A Tarot Card Reader's Take on Dior Haute Couture

Spring 2021 Haute Couture kicked off this morning with a fantasy, courtesy of Maria Grazia Chiuri. The creative director of Christian Dior is dream-weaver, and this season, she turned to Tarot for inspiration. This isn't the designer's first go-round with Tarot; her debut collection for Dior in Spring 2017 featured a suite of sheer evening gowns embroidered with motifs from the deck, as did Resort 2018. This collection, however, took those occult motifs to the next level, merging dreams and spirituality with reality. Here, nuances of each card become life-like, in the form of fabrics, techniques, and embroideries, illustrated in a film collaboration with director Matteo Garrone.

As an ode to Grazia Chiuri's deep dive into the 72-card deck, we tapped astrologer and expert tarot reader Violetta Lazé for a closer look into the cards illustrated in the collection, and the stunning film that accompanied it. Here, why Grazia Chiuri likely chose the cards she did, what role they play in the tarot deck, and what it means to draw each of them—from the High Priestess to the oft-misunderstood Death card.