The Parisian fashion house show their cruise collection at Blenheim Palace
From a futuristic catwalk in Rio to the sleepy town of Woodstock, the Resort 2017 shows are truly taking us to every corner of the globe. Yesterday was the turn of Dior, whose quintessentially English location, Blenheim Palace, fused French couture with British history. The Parisian fashion house has made headlines in recent weeks, introducing a sunglasses collection with Rihanna, and Bella Hadid as the new face of Dior beauty. Since the departure of Raf Simons, Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux are still holding the fort, and it’s rumoured the biggest announcement is yet to be made as the new Creative Director will apparently be revealed later this month.
Here are all of the show’s must-see moments…
It all kicked off with a London pre-party The night before the show Dior celebrated their new London store with an English pub take-over. Both the interiors and exteriors of The Audley in Mayfair were transformed, and celebs were treated to canapés and pints. No pork scratchings in sight.
Guests travelled to the show in style Show attendees had an upgrade from the usual London commute, travelling from Victoria to Oxfordshire aboard the Diorient Express. The iconic train from the 1920s featured ornate decor, a three-course Ruinart champagne lunch and some seriously dapper conductors - très chic.
The venue was the epitome of English wanderlust Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire is one of England’s grandest buildings, an accolade not lost on Christian Dior himself who showed his collections there in 1954. His protégé Yves Saint Laurent also hosted a Dior show at the same venue in 1958, both of which saw Princess Margaret sitting front row. The only non-royal palace in the UK, Blenheim can be spotted in classic British films such as Harry Potter and James Bond.
It was a star-studded event As well as British icon Alexa Chung making an appearance, unlikely duo Kate Beckinsale and Bella Hadid’s rapper boyfriend The Weeknd sat together on the front row. Other Hollywood A-Listers included Emma Roberts, Elizabeth Olsen and Kate Mara.
Bella Hadid made her first official appearance The 19-year-old model took centre stage on the runway, walking with her friend and fashion's resident bad girl Lexi Boling. Following her first Vogue cover released in April and her Dior beauty web series scheduled to debut next week, Bella's career is on its way to rival big sister Gigi's.
And of course, the clothes The catwalk saw cropped flared trousers, asymmetric skirts, and a mismatch of textures from sequins to velvet to tweed. Clashes continued with patterns galore as florals, jacquards and futuristic appliqués made their way down the runway and fox prints could be seen on both the clothes and the decor paying homage to British heritage. The Dior-London love affair continues...