As brands toy with the digital medium to showcase their collections to the consumer, Dior has come up with what promises to be the most romantic/cinematic idea for a fashion presentation in these coronavirus times thus far. Artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri will be debuting her Fall/Winter 2020 haute couture collection in the format of a short film by award-winning Italian director Matteo Gorone – the film screens tonight (below), July 6, at 8.30pm.

Based on the teaser, the collection’s starting point was the historic post-war Theatre de la Mode touring exhibition which transversed continental Europe and the United States from 1945 to 1946. The show was noted for featuring dolls as mannequins that were dressed in designs by top Parisian couturiers and artists as a way to keep the flame of savoir-faire and dressmaking burning even as materials were scarce and the economy in shambles. It’s a message that rings even louder today for Dior and its couture atelier as fashion houses reel from the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Matteo Garrone will undeniably bring a romantic and cinematic touch to the couture film. Photo: Leslie Moquin

The choice of Garrone – he was the Grand Prix winner at Cannes for his film Reality (2012) and most recently directed the fantasy film Pinnochio (2019) – also highlights Chiuri’s recent support for collaborators from her native Italy. She recently launched a capsule collection featuring the prints of Italian contemporary artist Pietro Ruffo and will go big with the craft of Puglia’s artisans for the maison’s upcoming Cruise 2021 show.