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Cruise 2022 Collection

Designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Dior Cruise 2022 collection celebrates the eternal beauty of Greece. The silhouettes adopt a resolutely contemporary sportswear style, cuts are loose and supple, and motifs dare to mix and match boldly. An enchanting modern mythology combining past and present.

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5 Things To Know About Christian Dior’s Sporty Cruise 2022 Show In Athens

By Anders Christian Madsen

For her Dior Cruise 2022 show, Maria Grazia Chiuri took out the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens for a sporty proposal for life post-lockdown. Vogue fashion critic Anders Christian Madsen reports.

The show was set in the Panathenaic Stadium

“I’m interested in clothes as a way of giving freedom of movement,” Maria Grazia Chiuri said on a video call from Athens the day before her Dior Cruise show. After a year in domestic confinement, she felt the call of sports and decided to seek out its most original arena: the Panathenaic Stadium, built by the Ancient Greeks in 330 BC as a sporting ground for their beloved games and astute appreciation of movement. “I wanted to make a collection for women today,” she said. “Women want freedom, especially after this long lockdown. That’s what we desire: to move our bodies.” The show – which was mainly attended by local guests due to ongoing travel restrictions – fused Greek cultural heritage with the legacy of Christian Dior through the lens of Chiuri’s inspired union of sportswear and savoir-faire, and culminated in a Leda-inspired swan dress to rival Björk.

Maria Grazia Chiuri has a bond with Greece

Chiuri first went to Greece with friends after graduating high school. “We visited all the antiquities together, without money, in a car. It was super fun,” she recalled. Here, she recognised the genetics between Ancient Greek culture, her own Roman upbringing, and her father’s Apulian heritage. “I come from Roma , don’t forget. Around me, the reference of Greece is everywhere, on every statue. It’s my background,” she said, noting how traces of Greece are still strong in the Puglia region where she owns a house not far from Grecia Salentina, home to the Griko people who speak Italiot Greek. If not home turf, those facts made the Panathenaic Stadium something of a comfort zone for Chiuri, whose collection exercised her knack for real clothes rooted in the bulletproof silhouettes of the ancient world.

The collection was about movement and freedom

Inspired by an archive picture of a model wearing a Christian Dior outfit in the Acropolis, Chiuri set out to adapt the formal lines of her house’s founder with a sportier, more contemporary sensibility. She relaxed the construction of the Bar Jacket and re-energised it with technical fabrication, elevated athleisure with couture-level techniques, and handed her spotlight to the ancient peplos, a Grecian dress type – and a Chiuri all-time favourite – which you might call the world’s first-ever wardrobe staple. Along with a series of white suits in homage to Marlene Dietrich (Chiuri had fallen in love with a photograph of her dressed up as the Greek heroine Leda), the collection was a study of contemporary wardrobe through the unclichéd binoculars of ancient history.

Dior commissioned a string of local talent

As her Cruise tradition dictates, Chiuri enlisted a number of local craftsmen to work on the collection. Fisherman’s caps were created by Atelier Tsalavoutas, purveyor to the real fishermen of Hydra, while the tailor Aristeidis Tzonevraki crafted a Book Tote and a Bar Jacket through his unique embroidery method, and Silk Line – a factory based in Soufli, known for its silks – adapted Dior’s houndstooth. The artist Christiana Soulou drew seven female figures from Greek mythology, which Chiuri immortalised in jacquards in the folds of dresses, and the Los Angeles-based Greek musician Ioanna Gika read a poem during the show.

Chiuri wanted to convey the true character of Greece

Asked how she convinced the Greek state to let her show in the Panathenaic Stadium, Chiuri said it was simple. “I asked. I gave them my project. Honestly, I think what we did in Lecce was helpful. They knew I was interested in many different aspects of the country,” she said, referring to last summer’s Dior Cruise show, which celebrated Apulian culture. “Greece and Athens have a huge history. I had to study a lot. In this case, it was very hard because the reference of Greek culture is really the reference of the West. When you look at it now, it’s completely different from when I was studying Greek culture in school,” Chiuri reflected. “I don’t understand why, in school, everybody talked to me about Odysseus but never how much cleverer Penelope was.”

By Kate Finnigan

By Alice Newbold

By Laura Hawkins

What to Expect from Dior’s Cruise 2022 Show at Athens’s Panathenaic Stadium Tonight

Dior’s spring 2020 couture collection was inspired by Greco-Roman peplos. Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com

Athens, Greece is gearing up for the unveiling of Dior ‘s Cruise 2022 collection by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri tonight. The “Croisière 2022” collection will be showcased on a runway at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, also known as the Kallimarmaro, to some 400 international guests. Besides being broadcast live worldwide on television and via social media, Dior is also planning to also broadcast the event live in public areas in Soufli and Kalamata. The two Greek towns have inspired the fashion house and connected it to local textiles and materials. In Athens, the event will be broadcast in Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

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Dior has a long, beloved history with Greece. The French house’s first step onto Greek soil was 70 years ago for its photoshoot for the French-language weekly news magazine  Paris Match . Set at the Acropolis of Athens, it featured the fall 1951 “Longue” haute couture collection captured by photographer Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini.

