There are few things on earth as spectacular as a couture show.  Well, I suppose you could count the Grand Canyon, The Eiffel Tower, or the view from Niagara Falls; but when it comes to fashion – couture is where the breathtaking moments are.

The beauty of couture is that is has no rules.  It does not have to be pretty, affordable, or functional.  Couture is wholly dependent on the whim of the designer and there are designers with some very avant-garde ideas. 

Take Christian Dior, for example.  His over-the-top floral theme was nothing short of amazing.  His models featured cinched waists with volumes of fabric over the hips. The outfits gave an obvious nod to flora to the point where some of them were simply constructed of fabric flowers.  The ladies strutted the catwalk that featured a massive, oversized floral display.  Before this backdrop, Dior’s models masquerading as flowers fit right in.  The effect was akin to an animated flower garden. The real showstoppers, however, were Dior’s massive floor-sweeping gowns.  Like the garments that preceded them, these also were cinched at the waist.  From there the fabric was fashioned into a massive circle skirt like a hoop skirt on steroids. 

One is so taken with this heady floral display that it is easy to forget the hair and makeup, which can be summed up in one word: dramatic.  Coifs towered precariously resembling the stamen of the flower but despite having vertical hair with an adorable top curl, not a single strand was out of place.  It was shaped, sculpted, and molded to perfection.  The eyes were adorned with fake lashes on the outer edges and surrounded by a vivid, angular block of color.  This overt eye shadow coordinated or complimented the outfits.  The lips were a gorgeous deep wine color and a flat matte. 

Dior managed to take a single element of nature – the flower – and reproduce it in all of its glory.  From the stamen to the petals, each part of the flower was conceptualized and reproduced artistically, yet remained recognizable.  Couture shows range from the artistic to the bizarre.  They are always interesting, but seldom beautiful.  Yet there is simply no other way to describe this stunning collection. It is truly beautiful. 

I wonder what inspired Dior to create this unique show.  Of course, the obvious answer is flowers, but I mean the layer that goes deeper than that.  Perhaps with the world at war, the oil spilling into the gulf, the recession dragging on, and the uncertainty of our futures, Dior simply wanted all of us to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.  To remember that even in the harshest climate or the tallest mountaintop, you can always see a flower bravely pushing from the earth with its face to the sun, bringing a little life to the darkest of situations.

To coin a phrase from their perfume campaign, J’adore Dior! I do adore Dior truly, madly, deeply, and now even more so after seeing this beautiful, inspirational floral masterpiece of a collection.