An autumn evening in Giza, at the setting of the sun behind the great pyramid… As the light changes, silhouettes emerge from the desert, in motion, reflecting the colours of the sky, the landscape and the passage of time. In the collection, a gradation of grays gives way to the palette of the desert – from daytime to nightfall, with hints of a fiery sunset filtering in between. Behind all are the principles and rigour of the Dior archive past and the men’s atelier present, with a practised focus on pattern cutting. The collection absorbs the lessons of the past and applies them to the present and future: metamorphosing the feminine to the masculine in tailoring; uniting couture finishings with technical practicalities in outerwear; archival embroideries are transformed into futuristic armory; leather goods reinterpret luxury into a new, organic utility. In this living history, with a grounding in traditional savoir-faire united with excellence in contemporary, technical know-how, ease and fluidity are key; from the purposeful technical jacquard transparencies that reveal rigorous underpinnings in tailoring and outerwear; to the new, crin-like wool demi-kilts – originating from the bias pleated skirt of a Dior dress from the fifties called bonne fortune. While nothing is left to chance, nothing negates the need for comfort and practicality: the ultimate luxuries.