SOUTHERN VICCE SOULS

Enamoured with the mediterranean, the Dior creative designer and her daughter (and collaborator), Rachele Regini, reveal an artisanal, poetic, and multicultural seville in the 2023 cruise collection. TWO UNIQUE WOMEN, ONE CITY, ONE MISSION: Fashion without borders.

- BENEDETTA POLETTI.

Night falls over Seville. The scent of carnations wafts among the coffered ceilings of the Plaza de España, the venue where (incidentally) ELLE celebrated its 75th anniversary just one year ago. The Andalusian air is punctuated with classical notes from maestro Alberto Iglesias’ score and the rhythmic foot tapping of two Flamenco dancers, El Yiyo and Belén López. The soft steps of 60 dancers, led by the brilliant Blanca Li, gently caress the two bridges. And only after five minutes, during which these elements comingle to delight the senses of guests, does the first Dior look—men’s trousers, braces, and a lavish black and white shawl—join this homage to beauty, piquing our curiosity.

The Parisian firm’s 2023 cruise collection—which, under the baton of Maria Grazia Chiuri (Rome, 1964), aspires to enfold the entire world in its embrace (just like the two wings of the Plaza in the imagination of architect Aníbal González)—is an ode to the craftsmanship of the south and a celebration of its culture. Or cultures. Because what interests the Roman designer most is precisely how disparate populations have converged here: from Arabs to Filipinos, with influences from the Americas and India. It is only natural that she be the one to show us that, far from Paris and Milan, in the shadow of the Giralda bell tower, fashion without borders becomes possible, building bridges against nationalism. Because the only thing that is truly ours is that which belongs to everyone.