“Greece is a country that has been always close to my heart,” Chiuri told WWD . “From mythology to the ‘Odyssey’ and from architecture and philosophy to priceless crafts, Athens for me represents a dream destination for staging a show and celebrating, more than ever, the magic and the transmission of cultures,” she added.

Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Photo: Getty

Blending tradition and modernity, the Dior Cruise collection will highlight the ancient Greek aesthetic values of light (phos) and beauty (kallos). Dedicated to the ongoing bicentennial celebrations marking the Greek 1821 War of Independence, “Dior Celebrates Greece” will depict Greece as the birthplace of civilization and promote Greek traditions, craftsmanship, and expertise worldwide with fashion events and ten photoshoots at major famed Greek archaeological sites, including the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Agora of Athens, the temple of Poseidon, and the temple of Zeus.

The grand couturier will pay tribute to Greece with a week full of events until June 22, promoting works of local artists, craftsmen, musicians, and technicians. The maison de couture will further join forces with Greek creators specializing in the arts of weaving and embroidery with local textiles and materials, as well as in pottery and jewelry.

Stay tuned and make sure to follow @VogueArabia for more updates straight off the runway.

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Christian Dior Cruise 2022 Ready-to-Wear Women’s Collection

Shannon adducci, style director.

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Review of Dior Cruise 2022 Fashion Show

A Smorgasbord of Antiquity, Art, and Artisanship Filled A Stadium of Ease and Sporty Clothes

By Long Nguyen

In 1951, the Franco-Swiss journalist and photographer Jean Pierre Pedrazzini photographed eight models wearing Christian Dior Autumn-Winter 1950-1951 collection in the Erechtheion temple on the north side of the Acropolis with the Caryatids as a backdrop for the magazine Paris Match . 

Maria Grazia Chiuri’s choice of these Paris Match photographs depicting the clothes from the Autumn-Winter 1951 collection as a departure point for this cruise show wasn’t a surprise given the propensity in this cruise show towards the sleek sportswear feels permeating throughout the entire collection. The designer made these clothes as light and as airy as possible to enhance the freedom of movements essential in sports. 

I don’t think it’s just a matter of silhouette. The images of the great photographer Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini for “Paris Match” document a return to the origins of beauty, a reflection on perceptions, proportions, on harmony that only the encounter between the body and draped fabric generates. It seems very interesting to me today to recover an experience that defines a specific moment in the Dior heritage and to translate it into the House’s present. It is a way to take disparate fragments, piece them together, and understand the cultural value of each clothing choice. And I think that this looking to the future with an eye on the past is reflective of the way I design. – Maria Grazia Chiuri, via Zoom in explaining the meaning of her choice of these photos from 1951

Christian Dior’s Spring-Summer 1951 ‘Ovale’ collection featured less volume with pleating work creating the oval shapes that focused the body’s natural lines. It was the beginning of a departure from his established ‘New Look’ with the famed nipped waistlines and generous proportion skirts into clothes based more on sharp geometric lines. The Autumn-Winter 1951-1952 ‘Ligne Longue’ collection, in the Paris Match feature, offered in contrast with the lengthened and much narrower silhouette. 

When the creative director spoke last September from Paris about the Spring 2021 collection that emphasized less of the couture constructions, Chiuri mentioned creating a new Dior silhouette, one with less focus on the famed tailored nipped waist silhouettes. Then, the designer took a drawing of the Diopaletot jacket for the Autumn-Winter 1957 made for a special unveiling in Japan at the time. The Dior Palto jacket was slightly loose with versatile closure – belted or knotted – set the tone for clothes a year ago freer from restrictive sculptural volumes.

Staged at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Chiuri’s models strolled in the darkness just after sunset, lighted by bright white spots in a collection of looser shapes and sportswear clothes led by the opening look of a light tan cotton strappy jumpsuit with drawstrings waistband. A white loose-fitted Bar pantsuit followed, outlining the contrast and the mix of the couture-sport axis. 

The unconstructed white single breast jacket paired with matching knee-length running shorts or a white silk asymmetrical one-sleeve dress are the types of clothes deliberately built away from the body. Instead, models wore them with white leather sneakers or knee-high boots instead of athletes in their high-tech sports gears on the running tracks. Herbert List 1930s black and white photographs, taken in Greece, inspired these white dresses.

