Each cruise season is an opportunity for Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri to spotlight an vital woman in history, as well as the country she comes from or represents. Past figures have included Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (for the label’s show last year in Mexico as part of Cruise 2024) and Carmen Amaya (for the Seville show in 2023). For Dior’s Cruise 2025, the brand’s innovative director sought inspiration from the notable half-French monarch of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots. To capitalize on the royal’s rebellious nature and documented love of tartan and highland clothing, Chiuri recruited local talent – particularly a notable Scottish designer Kilt.
Set in the 17th-century gardens of Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland, Dior’s latest iteration aimed to infuse fresh, up-to-date energy into the country’s customary style. IN recent interview With Fashion, Chiuri said Le Kilt founder Samantha McCoach was the perfect collaborator. “He’s a person who can translate a tradition and make it desirable again,” she explained to writer Sarah Mower. “It’s always challenging. And punk is one of the uses of tartan. And that’s always something I like.”
Punk indeed. Following the inaugural entry of local bagpipers, models marched up the castle’s notable steps in a variety of tartan dresses and ensembles in dynamic shades of purple, marigold and cherry red. Continuing with the bold aesthetic, Chiuri added embellished chokers and belt bags, as well as gumboot-style boots – likely a reference to the lush Scottish landscape, which is often dewy and muddy due to bulky rain and rainfall.
Chainmail, resembling medieval armor that a 16th-century Scottish knight might have worn, was imagined as bib-like tops worn over tartan corsets, hip-hugging capes, and floor-length dresses. Weighty combat boots and cut-out black leather gloves also signaled a military theme, referencing Scotland’s battle-filled history.
In a video posted on Dior’s Instagram, the author Clara Hunter explains Queen Mary’s love of embroidery and how she used it as “a form of rebellion and communication.” “to confirm her testimony” on quilts and tapestries during her 19 years of captivity in England, where her letter writing and access to visitors were restricted and closely monitored. On the Dior runway, this intricate form of storytelling was captured in floral work embellished with long, belted knit sweaters, a blanket coat with a detailed map of Scotland, and leather minidresses emblazoned with common derogatory words for female behavior such as “emotional”, “edgy”, “moody”. ” and “challenging.”
Ahead of us are the most vital moments of the Dior show in Scotland, which spontaneously paid tribute to the fearless and notable monarch of this country.
