For its Cruise 2025 offering, Maria Grazia Chiuri stepped back in time to Renaissance Scotland.
On Monday night, the Dior creative director transported the fashion crowd to a dreamworld of regal Scotch romanticism infused with a punk twist, in a catwalk extravaganza set among the sweeping landscapes of the historic Drummond Castle.
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The show marks the first time in almost 70 years the house has returned to Scotland, renewing a long-standing connection first inked by Christian Dior himself in the 1950s. (In 1951, he showed his spring-summer collection in Perthshire, returning just four years later with another spring line, this time revealed at the tony Gleneagles Hotel). For Chiuri, it was a long time coming.
‘I visited Scotland many years ago before I worked in fashion and I found it so beautiful, I came back with the specific idea to make a show here, it’s a very cinematic place,’ she told ELLE UK ahead of the show. ‘At the same time, I was fascinated by Mr Dior’s influence. He toured Scotland and he was fascinated by the kilt, but his interpretation was more French…In some ways the Bar jacket and skirt is an interpretation by Mr Dior of the kilt and its jacket.’
Chiuri’s work at Dior has long emphasised a focus on global craftsmanship, a connection she’s worked to highlight with the house’s traveling Cruise shows across far-flung destinations. This latest Scottish outing was no exception, with the designer calling on experts in local craft and traditional manufacturing techniques to collaborate on the collection, including Harris Tweed, which leans on its network of Outer Hebrides islanders who still weave fabric at home using traditional treadle looms, and Robert Mackie, which has produced hats for the Scottish military since the mid-1800s.
‘I wanted to show what is behind the brand — the factories, the knowledge,’ Chiuri said. ‘Everything isn’t done in Paris or Milan, it’s a global industry. When we speak about fashion, we forget how much we’re connected. To work together is an opportunity to share explore different ways to do things.’
The collection itself was a sartorial offering fit for a modern-day Mary Queen of Scots who, herself an avid embroiderer with a penchant for needlework, served as an inspiration for the collection, with Chiuri citing Clare Hunter’s 2023 biography, Embroidering her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power, as a key reference.
From the A-list guests to the collection highlights and styling details to note, read on for the low-down on Dior’s Scottish outing.
The Front Row
Hollywood turned out in force, with Jennifer Lawrence, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Maisie Williams among the talents that took a front row seat as the soft lullaby of a Celtic harp echoed in the background. Monochrome seemed to be the unofficial dress code: with many stars opting for black (Rosamund Pike, Lily Collins, Minnie Driver, Annabelle Wallis), or white (Geri Halliwell, Emma Raducanu). There was a peppering of animal print among the crowd, courtesy of Lawrence, who paired her animal trench with jeans and a tank tee, and Williams, who teamed her leopard-print belted jacket with a 1960s bouffant hairstyle.
The Setting
Many of the references peppered throughout the collection shone against the scenery of Drummond Castle, a site renowned for the sprawling gardens that surround the palatial fortress. Guests watched the models descend the stone steps before walking through the maze of Drummond’s verdant oasis. The garden itself is a Scottish icon, but, imbued with strong French and Italian renaissance influences, it was a fitting backdrop for the collection created in a Paris-based atelier by a Roman designer.
The Sounds
Bagpipes opened and closed the show, sandwiching a string of remixed classical tracks (new-age harpsichord, anyone?). For the finale, an ensemble of bagpipers hit the runway, musically accompanying the models as they took one last recap of the garden.
The Clothes
Chiuri’s signature silhouettes were reimagined in a range of autumnal-hued tartan fabrics, presented alongside kilts reimagined with a contemporary spin, styled with more of a punk than a princess-edge.
It was a contrast to the plentiful late-medieval and Tudor-era references in the form of square necklines on floor-skimming gowns, bodices and corsetry paired with billowing skirts, lace collars evocative of ruffs, and delicate fishnet that was almost like chainmail. More subtle odes to Scotland were woven in throughout too, with pieces embroidered with Thistles and unicorns — two Scottish national emblems.
With Scotland renowned for its wool manufacturing and weaving expertise, it was natural that Chiuri would tap into this rich history for the collection, calling on the aforementioned Harris Tweed and Robert Mackie, as well as fabric mills Johnstons of Elgin and Esk Cahsmere.
In an exciting twist, Chirui also debuted a new collaboration with Le Kilt, the indie British label founded by Samantha McCoach and her seamstress Italian grandmother in 2014. It’s a tie-up sure to be on every fashion editor’s wish list.
The Accessories
There were lots of styling hacks from the show to take note of, from pearl embellished veils to elaborate choker necklaces that cascaded over bustiers. Meanwhile, it looks as if stomping rain boots will become the go-to shoe for winter next year. Whether they’re ankle or knee-length, make sure to style with a pair of Argyle socks peeking out from underneath, or, for the more daring, go for the thigh-high option. Who knew waders could be high-fashion?
Additional reporting by Avril Mair.
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