The Dior Fall 2024 Collection Is a Master Class in Merchandising

Ana Colón

27 February 2024 at 11:48 am·5-min read

Nothing gets people talking quite like a Dior show.

The French fashion house stages six womenswear runways a year: two for ready-to-wear, two for haute couture, one for pre-fall and one for cruise. And each one ignites discussion, whether it's fueled by the excitement around the high-wattage celebrity turnout or by Maria Grazia Chiuri's designs, which have historically been panned by critics and fashion commentators.

Regardless of the public's verdict on a show, though, Dior's doing well — very well: In the past few years, especially, LVMH has highlighted Christian Dior as a big revenue driver within its Fashion and Leather Goods business group, which saw 14% organic revenue growth in 2023. That's a feat in the luxury fashion market generally, but particularly impressive at such an uncertain time for the industry. So, the chasm between the industry's opinion on the brand's creative direction and the customers' embrace of it probably doesn't weigh very heavily on Chiuri or her bosses at LVMH. As long as the client loves it, right?

Chiuri's been at the helm of Dior for almost eight years now. Naturally, her design language has evolved as she got comfortable at the house and got to know her audience: Whereas those early collections were heavy on tulle, glimmer and fantasy, her more recent work has been more grounded — focused less on gowns and more on daywear in camel, navy, white and black, with a little leopard print thrown in for good measure.

What Chiuri's always had, though, is knack for kindling desirability, identifying a handful of pieces within the larger puzzle of the collection that capture the theme of the season but are easily digestible and identifiable as Dior. She found an early success with those "We Should All Be Feminists" T-shirts, and has continued to feed that hunger through branded toile and CD-emblazoned accessories. Her Fall 2024 collection, though, might be the strongest example of her ability to merchandize.

Presented on the runway in Paris on Tuesday afternoon, each look could be taken as-is, or the customer could break it down and pick choose the individual items that made sense for them. Some of the shapes Chiuri proposes, like the belted peacoats and the knee-length fitted skirts feel a bit dated, trend-wise, but the emphasis on separates means you can probably find something you like within the larger offering. Maybe you prefer something subtle, so you want a wool wrap coat, a shacket or a short-sleeved trench. Or perhaps you want people to know you're wearing Dior, so you go for one of the "Miss Dior" graffiti-like prints seen throughout the collection.

The "Miss Dior" motif is interesting: It's a nod to the hit fragrance, Marc Bohan's collection of the same name for the house and to the discontinued diffusion line. The latter was defined by a more casual feel and a focus on everyday pieces — which is very much the vibe of Fall 2024, with its lack of gowns and high heels. Is a comeback incoming?

Chiuri typically works with a female artist on her fashion shows; this season, she commissioned Mumbai-based Shakuntala Kulkarni, whose work often concerns body politics as they pertain to women. She created a series of sugar cane armor sculptures inspired by female warriors in India that stood at the center of the runway.

See every single look from Dior Fall 2024 below.