Dior plays it safe with minimalist approach for haute couture autumn/winter 2016 collection in Paris

Christian Dior haute couture show: French fashion house gets intimate in front of Céline Dion at unveiling of autumn/winter collection ahead of expected announcement of its new couturier.

Serge Ruffieux and Lucie Meier went back to basics for Christian Dior’s haute couture autumn winter 2016 collection in Paris. The French fashion house has endured an unsettling period since Briton John Galliano’s dramatic exit in 2011, a situation that was not helped when Belgian designer Raf Simons departed in October 2015. However,  the appointment of Valentino co-designer Maria Grazia Chiuri as  the seventh couturier of Dior is widely expected shortly.

The Swiss studio directors Ruffieux and Meier concentrated on the essentials for haute couture, the craftsmanship of Dior’s ateliers. The collection was presented in the intimate couture salons at 30 Avenue Montaigne, the Parisian home to Dior’s couture operations and workshops. Gold leaf sheets adorned the chic white walls of the salons.

Canadian singer Céline Dion, French actress Marion Cotillard and supermodel Natalia Vodianova occupied the front row alongside LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault and Dior CEO Sidney Toledano.