In the Hellenist classical era, the peplum was a long tube of fabric draped and tied at the waist, creating a fold of fabric on the upper body and cinch for the peplum shape and volume. Here, in these Dior versions for 2022, the Grecian dresses are soft, even sporty, with a silver one-shoulder strap dress worn over a white tee shirt. The mixture of open and close peplos results in the white pleated asymmetrical fold strappy dress, all worn with a sheer tulle light embroidered tee-shirt underneath. 

Mixing in between these more polished couture clothes are vibrant blueprint sweats and parkas. A future bestseller will be the blue Dior logo crop vest, logo tee short, matching logo short, and logo leggings. Oh and surely these new sneakers. 

The black leather corset vest, white shirt, and long shorts recalled the fencing looks that Chiuri sent out in Paris for her debut Dior show for Spring 2017. The draping and tying of the white, the light green embroidered or the silver pleated cowl neck, or strapless white Grecian chiffon dress with gold belts reminisced the Spring 2020 haute couture show. But, then, these ancient Greek peploi find new life than shown inside the art piece created by Judy Chicago, and now, on the black running track of the Panathenaic Stadium. 

Built initially with marble as a racetrack by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos around 330 B.C. primarily for the Panathenaic Games and enlarged in 144 A.D. by the Athenian senator Herodes Atticus to a 50,000 seats capacity venue, the Panathenaic Stadium hosted the Olympics Games of the modern era in 1896 and again 2004. 

For this cruise show, the artist and creative designer Alexandre de Betak transformed the stadium into a majestic nighttime extravaganza spectacle site. Soft lighting around the seating area and a straight line row of wood-burning bonfire down the middle of the stadium ended at the oval shape stage where the 55 member band played live music. The runway ran more than 500 meters long as a black running track with 400 lights, 20 braziers, and flags at the top of the stadium. 

Under Chiuri’s stewardship, art and artists are integral to any Dior collections.

I think it is a way to remember that fashion and the arts are distinct disciplines but that they share and define a common horizon, that of contemporary visual culture. I believe it offers a way to constantly redefine standards of beauty, and to set reflections on today and on our identities, through practices ranging from traditional craftsmanship to the more abstract forms associated with the visual arts. – Maria Grazia Chiuri, on how art and fashion are always interrelated

Chiuri said of how art and fashion are always interrelated. 

Giorgio di Chirico deliberately placed objects within a painting with no relationship to each other in real life. For example, in one of the artist’s known paintings – 1914 The Song of Love – he combined an orange surgical glove, a Greek white marble head, a green stone ball, and parts of the Coliseum. Chiuri chose this Greek-born Italian artist and writer for his masterful blending of unrelated things, altering reality and surrealism by alluding to hidden meaning beyond the immediacy of apparent appearances.  

The Berlin collective Honey Suckle Company created a montage juxtaposing images of art and fashion blended with music by the Greek musician and artist Eleni Poulou. These short video teasers took di Chirico’s heterogeneous paintings into the contemporary social media-friendly platform, displaying clothes mixing couture, athleticism, and antiquity dress, setting the atmosphere for the actual show. The singer Greek-American Ionna Gika performed live for the show in white tulle and lace leather-tiered sheer dress over a white bodysuit and a black chest belt. 

The Italian artist Pietro Ruffo created sketches of these body silhouettes in blue patterns on pants and sweat jackets. Iolas was a pioneer promoter in modern art, giving the American artist Andy Warhol his first gallery show and the last major commission based on Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

He took inspiration from the collection of Hellenist vases decorated with drawn bodies of athletes of the era once owned by Alexander Iolas, the global gallery owner and collector, at his home in Athens in the suburb of Agia Paraskevi (Villa Iolas). The silhouettes of the ancient athlete bodies grace the print on a white pullover anorak. 

Ruffo has collaborated with Dior on many of the previous collections, including painting the fresco for the fall-winter 2017 haute couture stage as a star-shaped amphitheater overhead cover and recreating the tarot cards the Spring 2021 haute couture film. 

The house’s history and the histories of Greek family artisans, together weaving a new record in the traditional Greek silks using a jacquard loom destined for younger women worldwide. 

The Greek tailor and embroiderer Aristeidis Tzonevrakis from the Peloponnese region in southern Greece embroidered a classic white Bar shirt collar jacket with a pleated skirt and the book tote. Silk Line, a factory in Soufli known for its silk industries in the Thace region, wove the stripes and houndstooth using old techniques to make the white and blue stripe double breast crop jacket with cuffed wide-leg pants. The Athenian Atelier Tsalavoutas made the iconic fisherman cap combining ancient and new technology with the cap with a braid made by NE.M.A, the atelier dedicated to preserving passementerie techniques worn in the show with a nautical stripe jacket and navy pants. The Greek artist Christiana Soulou drew female mythological figures made into jacquard in the folds of the dresses. 

