Musing on the theme of sorority, the Dior FW19 show space – a specially constructed venue behind the Musée Rodin – was illustrated by a bold red grid that framed black and white images of women contorting to represent letters of the alphabet, dreamt up by Italian artist Bianca Pucciarelli Menna (who, during the 70s, went by the masculine pseudonym Tomaso Binga to parody privileges typically reserved for men). The naked figures drove guests to consider the nature of identity and how it can be enhanced or altered by clothing, a matter with which fashion will always be occupied. Talking in the space before the show, Menna stated that “the body speaks more than words”.

The first look spoke loudly, however, featuring a distressed ‘Sisterhood is Global’ T-shirt, citing the title of an anthology edited by American poet Robin Morgan, it rang with great resonance in the context of the current global political climate and riffed on Maria Grazia Chiuri’s penchant for politically charged slogan T-shirts. Remember that SS17 ‘We should all be feminists’ tee? Of course you do. Don’t get me Wrong by The Pretenders – penned by Chrissie Hynde – was an appropriate female-fronted accompaniment.

Each model donned a bucket hat trimmed with whisper-weight lace and lined with logo canvas, while heritage fabrics were reimagined, with tweed artfully gathered to form slender sweetheart bodices, cinched by wide black leather belts – a key accessory trend which cited the house’s iconic saddle bag – before falling to sweeping calf-length hems. Quilting nodded to comfort, and alongside frothy chiffon gowns with coordinating shorts to protect the wearer’s modesty, gestured towards future-facing femininity which refuses to compromise either grace or freedom.