To the soundtrack of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg’s seductive Je T’aime Moi Non-Plus, Maria Grazia Chiuri turned to the 60s: the decade in which Christian Dior’s Miss Dior line was born as a younger, more affordable ready-to-wear line alongside the house’s couture. Grazia Chiuri saw this season as the perfect opportunity to reflect upon a time when clothes left the secrecy of the atelier and filtered into society en mass. Using Marc Bohan’s muse Gabriella Crespi as a focal point, Chiuri reimagined a generation of pioneering young women dressed head to toe in Dior.

Inside the show space, an installation crafted by Indian artist Shakuntala Kulkarni, whose work examines the female body’s place in the world, acted as the backdrop for Dior’s archive-inspired ensembles. Billowing A-line silhouettes cut a classic figure in belted trench coats alongside elegantly tailored two-piece suits and pleated skirts that brushed the calf. Cropped jackets and short skirts co-ords built a preppy uniform fashioned in heavy tweed, denim appeared wide-legged or faded and leather was given a leopard print makeover in a punchy accompaniment to an otherwise neutral colour palette. An array of this season’s designs were covered in Miss Dior’s spray paint iconography, appearing front and centre on everything from mini skirts to sharp-shouldered outwear.

Bringing the Maison’s storied heritage to the fore saw Chiuri deliver a parting ode to timeless elegance and sophistication as a series of glistening dresses closed the show, beaded sleeveless silhouettes danced along the runway, sheer encrusted gowns effortlessly hugged the body and gold tassels shimmered under the spotlight.