Eye on Dior: Jennifer Lawrence in Dior's Pre-Fall 2018 Campaign | Bernard Arnault Now Richest Man In Europe

Jennifer Lawrence continues her Dior love affair, appearing as the face of Dior's pre-fall 2018 campaign. Lawrence poses in relaxed, tailored looks designed by Maria Grazia Chuiri, Dior's creative director. 

More Maria Grazia Chiuri on Feminism

Since her appointment as the first female artistic director of Christian Dior in July 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri has been writing a new chapter in the storied house's history, using feminism and female empowerment as a platform for her own political ends.  “When I arrived, I decided to think about femininity in a way that is contemporary,” she says. “The women are different now.”

Simply stated, the Dior brand must extend far beyond cocktail dresses. And in an epic leap taken by very few luxury brands, Chiuri brings moral messaging into the topic of brand desirability. 

As customers have more information at their fingertips than ever before, Chiuri sees her responsibility to engage with them, while maintaining the core values of Dior. “Fashion used to only impose a point of view, now it has to be a dialogue," she explains.

The luxury industry is in a “strange” process of redefining itself, Chiuri tells Vogue UK. “For a brand like Dior, luxury means maintaining the craftsmanship and quality, but at the same time it's something a customer uses every day - not because it’s expensive, but because they really desire it.” 

To the celebrities pledging their allegiance to Chiuri’s Dior by wearing her feminist emblems (the logo tees, the protest knits, the berets), she says, “I’m happy that they use the visibility to support other women. I really believe that women supporting each other is the future.”

 

Dior's Embroidered Book Tote

The pre-fall season continues with new colorways in Dior's Embroidered Book Tote, first seen at the luxury brand's Spring/Summer presentation. Inspired by Mexican crafts, the summer version of the Embroidered Book Tote sports an almost hypnotic design. 

Handcrafted in Dior's Paris studio, each bag requires more than 32 hours of work, and over one million two hundred stitches.  The Christian Dior name is often replaced with the buyer's. 

Bernard Arnault Attends Trump and Macron's State Dinner

Maria Grazia Chuiri's boss. billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault finalized his purchase of all outstanding Christian Dior holdings in 2017, buying out all minority shareholders for about $13.2 billion. The consolidation of Dior, accompanied by a 10% growth in sales at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2017 make Bernard Arnault the richest man in Europe. 

Arnault and his wife Hélène attended US president Donald Trump's first official state dinner Tuesday night, with First Lady Melania Trump welcoming guests in a shimmery Chanel gown. In an unofficial celebration of French designers, France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron wore an ecru-colored long-sleeved gown from Louis Vuitton.  Read the details at New York Times