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DUBAI: French fashion house Dior returned to live shows this week with an extravagant presentation of its partially sport-inspired Cruise 2022 collection at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the 4th-century site of the first modern Olympics, 70 years later an iconic Dior shoot event at the Acropolis.
Dior’s artistic director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, called on models, including Moroccan-British star Nora Attal, to present the sports creations that made up the collection in the presence of celebrities such as movie star Catherine Deneuve, the model Cara Delevingne and “The Queen’s Gambit” actress Anya Taylor Joy, as well as Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Nora Attal flaunted a sporty look at the Dior 2022 Cruise collection runway show in Athens. Getty Images
Dior also broadcast the event live on social media, television and in public places in Greece.
For Chiuri’s first targeted foray into the sport, Attal wore a striped, waterproof unitard with an attached hood, paired with matching shorts and futuristic sneakers. A pair of scuba-inspired glasses, studded bracelets and an oversized bowling bag completed the look.
One of the stars was “The Queen’s Gambit” actress Anya Taylor Joy. AFP
The 22-year-old, who made her catwalk debut in 2017, is one of the Dior catwalks. She has participated in numerous parades for the Parisian house, including the last ready-to-wear fall 2021 show in March.
She also turned heads at the French house’s Spring 2021 ready-to-wear show, at social distance, in Paris, as well as at the Spring 2019 Couture, Spring 2018 Ready-to-Wear and Fall 2018 Couture shows, among others.
Dior’s artistic director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, focused on sports recreation for the cruise collection. AFP
The Dior Cruise 2022 collection – which featured a predominantly black, white, gray, gold and blue color scheme – also featured suits inspired by the jackets and pants worn by iconic German-American actress Marlene Dietrich.
Peplos, the dress traditionally worn by women in ancient Greece, was also a major inspiration for the show’s evening wear components.
The work of Greek artisans was in the collection, including a tailor and embroiderer from Argos in the Peloponnese, a silk factory in the northeastern town of Soufli, and a fisherman’s cap maker from the port of Piraeus.
The work of Greek artisans was featured in this collection. AFP
Additionally, after being given the go-ahead from Greece’s highest archaeological advisory body for photo ops at some of the country’s cherished ancient sites, such as the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, and the Temple of Zeus to Nemea, Dior presented the photographs of the shoot during the parade.
