- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
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- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
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- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
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- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
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- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
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- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
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- De Bruyne out of Belgium Nations League squad
- Japanese trainer Yahagi hopes Shin Emperor achieves 50-year-old Arc dream
- UK's Starmer hails 'landmark' carbon capture funding
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Bosnia floods kill 14 people
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- Top EU court finds against FIFA in key transfer market ruling
- Top seed Sabalenka stunned by Muchova in Beijing last eight
Dior unveils 'protective' clothing for a time of crisis
Dior's show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday struck a sombre tone, with designer Maria Grazia Chiuri telling AFP her focus on combining "beauty and protection" was apt for a time of war.
The collection was put together long before the Russian military began bombarding Ukraine last week.
But with Dior's models sporting a range of protective gear -- from shoulder pads to airbag corsets to tops that looked distinctly like bulletproof vests -- it was hard not to think of the news from eastern Europe.
Even before the Ukraine conflict, "the world was already at war", said Chiuri, Dior's artistic director for women, ahead of the show.
"Covid was another form of war. We have all experienced some very difficult months," she said.
"There is a lot of reflection, in these difficult times, about how to combine beauty, aesthetics and protection."
The 58-year-old Italian designer said her latest creations were aimed at finding technical solutions that can be more functional for women's bodies.
They included a high-tech reworking of Christian Dior's most iconic creation, the Bar jacket.
In collaboration with an Italian motorbike accessories firm, D-Lab, the new jacket has its own internal heating system, combined with padded hips that give it a hypersexualised, futuristic look.
"Clothes are themselves a form of protection... they reassure us. That aspect is very present in what I do -- emotional protection as well as protection in its proper sense," she said.
A committed feminist, Chiuri sees the current crisis as further proof of the failings of a male-dominated society.
"The problem is cultural and patriarchal. There must be more women in decision-making positions. There would be fewer wars," she said.
The autumn-winter shows were supposed to mark Paris Fashion Week's return to near-normal, with almost all labels back to holding public events as pandemic restrictions ease across Europe.
But the war in Ukraine has cast a pall, with organisers issuing a statement on Monday urging attendees to experience the shows "with solemnity, and in reflection of these dark hours".
A.F.Rosado--PC