The Dior Couture S/S ’21 Collection Is Inspired By This Ancient Tarot Deck

I have always been a huge fan of Dior especially when it came to Haute Couture. From Galliano’s larger-than-life creations and themes to Chiuri’s ever so feminine creations, Dior has always been about dreams and the ability to make them a reality through clothing.

For the S/S ’21 collection, Chiuri finds her inspiration from the divine. Initially inspired by a 1973 novel by Italo Calvino titled The Castle of Crossed Destinies which tells the stories of travelers who are unable to speak after going through a forest and sharing their tales through tarot cards. This story soon translated into Chiuri’s discovery of the Visconti-Sforza Tarot Cards from the 15th Century from the Morgan Library in NYC.

Directed by Italian Director Matteo Garrone, who also directed the fantastical A/W ’20 couture film, the presentation is all about symbolisms as it is set in maze-like corridors of an ancient castle. Each room contains a tarot card that comes to life as the woman finds and creates her own destiny.

In this collection we see an array of pieces that fully show the house’s versatility. The iconic Bar jacket, for example, was created in pure black velvet to mimic the grandiosity of that time.

In true Chiuri fashion, the evening gowns are simple from afar but the marvel comes when you pay attention to the details like the bas-relief openwork bodices punctuated with illustrations by Pietro Ruffo.

With a respect to the history of garments seen in the ancient tarots, the real pièce de résistance comes in the he High Priestess, the Empress, Justice and the Fool as the house celebrated the art of weaving through “lace is inlaid with hand-painted embellishments, golden velvet is enlivened with the signs of the zodiac and precious jacquards are sprinkled with stars, while a cape in multicolored feathers showcases 3D volumes”