Remember when Dior descended on Glasgow for a glamorous catwalk show in the 1950s?
The spotlight was on Scotland this week when models, A-listers and designers flocked to Perthshire for one of the biggest fashion shows of the year.
Dior’s Cruise 2025 catwalk show was held in the grounds of Drummond Castle, showcasing outfits with bursts of tartan, kilt-inspired gowns, Regency-era corsets and more.
Medieval tapestries and needlework by Mary Queen of Scots – who grew up in France - were just some of the ideas that made it onto the Instagram ‘vision board’ of the French fashion house, and Dior’s director Maria Grazia Chiuri enlisted the talents of Harris Tweed and Johnstons of Elgin to assemble the remarkable collection inspired by our heritage.
Jennifer Lawrence, Anya Taylor-Joy and Lily Collins were among the celebrities dressed to the nines and sitting front-row as models strutted to the sound of bagpipes.
It’s exciting to see such a star-studded event bring global attention to Scotland, but it’s not the first time – in fact, Dior descended on Glasgow twice.
The late Christian Dior hosted two shows in Glasgow, one in 1951 and 1955. He was said to have flown out a team including eight elegant models and 172 beautiful dresses from Paris to Glasgow, insuring the stunning collection for a whopping £60,000.
Lucky, Francine, Claire, Lia, Odile, Alla and Victoire (pictured) were among the models – or ‘mannequins’ as they were called at the time - chosen to wear the dresses at the shows.
The shows were hosted to raise money for Friends of France, a charity set up in Glasgow that organised exchange visits between schoolchildren in Scotland and France and raised an impressive £4000.
Christian Dior’s love of Scottish textiles has echoed through the ever-changing eras of the fashion industry, with the Cruise 2025 show in Perthshire this week featuring a tartan version of the ‘New Look’.
The ‘New Look’ was an iconic collection first launched by Dior in 1947 that featured a blazer with a cinched waist and a full, long skirt. Its name was adopted after Harper’s Bazaar editor Carmel Snow remarked at the time: “Christian, it’s such a new look! It’s revolutionary!”
Almost 80 years later and under a new director, the latest collection continues to emulate the sense of awe Mr Dior felt when he spent time in Scotland, his amazement to see the ‘parade of girls in their delicate evening dresses succeeded by Scottish reels danced by magnificent Scottish gentlemen in their kilts’.
A sea of tartan traipsing through a 17th-century castle dubbed the ‘Versailles’ of Scotland and recognised for its appearance in Outlander – we certainly made an impact on Christian Dior and the Dior name that has lasted generations.
Mr Dior was quoted in his autobiography as saying: "I lingered a little in Scotland. I had heard so much about its beauty that I had feared to be disappointed - on the contrary, I was even more struck by the beauty of the country, the castles, and the moors, than I had expected."
Do you remember the Dior show in Glasgow?
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here