Today, building a community is essential and critical for fashion. Investing in local culture and local manufacturing is an intelligent initiative for a global brand. Dior cruise’s collections under Chiuri have been a pioneer in this engagement to highlight traditional and local artisanal methods from Southern California to Southern Italy and now Greece. 

It isn’t just reconnecting different cultures from ancient Greek to the traditions in art and in a fashion that still survive today. Instead, it relinks the history and heritage of Dior, transposing memories from a distant era to the rapid-paced digital world. The primary intention is to envelop the present by transporting a moment in Dior’s fashion past capture in photographs seventy years ago into Dior in 2021. Thus, the house’s history is transmitted for the younger generations, not as disposed to historical learning. 

But, catering to the younger audience means adopting the kinds of habits of these kids. In this respect, how a significant heritage brand like Dior continues its reinvention each season to satisfy the hordes populating all over social media seeking the types of relevance usually not equated to brand heritage or history. How then to engage this fast-paced generation without being pedagogic? 

Chiuri’s answers are to approach the actual clothes by emphasizing their easiness in terms of the looser shapes and adamant in the connections to Dior’s history.  

Yet, these light, airy and movements o cruise clothes that denote a sense of a sure celebration of freedom seem that Chiuri is still working within the confines of history, of having to equate her strong work constantly injecting a bit of the past. As the title of the photo book – Her Dior – composing images from leading women photographers shooting the different collections that Dior released in March with Rizzoli spell out succinctly, it is her Dior now. In this literal sense, this collection affirms another step towards this independence. 

Does the targeted young generation even worry about heritage anymore, however lofty the goals are to preserve and enhance history, or do they see the clothes, sneakers, and bags as presented are right for them?

A case in point is that the Dior Men x Sacai image dropped less than a week ago for merchandise available this November. The capsule indeed has the Sacai design signature where Chitose Abe, the founding designer, has perfected her vocabulary of hybridization since launching her label in Tokyo in 1999. The clothes feel more Sacai than Dior Men, save perhaps for the floral imprint on a loose ecru jumper-sweat top paired with short loose work pants. The intended audience for this drop cared for is the look of the merchandise and how they can incorporate these looks Dior Men x Sacai merchandise into their routines. Less of primary concern is the historical heritage of Dior and Sacai inherent in these merchandise. 

Rather than the preponderance of heritage in choosing the right garments and accessories, it is the familiar visual style shared by the youths’ respective communities that may matter a great deal. 

The show could benefit from slight editing of the looks shown. However, given the superb and giant location, the many outfits shown were perhaps a necessity. 

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Dior Cruise 2022

Courtesy of Dior

16 spiritedly athletic looks from Dior Cruise 2022

By Anders Christian Madsen

17 June 2021

Maria Grazia Chiuri took her Dior Cruise 2022 show to a birthplace of sports, the Panathenaic Stadium, where Ancient Greeks worked up a sweat circa 330 BC

When a lockdown whim compelled Maria Grazia Chiuri to rearrange the furniture in her Paris apartment to make space for a pilates machine, she was responding to an instinct as old as time. “Sport is movement, sport is freedom. During lockdown, you would walk around your building just to get a sense of moving your body. That became our idea of freedom,” she said on a video call from Athens.

Her confinement reflections took her Dior Cruise 2022 show to a birthplace of sports, the Panathenaic Stadium, where Ancient Greeks worked up a sweat circa 330 BC. “I decided to show here because I’m interested in clothes as a way of giving freedom of movement,” Chiuri explained, echoing our post-pandemic desires. A reminder that restrictions are by no means history, ongoing travel complications meant that her show was largely attended by local press and clients, who were treated to a Greco-electro performance by the Greek-American singer Ioanna Gika.

In her first focused study of sportswear, Chiuri bridged the technical properties of the sporty genre with the couture-informed craftsmanship normally viewed as its polar opposite. Clean, cream activewear walked the stadium’s 185-metre laps, occasionally interrupted by sweats elevated with abstract prints. Searching for a tailored answer to that same feeling, Chiuri paid homage to Marlene Dietrich’s white suit, a reference prompted by an old photograph of the icon dressed up as Leda (who made her own cameo in a Björk-tastic swan dress at the end). Chiuri exercised her de- and reconstruction of Christian Dior’s old tropes, athleticising the Bar Jacket by removing its lining and sportifying its fabrication. For all its oversized white trainers, this wasn’t really about sportswear, though, but about the desires that make us adapt sporty cuts and fabrics into our everyday wardrobes.

