Last night, June 17th 2021, a unique fashion show took place in Athens, Greece. At the Panathenaic Stadium of Athens,  the world’s only marble stadium,  Maria Grazia Chiuri On Hosting Dior’s Cruise 2022 Collection,  found the most authentic stage to examine just why she loves this most original garment—the mother of all dresses—so much. She worked the peplos that opened the show like a parachute dress, sportifying it with drawstrings and drawing a contrast to the classic Hellenic dresses that closed the show.

As part of the exhaustive studies that underpin Dior shows like these, she toured sites from Knossos to Delphi in search of authentic approaches. She found her answer in the community collaborations that traditionally weave through her destination shows, inviting a string of local artisans to work on the collection. The tailor Aristeidis Tzonevraki created a Book Tote and a Bar Jacket using a unique method through which the items are structured by way of embroidery. The Soufli-based factory Silk Line interpreted Dior’s houndstooth in silk leggings and shorts using its signature jacquard loom. And Atelier Tsalavoutas Dior-ified caps worn by the fishermen of Hydra since the 19th century.

Maria Grazia Chiuri took us away, for the anticipated  Dior Cruise 2022 show,  staged at the incredible Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The ancient all-marble stadium has an illustrious history—built in 329 BC for the Panathenaic Games, which were held to honor the goddess Athena, it served as an Olympic venue in 1896 and 2004—but this was its first fashion show.

Everything was magical in Athens, Greece. Rising in the distance, the temples of the Acropolis, particularly the Parthenon, hold a special significance, as it was here, in 1951, that a visiting group of the House’s models posed for a series of photographs wearing couture designs by Monsieur Dior.

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“I Want To Emphasise The Beauty Of The Country”

Maria Grazia Chiuri On Hosting Dior’s Cruise 2022 Collection In Athens

This is the unique location for the unveiling of the Dior Cruise 2022 collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the monumental and millennia old Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece, the world’s only marble stadium.

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“Everybody thinks of Greece and Italy in terms of holidays… But our research was really big in terms of the history of Greece. We worked to show how important this time was, not least for the 20th century.”

Maria Grazia Chiuri

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Photos :  courtesy Christian Dior

By Georgia Papadon & team