Forget the "it" bag. With its haute couture collection of refined riding clothes, Dior on Monday invited the chic women of the world to saddle up and ditch their handbags for a truly useful accessory: the riding crop.
Christian Dior designer John Galliano looked to the lady equestrians of the 19th century - bold Amazons in nip-waisted jackets and flowing skirts - for a spring-summer 2010 collection of skirt suits in fine red and gray wool, worn with veiled top hats,
lace up boots with towering heels and, of course, whips.
Kylie Minogue, one of a gaggle of A-list guests, said she was sure such an accessory could come in handy. "I'm sure I could make a few moves with a riding crop," the pop star -dressed in a black-and-white check Dior dress - said.
Besides the equestrian garb - built on a variation of Dior's iconic Bar jacket, with heavily draped peplums - the collection also included short cocktail dresses covered in outrageous embroidery and jewel-toned ball gowns that had the long, stately silhouette of a John Singer Sargent painting.
Knockouts in the ravishing collection included a shell pink halter gown with a cascading train in tobacco-colored silk and an olive green halter jacket and draped pencil skirt, worn with fuchsia leather gloves and bracelets hung with dangling, egg-sized chunks of amber.