Part of a new generational spirit is a lack of patience with complicated fashions. Instead, young people imbue conventional dress codes with an expectation for comfort and ease. That territory is a walk in the park for Chiuri—or make that a sprint! Values of functionality, movement, and comfort are ingrained in her cultural inheritance and her practice at Dior. “I come from Roma, don’t forget. Around me, the reference of Greece is everywhere, on every statue. It’s my background,” she said. Those genetics were never more pronounced than in the peplos dresses that epitomised the collection. They are a constant in Chiuri’s work, but at the Panathenaic Stadium she found the most authentic stage to examine just why she loves this most original garment—the mother of all dresses—so much. She worked the peplos that opened the show like a parachute dress, sportifying it with drawstrings and drawing a contrast to the classic Hellenic dresses that closed the show.

Tackling her destination show, Chiuri said she wanted to avoid Greek clichés. As part of the exhaustive studies that underpin Dior shows like these, she toured sites from Knossos to Delphi in search of authentic approaches. She found her answer in the community collaborations that traditionally weave through her destination shows, inviting a string of local artisans to work on the collection. The tailor Aristeidis Tzonevraki created a Book Tote and a Bar Jacket using a unique method through which the items are structured by way of embroidery. The Soufli-based factory Silk Line interpreted Dior’s houndstooth in silk leggings and shorts using its signature jacquard loom. And Atelier Tsalavoutas Dior-ified caps worn by the fishermen of Hydra since the 19th century.

Asked if Greece and its ancient silhouettes weren’t ideal references for a cruise collection, Chiuri smiled. “Everybody thinks of Greece and Italy in terms of holidays… But our research was really big in terms of the history of Greece. We worked to show how important this time was, not least for the 20th century.” That approach matched her personal history with the country. She first visited on an educational tour with friends after graduating high school, and more recently three years ago on a holiday with her husband. “Only to see antiquities, not the sea,” she clarified, laughing. “My husband can’t stay on a beach. After an hour, he’s done. We have to see something.” Movement, after all, is freedom.

This article was originally published on Vogue . 

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Dior’s Revisit of Greece: Cruise 2022 Collection

Erol Degirmenci 15 May 2023 min Read

Ria Mort, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection featuring Parthenon, Athens, Greece. Greece Is .

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The fashion industry’s deep interest in Ancient Greek aesthetics is not some recent fad. Many of the leading fashion houses have been integrating the visual elements of antiquity in their products and line-ups for a long time, and Christian Dior is one of them. Of course, major fashion brands often have their runway shows in an extravagant manner where they share what they have designed with the public, media, and fashion coteries. After 70 years, Dior revisited Athens and conducted its show along with a series of photoshoots in various archaeological sites. In this article, we will take a general look at the collection and question the practice of letting brands temporarily occupy important archaeological sites.

The Inevitable Cycle

Elina Kechicheva, Artemis, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece. Barefootdutches .

Dior introduced its inter-season collection— Cruise 2022 , in June 2021 in Athens, Greece. The collection’s artistic characteristics and aims were shaped and orchestrated by Italian fashion designer and Dior’s current creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. One might ask, “Why did Dior pick Athens to stage the show, and why did they decide to derive inspiration from Ancient Greek aesthetics?” Well, I’ll provide you with my subjective answer. Whether the subject is fashion, architecture, literature, or art, when we engage in any artistic creation or pondering process, we are often drawn to a few specific periods and locations in history, and one of them is undoubtedly Ancient Greece . With its timeless and unwavering aspects, this era stands in our history like one titanic and sempiternal muse who is always there for minds seeking a starting point in their creation course that does not lack beauty. It is why eight models posed for photojournalist Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini for Dior on the Acropolis of Athens in 1951, and after 70 years, it occurred in 2021 again.

Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini, Campaign for Dior Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 1951 featuring Parthenon, Athens, Greece. Bangkok Post .

Ria Mort, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection featuring Erechtheion, Athens, Greece. ZOE Magazine .

Expectedly, the most common traditional ancient Greek garments, such as peplos and chiton, formed the mainstay of Chiuri’s designs. A peplos is a sewn tubular-shaped piece that was exclusively worn by women. The top layer of the peplos would be draped at the waist, which created the illusion of two-piece attire. On the other hand, a chiton sometimes consisted of two pieces or was one big rectangular cloth worn by both men and women. Depending on the style, it was supported by a belt and various clips. When we look at the pieces worn by the models, obviously the Ancient Greek influence is apparent, but along with that, we also see various important design choices to maintain modern comfort and aesthetics. Chiuri beautifully managed to render her creations up to date without overly diminishing the influence of ancient perspectives. In some cases, the structure of the piece has a vague connection to antiquity, but even in those instances, Chiuri implemented ancient Greek motifs or the portrayal of a figure—such as the goddess Athena — on the piece. In this way, she overcame the constraint of the past and was still able to present a modern creation that harmonized with an ancient narrative in possible forms.

