Contrast and Retro Designs Define New Dior Collection

WOMEN’S WORLD

Soft feminine lines and inverted-tulip silhouettes that are an obvious couture throwback to the 1940s are the hallmarks of Dior’s new fall/winter collection, now available in Mexico exclusively at the Dior boutique inside the Palacio de Hierro department store in Polanco.

The mix-and-match prêt-à-porter collection, which was previewed in an exclusive media truck show earlier this month, is a combination of youthful sophistication and easy-going style with both whimsically voluminous petticoats and show-stopping pencil skirts brandishing high waists and daringly high slits topped with loose lacey tops adorned with frills and ladylike flared sleeves.

Black is the dominant color of the collection, as seen its signature soft-fitting bar jacket (a Dior prototype) and flouncy pea coats, as well as narrow, form-hugging gowns and classic sheath dresses.

There are office-worthy black suits with side and posterior incisions and vintage-style muted gray and sable-hued cocktail gowns with unexpected cutaway backs or hiked hems that give them a fresh and quirky pop.

Nearly every ebony garment is garlanded with accompanying blouses with wide starched collars that inch their way toward the hairline and oversized scarves in bright autumn oranges, Dijon mustards and brazen animal prints.

There are enough paisleys in the collection to make Gerolamo Etro dizzy, and these upbeat droplet-shaped motifs appear in dresses, coats, jackets, blouses and shawls.

There is also a brightly flowered full-skirt dress draped over a peekaboo crinoline slip with a nipped-in waist that is an obvious hat tip by the new design team to Christian Dior’s iconic New Look gown from the 1940s.

Textures play a key role in the collection, and the natural silks, wools and satins of the season’s offering are juxtapositioned against techno-engineered fabrics with laser-cut fringes and slice-away backs.

Subtly inconspicuous quilting, embroidery and tiny colored Swarovski crystals add an element of femininity and sensuality to otherwise straight-laced designs with regal pie-high shoulder blades and severely sharp lines.

Indulgently soft cashmere knitted pullovers with scooped V-necks and flowing high collars also provide a downy balance to some of the starker designs in the collection.

The collection’s accessories are dynamic and vibrant, with rigorously pointed stiletto heels, as well as patent leather military boots and clasp purses with multiple compartments in exotic ostrich, crocodile and lizard leathers.

It is worth noting that Dior’s 2016 fall/winter collection is the product of a caretaker design team composed of in-house studio heads Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, who temporarily took over the task after the Dior’s star designer Raf Simons left unexpectedly late last year.

So far, no one has been named to fill the creative void left by Simons’ sudden exodus, but Meier and Ruffieux seem to have been faithful to Dior’s artistic commitment to beautify women with flattering designs that are both classic and innovative.

If some aspects of the fall/winter collection are indeed a bit disjointed, the prevailing themes of fanciful femininity and conservative classic style bring it all together to create a couturier homage to the legendary French designer who revolutionized the global fashion industry with the introduction of luxury ready-to-wear styles that were both sophisticated and comfortable, which is what has always distinguished the Dior label.

Even without a head designer, the brand’s impeccable dedication to style dominates the new collection, making it undeniably Dior.

WHAT’S NEW

Fall Basics
For those on a tighter budget, or who just want to add a few items to their basic clothing wardrobe, the thrift-minded Gap subsidiary Old Navy — which opened its first Mexican branch late last year and now has 10 stores nationwide — is coming on full force this fall, presenting its entire U.S. autumn collection here in three monthly stages: August, September and October. The first group, called Fall Explorer, is full of retro 70s designs and layered accessories that add a splash of color to brighten the season. The second group, which is called Boy Meets Girl, has a more androgynous style with boyfriend pants and epicene sports coats for a sleek, pulled-together look. And the final group, titled The Great Outdoors, is rugged and utilitarian, with thick warm sweaters and ponchos and deep flowered prints in bright autumn-y shades.

Age Reverser
The Spanish laboratories IFC, which first introduced the Endocare line with its patented snail biotechnology, has now developed a multidimensional anti-aging line called Endocare CellPro. The line, which includes a rich face cream, a face gel and an eye serum, offers a unique combination of snail-derived stem cell activators to provide deep-skin regeneration, and an advanced combination of retinal regenerators. The stem cell biological activators stimulate the body’s own stem cells to naturally develop into fibroblasts deep in the dermis where they produce collagen and elastin. Meanwhile, the Retinsphere technology increases epidermal renewal with Vitamin A ingredients. The CellPro line also contains hyaluronic acid and other glycosaminoglycans to enhance the underlying skin architecture, as well as an anti-aging complex of Vitamins C and E, while an advanced moisturizing system hydrates surface skin.

THE NEWS