Portugal Colonial - Dior's feminist reworking of 1950s New Look

Those were the label's formative years just after its founding in 1947, when Christian Dior introduced the world to the "New Look" of fitted jackets with rounded shoulders over loose skirts.

Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said she was particularly inspired by three early clients of Dior: his sister Catherine, who was a Resistance fighter and businesswoman who refused to marry; the muse of the existentialists Juliette Greco and the "tough-as-leather" singing icon Edith Piaf.

"In addition to being very elegant, they had a bit of a punk attitude," she told AFP ahead of the show.

To the sounds of Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien", the new collection softened the rigid lines of the New Look with mid-length skirts and dresses, plenty of flower motifs, and more flexible fabrics.

"It creates something which adapts to every body and allows a reinterpretation of the 1950s into something much softer and more personal," said Chiuri.

Among the celebrity guests were actors including Charlize Theron and star-of-the-moment Bella Ramsey, from hit show "The Last of Us".

Chiuri said she wanted to project a new image of the Dior woman as "strong and independent" rather than the "romantic and fragile Miss Dior".

As a feminist, the designer has rejected heels in the past, but they have started to creep into her collections -- this time in a twisted question-mark shape.

"Today, there is much more freedom and it's no longer necessary to wear heels at work," Chiuri said, pointing out that the collection includes plenty of flats.

"Personally, I hardly ever wear them. I travel a lot and with my lifestyle, it's more comfortable to wear flats. But for some occasions, I like to wear heels, though not too excessive."

The giant flower overhead, which looked somewhat like a trippy octopus, was the work of Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, who said she was inspired by Catherine Dior -- "a woman who was strong and sensitive".

H.Portela--PC