The Greek Touch

Myrto Papadopoulos, Photo of Aristeidis Tzonevrakis, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece. Aeworld.

While utilizing Dior’s resources and her years of experience to create this collection, Chiuri also greatly relied on the craftsmanship of notable Greek artisans. This was both a practical and meaningful decision because their mark would bear the region’s cultural and artistic heritage, and without it, the collection could not attain its true potential. One of these artisans was Aristeidis Tzonevrakis , a tailor and embroiderer based in Argos, Peloponnese. With his beautiful approach to embroidery, which has both motifs from the mainland and the islands, Tzonevrakis worked on a jacket and Dior Book Tote (a signature bag introduced by Chiuri). The other atelier/factory with which Chiuri collaborated was Silk Line established in Soufli near Evros River. The small town is famed for its long past in the quality linen industry. Silk Line contributed to the collection by using their unique silk weaving techniques that include creating a Jacquard Loom.

Myrto Papadopoulos, Family-owned atelier Tsalavoutas working on caps, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Piraeus, Athens, Greece. Delood .

The family-owned atelier, Tsalavoutas , located in Piraeus, Athens, was also onboard. Established in 1936, this atelier is famous for manufacturing one specific thing; authentic Hellenic fisherman’s caps. Starting from the 19th century and onwards, this historic accessory was able to embrace ancestral and modern techniques within a single garment. Besides these crafters, Chiuri collaborated with Greek artist Christiana Soulou and Italian artist Pietro Ruffo . Soulou drew well-known female figures from ancient Greek literature and myths such as Arachne, Ariadne, and Penelope, whose tales converge with the acts of transformation and adaptation. She also drew more subtle and abstract designs where the figures were represented by single colors and portrayed as they were in motion. Soulou briefly describes her art with these sentences:

--> My drawings will never be seen in their entirety. Only fragments will be seen. You can only approach truth through the things that you do not fully say or show. Christiana Soulou -->

  On the other hand, Ruffo contributed to the collection by depicting female athletes from certain ancient Greek vases . He also redesigned the Dior star, which is a dear talisman for the fashion house.

Beauty Captured

Giovanni Giannoni, Three models posing in the Panathenaic Stadium, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Athens, Greece. GRAZIA .

Of course, all of these beautiful pieces had to be captured by talented photographers and directors, so the world could appreciate the essence of what was collaboratively created. For the main show of the collection and Dior Magazine No.36 (from Dior to Greece), the fashion house worked with terrifically talented female photographers— Elina Kechicheva , Ria Mort , Mara Desipris , Efi Gousi , and Ioanna Sakellaraki— to conduct a series of photoshoots in different locations of Greece including Athens, Milos, and Ancient Nemea. I was lucky enough to ask one of these talented photographers— Ioanna Sakellaraki —about her experience and the work that she undertook for Dior. Here’s how she explained her work:

“In my images for the Cruise 2022 collection, I experiment with scale, form and monumentality through a play of mirrors, aiming at composing time-sequenced moments of architectural and sculptural realities, as manifested through the dialogue of the female silhouette with the Greek landscape on the volcanic island of Milos. Inspired by mythological personas and enigmatic female figures in the works of surrealist painters such as Giorgio de Chirico and Paul Delvaux, I aimed at retracing such visual narratives in Greek antiquity rediscovering womanhood through archetypes, symbols, allegories and forms.”

Ioanna Sakellaraki, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece, Courtesy of the Artist. Dior’s website .

“The original idea of the mirror came from the initial stages of my research around the ancient Greek sculpture of Venus of Milo of the Hellenistic period and the various attempts to restore the statue whose arms are broken. Multiple restorations deny the authenticity of the right hand holding an apple while other creators who exercise more freedom in their reconstruction work, depict Venus holding a shield on her knee and writing on it. Others assume that her right hand is holding a mirror, while others who claim that there is no need to interpret the statue as Venus, believe that it is Victory and place wreaths in her hands.”

“This fragmentary approach to the anatomy of the statue led me to envision images of a body performing beyond boundaries, embracing variations of femininity in a universe of noble expression through nature and form. My initial ideas were further enhanced once in the real site interacting with the ethereal fabrics and accessories in the collection, beautifully worn by the muse Nassia I worked with. The collection itself inspired me to look into how garments go beyond traditional use leading to the continuous rediscovery of femininity and female creation in past and present forms.”

