Dior took to the Tuileries on Tuesday for its Fall/Winter 2023 ready-to-wear runway show, staged within a cavernous, surreal world rendered by the artist Joana Vasconcelos. The set bore stark contrast to the collection itself: Great, sequined, patterned orbs hung from the ceiling, swathing showgoers in a violet embrace. Vasconcelos derived their floral motifs from the luxury house’s archives, which would likewise go on to inform Maria Grazia Chiuri’s latest designs.

Where the venue was maximalist, the clothes were refined, taking inspiration yet again from the icons of Dior’s history: in this case, Édith Piaf, Juliette Gréco, and Catherine Dior—resistance fighter, and the founder’s sister. Naturally, this meant incorporating the codes of the 1950s, and distilling the timelessness of quintessential French style. Models dressed mostly in black-and-white, favoring traditional silhouettes: long pleated skirts, button-downs, thin ties, berets, trench coats, and heels paired with stockings. Reads a statement from Dior, “Celebrating the kaleidoscopic image of femininity drawn by powerful icons, inhabited by conscience, these creations suggest emotional paths to the new generations of women who are shaping our future.”