DIOR AND SAINT LAURENT: A SHARED NOTION OF AMAZON ATHLEISURE
Dior Backstage
Paris Fashion Week is back in full force, following runway shows in Copenhagen, New York City, London, and Milan, with the most illustrious of the French luxury houses - Christian Dior and Saint Laurent – kicking off the Day 2 Womenswear Spring/Summer 2025 calendar into high-gear - quite literally. Their collections centered around athleisure, the Olympics-inspired sportswear trend that started in New York, with brands continuing to bask in the afterglow of the Paris 2024 Olympics – this time in Paris.
Athleisure has many facets - in life and in fashion - but the two brands seemed to have explored the same “gliding” theme, namely that of the amazons, in an attempt to capture the spirit of champions. Which is timely, in an unprecedented period of change for the high-end fashion sector - with brands facing economic pressure, lifestyle trends and outmoded business models - there is a constant need to reassert their focus and expand their houses’ forcefields with each runway. And all in good will, as part of their long-term strategy to strengthen the business foundations, elevate their brand positioning and foster further development. After all, the pyramid at the top is very small and as in the Olympics, there are only three positions on the podium following each race.
Even though they chose the same amazon athleisure theme, Dior and Saint Laurent did so in different ways, with each house following a different dictionary definition of the word “amazon” - which means both, “fierce female warrior” (Christian Dior) and “a strong often masculine woman” (Saint Laurent). Expanding here on these interpretations in an attempt to further solidify them, “amazons” also mean equal power: “Depicted in ancient literature and art as the “equals of men”, amazons were as brave and skilled in combat as male warriors”. And so were - equals to men, following this exact dictionary sentiment, the Maria Grazia Chiuri and Anthony Vaccarello women strutting on the SS25 runway this end of September.
In fact, for Saint Laurent, Vaccarello revealed prior to the show that he had been inspired for this collection by reading a 00s interview of Yves Saint Laurent where he had been asked about who his woman was, and the designer had replied it was him. This was the starting point that led the house’s creative director to craft an unapologetic collection comprised of masculine dressing that unleashed, as does the androgynous, the female force. He traversed once more, both gender sides, pioneering a spring show with his memorable power tailoring and the big shoulder silhouettes via the mannish office suit, shirt and tie. All the whilst, inserting splashes of the unmissable theme of the sheer bohemian as well as heavy notes of the extravagant flashy jewelled brocade intertwined with leather and lace for a full-force reference of the ’80s and early ’90s. The latter was a nod to the designer’s preference for richness in texture and colour - re-imagined to fit like a glove in the context of today.
For Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri refracted contemporary sportswear via the Amazon exploring and distilling the warrior’s uniform. As with Vaccarello, her vision was, aptly so, also cultivated by going through the house’s archives and tracing back to Amazonian goddesses’ footprints in the sporty sensibility of the house founder, designer Christian Dior. The monochromatic collection drew on female warriors and hunters who inspired a 1951 design by Christian Dior. Also, a 1960s Dior Sport logo was revived as a motif for a youthful, sport-focused season heavily mirroring the gen-Z love for active modern lives. Fusing couture elegance with athleisure ease, it featured a lineup of assymetric draping, sophisticated tailoring and sequined-embellished luxury sportswear that made for a show about the strength and power of modern womanhood, but also, according to the brand’s notes “the intersection of fashion with athleticism and the freedom offered by sports clothing.” A freedom which, as Maria Grazia Chiuri said, has changed the whole body language of women.
As far as the wide-ranging expectations go concerning heavy hitters on the PFW Spring/Summer 2025 women’s ready-to-wear calendar, both Saint Laurent and Dior delivered the palpable energy anticipated by incorporating into their “wardrobe staple”-collections life sized “superheroes” in the form of amazon godesses and in the shape of real, modern women. Which is exactly what fashion should be right now - in a moment of unrelenting newness where self-expression reigns - it should herald the unprecedented power of the essentials, amplified.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NICOLE ZENIOU
Nicole Zeniou is a Contributing Fashion Features Editor at Bungalow 28, joining in 2024. Previously the Fashion Features Editor at Madame Figaro Cyprus, she has contributed to titles like Marie Claire Greece, Cosmopolitan Cyprus, and The Cyprus Weekly. Founder of the online interview magazine The Éditor, Nicole is passionate about blending creative disciplines and supporting international talent. She has interviewed leading fashion figures such as LaQuan Smith, David Koma, Casey Cadwallader, Lorenzo Serafini, and Mary Katrantzou.
Bungalow 28 is a tech and creative agency dedicated to fashion, luxury and cultural brands worldwide.