Additionally, Dior truly distinguished itself in its cinematography and filmmaking departments. So far, four collection-specific videos were shared; two campaign videos ( first and second ), one behind-the-scenes video that solely focuses on Magazine No.36 , and an hour-long documentary that narrates the origin story of the collection. Each of these videos was directed by the following prominent names: Fabien Baron , Benjamin Vu , and Marianna Economou . If you happen to take a look at these ethereal videos, an angelic voice can be heard in two of them. This voice belongs to Ioanna Gika , a Greek artist who also appeared on the collection’s show with a fascinating orchestra.

You can also watch the entire show which took place in the historic Panathenaic Stadium below:

Some Food for Thought

Julia Hetta, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece. Dior’s website.

The Panathenaic Stadium was not Dior’s initial choice of location to execute the show; the fashion house’s goal was to stage the entire show at the Acropolis of Athens itself. It was clearly a bold request as the National Archaeological Council and Ministry of Culture rejected the proposal. In fact, in 2017, Gucci made the same request to perform a fashion show on the Acropolis, but the authorities’ stance was firm back then as well. After negotiations, Dior was only allowed to conduct photoshoots on the Acropolis, and the main show was to be staged in the Panathenaic Stadium. Additionally, the fashion house was allowed to conduct photoshoots in the Ancient Agora, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion, and the Temple of Zeus in Nemea. Chiuri also acquired the necessary permissions to observe Knossos, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Akrotiri in Santorini, Delphi and Eleusis thoroughly, to enhance her vision even more prior to the show.

Julia Hetta, Campaign for Dior Cruise 2022 Collection, Greece.  Dior’s website .

By introducing the Cruise 2022 collection in Athens, Dior brought direct revenue to Greece, where a considerable amount of the revenue is expected to be spent towards the preservation and restoration of the national cultural and historical heritage. According to various sources, the fashion house paid over a million euros for permits. In other words, this was the price of reviving the neoclassical spirit within Dior. Thus, they were able to pay homage to the iconic 1951 photoshoot on the Acropolis, which featured an haute couture collection for the French magazine, Paris Match . Now, the question we ought to ask ourselves is whether opening the archaeological sites to these kinds of fashion houses is detrimental to the well-being of the sites or not. Should there be discussions regarding the ethicality of letting corporations occupy such important sites temporarily? In my humble opinion, as long as they are supervised by experts in the field, we should not prevent the beauty that they have been creating; for our world is always in need of more pleasing aesthetics.

What do you think about this, dear reader? Let me know in the comment section!

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Parent item expand the sub menu, roberto cavalli dead at 83, nike brings brand power to paris, golf is getting younger and cooler — and the fashion is reflecting it, dior opens its fifth store in mexico city.

The new men's store is a shop-in-shop at department store El Palacio de Hierro Polanco.

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For almost 10 years now, Dior has had a women’s store in the upscale neighborhood of Polanco in Mexico City.

Now it has added a men’s shop-in-shop to complement the women’s collection housed separately at the legendary El Palacio de Hierro department store, one of the top shopping venues in the city.

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In the Polanco location, sleek modern designs are seen throughout. Near the store’s entrance is a black marble table from Italian design firm Agapecasa, placed atop a gray and blue carpet created by Tai Ping, the famous Hong Kong rug company founded in 1956. The table displays the Maxi Gallop backpack from the permanent Dior collection as well as Combat Derby shoes from the spring 2024 season. Sleekly designed Armenio armchairs sit at the side of the outpost.

Dior has had ties to Mexico since Christian Dior’s first collection in 1947, which had an evening gown he named “Mexico” in a lemon and lilac pattern. The relationship between Dior and El Palacio de Hierro began in 1950 when the famous Mexican film actress María Félix used to shop the house’s designs there. Women’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri presented the Dior Cruise show in Mexico Coty on 2023.

Dior currently has five stores in Mexico, all in Mexico City — Plaza Artz Women, Plaza Artz Men, men’s and women’s at El Palacio de Hierro Polanco and a women’s store at El Palacio de Hierro Santa Fe.

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Dior’s Pearl Eye Makeup Is the Ultimate Summer Beauty Statement

By Lauren Valenti

We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.

Tonight inside the iconic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Maria Grazia Chiuri helped the world get into the spirit of the forthcoming Olympic Games and unveiled Dior's Cruise 2022 collection . Drawing from its ancient surroundings, the collection reimagined traditional Grecian dress through a decidedly modern, sportif lens. “Sport is movement, sport is freedom," Chiuri told Vogue ahead of the show. Echoing the mash-up of classic and modern seen between the diaphanous, draped white dresses and boldly printed activewear sets and sneakers was the show's embellished beauty look, which hinged on pearls—and lots of them.

