Many creative minds have been fascinated by the theme of the circus: in 1938 designer Elsa Schiaparelli created an entire collection inspired by the circus that also featured an iconic pink jacket with novel buttons shaped like acrobats.
As a child, Federico Fellini often dreamed of running away with the circus, and the director went back again and again to figures borrowed from this world, including angelic and sad Gelsomina in "La Strada" and the main characters in his documentary "The Clowns".
Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's Creative Director, didn't literally reference these inspiration in her Haute Couture S/S 19 collection for the French house, but they were definitely at the back of her mind.
Fellini is a constant reference for many fashion designers, even when he is not directly mentioned, and the Dior garments included echoes of Schiap's "Circus" collection. The latter featured prancing horses, performing elephants, acrobats, tents and clowns, elements that also appeared on Dior's runway.
Yet there were also other circus references in the collection - from Avedon's iconic 1955 picture "Dovima With Elephants" to a 1950s' British newsreel showing a Dior catwalk at the Savoy Hotel in London announcing "The Dior Circus Comes to Town".
The collection, showcased in a circus tent in the garden of Musée Rodin in Paris during the local Haute Couture Week, opened with designs that called to mind the look of ringmasters, maybe referencing Michael Gracey's film "The Greatest Showman".
There were ringmaster-like pantsuits in red or black at times decorated with delicate gold frogging, plus greatcoats and cutaway tailcoats.
Acrobats from London's all-female all-body-shapes troupe Mimbre joyously performed their acts around the models, carefully balancing each other on their shoulders to physically represent the act of women supporting other women.
As the catwalk progressed the moods moved onto delicate Pierrot-like looks in black and white often matched with large ruffled collars, while Dior's Bar suit was adapted, transformed into a light and ethereal see-through ensemble. Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime and commedia dell'arte, so the Harlequin patterns (that perfectly matched with the flooring) and dresses worthy of his mistress Columbine didn't look out of place.
The looks that seemed to reference clown costumes were a way to tackle gender differences by considering the clown as a hybrid character, neither man or woman, but an ageless and asexual being (think Cindy Sherman and her clown portraits...).
This inspiration led to knitted striped playsuits and to designs covered in colourful satin ribbons matched with a nude bodysuit covered in tattoos, a play on the trope of old time circus strongmen (but there were further circus references in the jacket inspired by Chinese acrobats and in the dresses covered with sequins forming figures of monkeys and elephants).
Chiuri also borrowed some of the shapes and silhouettes for her clown designs from the iconic creations of the late Gérard Vicaire, who designed costumes for the most famous whiteface clowns around the world.
There were no coned hats though, but cute sequinned bonnets designed by Stephen Jones that fastened under the models' chins, other accessories included glittery boots and Mary-Janes.
The palette alternated between strong tones of red and black, colourful striped motifs inspired by the circus tents and dusty pastels such as powder pink, soft back and pale blue with metallic hints.
The more elegant looks came towards the end with gowns that seemed wowen from strips of organza, designs embellished with rhinestones or encrusted with sequins in the style of Gérard Vicaire, metallic plissé dresses, delicate dégradé gowns (maybe referencing Mad Carpentier's 1952 "Crépuscule" dress), while a crinoline gown pointed at animals in cages and maybe at constrictions that still trap many modern women.
And that was where you realised the collection wasn't just an ephemeral circus, but a metaphor to introduce other themes. The circus can be for example intended as a place of excesses and exuberance with a dark edge about it.
It hints indeed at our complicated world, in which we all have roles and perform our daily acts, at times feeling bold and strong, daring like acrobats, quite often feeling trapped and desperate like animals obliged to perform the same routine. Last but not least, the circus is a perfect metaphor for fashion.
"Can the circus still entertain?" wondered Fellini in "The Clowns". "Certainly the world to which it belonged no longer exists. The theatres transformed into circus rings, the glowing, ingenious sets, the childish naiveté of the public...they no longer exist. What remains of the old circuses? Subtle worn traces. And that's what we'll seek out."
Somehow Fellini's words can be applied to fashion. Can it still entertain? Probably yes, at the level of couture it certainly does, sure not many can afford it, but at least most of us are left with the dream.
Fellini stated in his essay "Why Clowns?" that the circus should have been rescued, defending it on the notion that it has brought with it lasting myths including "adventure, travel, risk, danger, speed and stepping into the limelight". Maybe Chiuri was telling us with this collection that also fashion should be rescued, at least until it's daring and dreamy, bright and bold, grand and glamorous.
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