BLENHEIM PALACE, England (AP) – Dior returned Tuesday to England’s historic Blenheim Palace to unveil its Cruise collection in glamorous surroundings that evoked the distinctive days of Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent.
The show brought a modern, sassier Dior back to the site of earlier triumphs in 1954 and 1958, when shows attended by Princess Margaret introduced austere, post-war Britain to the style and beauty of French fashion at its finest.
Blenheim, traditionally the residence of the Duke of Marlborough, is one of England’s grandest palaces and was the birthplace of wartime leader Winston Churchill.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” said Randolph Churchill, Winston’s great-grandson, after the models had paraded through the stately home’s library. “For Dior to come back to Blenheim and put that sparkle makes it a great occasion. There were so many happy, excited faces.”
Standing next to a display of dresses first shown by Christian Dior at the 1954 show, Randolph said it was inspiring to see the classics of an earlier era.
“Today’s collection was cutting edge, enlightening,” he said. “These older ones are simple classic piece, everything you could ever want.”
The Dior design team said the new collection was meant in part to show “the conversation between France and England” – and indeed some of the pieces made references to British hunting styles, and countryside elegance, but overall the effect was more French than English.
Many of the pieces showed the classic Dior silhouette and workmanship.
Former model and human rights activist Bianca Jagger said the theme of interplay between France and England was particularly relevant as the June 23 referendum on British membership in the European Union nears.
“I love the idea of a dialogue between France and the U.K.,” she said. “It’s so fitting at the moment when we would like to stay in Europe. It’s important at all levels, cultural, economic, fashion. I just think we are all part of Europe and we want to stay together.”
Actress Emma Roberts took a more practical view: She loved the handbags.