Corsets and high heels are making a comeback in women´s fashion with the "Dior" collection inspired by Catherine de´ Medici, after it took women centuries to break free from these restrictive pieces. Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of women´s collections at Italian "Dior" ´, told AFP that she was excited by the presence of "elements in the clothes" that suggest a royal atmosphere.
The Italian Catherine de´ Medici, who moved to the French royal court in 1533, was of short stature. She is the first to use high heels to make her look taller, and she worked to make her body tight.The shoes in the Dior collection are comfortable despite the high heels, and the geometric-shaped corset can be worn unaided over a shirt or "T-shirt".Dresses evoking baskets adjust to the body with adjustable straps that make them "functional" similar to what is known as "power clothing", the fashion for women´s fashion in the 1970s and culminating in the 1980s, and was intended to highlight women´s enjoyment of power.The corset, sometimes hidden and sometimes visible, creates a beautiful figure and is reminiscent of the voluminous skirts worn by the women at the court of Catherine de´ Medici.
Embroidery and lace, which the Italian aristocracy loved and imposed on the French royal factories, were strongly present in the collection.The show, which was accompanied by a dance show, was held in a pavilion that was converted into a cave in the Tuileries Garden where Catherine de Medici used to organize her concerts.
Dior brings corsets and high heels back into fashion
