incorporating punk-inspired details and ushering the rebirth of house classics. Simple, right? It seemed so for Grazia Chiuri. The iconic Bar jacket popped up in a traditional purple and black tartan print, along with the house’s signature full skirts, some with fringed edge details. Knitted variations of tartan appeared sheer with exposed bralettes visible underneath.
Other trends of the moment popped up on the runway, too. The deep V-neckline of the opening look was created by elegantly draping the fabric, in this case tartan, around the model’s shoulders à la Christian Dior’s legendary Haute Couture creations from the 20th century.
One standout piece that set the punk tone (and a favourite of mine) was the full mesh tulle midi skirt with a pleated dropped waist. Other punk accents included studded leather chokers and belts, heavy duty stomping boots (an established Grazia Chiuri signature for Dior) and snood balaclavas, which the runways have been ushering in for a few seasons now.
There’s a lot that can be said about the magic of regal-inspired dressing. From the bold silhouettes to the ostentatious details. Dior has always been known for its overt flamboyance – think Christian Dior’s dreamy haute couture creations and John Galliano’s runway spectacles of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. So the regality of this most recent show draws on an undisputed core principle of the brand.
Grazia Chiuri’s interpretation of this felt supremely real. These were not costumes but instead pieces you would want to wear, showcasing emerging trends in a sophisticated and clever way. From bubble hems (*yes please*) and corsets (some belted, zipped and laced up) to puff shoulders and mesh face veils adorned with pearls. I adored the micro shorts worn with an overlay of fabric trailing behind to emulate the look of high-low hems, creating dramatic sweeping silhouettes that proved very appropriate for the show’s setting.
Dior’s haute couture roots were well and truly celebrated with gorgeous floor-length gowns, some made with sheer mesh and a feathery woven fishnet material, complete with ornate gold embroideries that would have made the founder himself swoon.
Other standout pieces include a series of cropped jackets, some with a longer hem trailing at the back and some with exaggerated blouson sleeves that I predict myself fawning over once this collection hits stores.
Also to note was a gorgeous longline furry coat with an exposed lining in Dior’s heritage Cannage pattern. Plus, a trench decorated with black and white images of vintage Christian Dior shows that echoed Galliano’s famous newspaper print trench coat from his Fall/Winter 2000 collection for the house – who doesn’t love a vintage Galliano Dior reference!?
Bags, bags, bags
Now onto the bags. House classics and some delightful minis, too. The Bobby, Saddle, Lady Dior and, my absolute favourite, the newer Toujours design all made an appearance, some with punkish adornments like studs and, of course, Dior’s beloved chunky guitar straps but with heavy duty hardware.
To roundup, this was a truly exceptional show, from the iconic setting to the clothes and accessories. Christian Dior’s iconic surrealism fused with Grazia Chiuri’s unmistakable pragmatism and wearability to create a collection that was as much about honouring heritage as it was looking forward.
Read more fashion week content
xoxo, Tamara