"You can easily go holiday on ice if not careful," laughed makeup artist Peter Philips about working with the pearl face decals. He used them to adorn eyes in a couple of different artful variations, ranging from "simple and classic" with delicate pearl drops placed on the inner corners of the eyes to more dramatic, with neat rows of pearls arranged along the upper and lower lashlines to frame the entire gaze. Further cementing the trend of faux piercings on the runway, there were also a slew of metallic stud pressings along the bridge of the nose and above the Cupid's bow.

Referencing one of Chiuri's muses for the show, late Greek art dealer Alexander Iolas, who was known for introducing the greats of Surrealism to America, Philips said the pearlescent eye designs were ultimately a nod to the 20th century avant-garde movement and symbolism of the Greek eye. "One of the most iconic things about Greek culture is the Greek eye," explains Philips. "It will protect you and give you good luck. It's a surrealist take on the Greek eye according to each individual model’s eye shape and overall look." In the same spirit, hairstylist Guido Palau punctuated the hair partings of different model hairstyles, from curvy bobs to rumpled updos, with gleaming strands of pearls that flashed from the front and back.

To balance out the eclectic embellishments, Philips kept the rest of the makeup look refreshingly pared-back. "Beautiful, luminous, easy," is how the pro described the fresh complexions, enhanced with a lightweight veil of Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation and a dusting of powder to beat the heat. For the subtly gilded eyes, Philips swept a muted aureate shadow from the new Dior 5 Couleurs Couture Cruise 2022 eyeshadow palette across the lids, creating a "touch of gold." Introducing new Grecian goddess codes, Dior offers a beauty element for everyone, whether you want a natural Mediterranean glow or are hankering for an ornamental touch. There’s no time like the present to reach for something that shines.

Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation

Dior 5 Couleurs Couture Cruise 2022 Eyeshadow Palette

Yimaa Pearl Stickers

Mehron Makeup AdGem Adhesive

Vogue Beauty

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Queen Mary 2 Deck Plans

Deck eleven, deck twelve, deck thirteen, queen mary 2 staterooms.

Balcony (BB)

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Balcony (BC)

Balcony (bf).

Balcony (DB)

Balcony (dc), balcony (df).

Balcony (BU)

Balcony (bv), balcony (by), balcony (bz).

Balcony (B3)

Our spacious balcony staterooms include a sitting area with sofa, ample closet space and bathroom with shower. (269 sq. ft.)

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Your Britannia Club Balcony offers space to relax, both inside and on your generous balcony. You will also dine in the Britannia Club Restaurant, a private area of the grand Britannia Restaurant, offering you the freedom to choose when you eat each evening. The Britannia Club Balcony staterooms have two beds, a shower, living area and balcony.

Balcony (A2)

Inside (KC)

From organised coffee gatherings to a host of daytime activities, solo travellers will always feel welcome and busy on board. Of course, thereÂ’s something to be said for relaxation too so you will find plenty of personal space both inside and out. The Britannia Single Oceanview staterooms have one bed, a living area and a shower.

Inside (IA)

Relax in complete peace and comfort, cocooned from the stress of the everyday. The Britannia Standard Inside staterooms have one bed, a desk area with seat and a shower.

Inside (IB)

Inside (ic), inside (ie), inside (if).

Inside (HB)

Relax in complete peace and comfort, cocooned from the stress of the everyday. The Britannia Atrium View Inside staterooms have one bed, a desk area with seat and a shower.

Oceanview (KB)

Oceanview (EF)

Gaze upon an ever changing seascape from your large window, which offers lots of natural light in your spacious stateroom. The Britannia Oceanview staterooms have one bed, a living area and a shower.

our Princess Grill Suite is spacious and relaxing. A private balcony and separate seating area offers space to relax and, of course you have exclusive access to the Grills Lounge and renowned Princess Grill restaurant. The Princess Suites have two beds, a bath and shower along with a living area and balcony.

Your Queens Grill Suite is the pinnacle of luxury at sea. A personal butler will see to your every request, a large lounge area offers space to relax and your suite will command the very best views. The Grand Duplexes have a bedroom and two master bathrooms upstairs. Downstairs you'll find a guest bathroom, a living and dining area as well as a balcony.

Your Queens Grill Suite is the pinnacle of luxury at sea. A personal butler will see to your every request, a large lounge area offers space to relax and your suite will command the very best views. The Penthouse Suites have two beds, a bath, a shower, a living area and a balcony.

Your Queens Grill Suite is the pinnacle of luxury at sea. A personal butler will see to your every request, a large lounge area offers space to relax and your suite will command the very best views. The Queens Suites have two beds, a bath, a shower, a living area and a balcony.

Your Queens Grill Suite is the pinnacle of luxury at sea. A personal butler will see to your every request, a large lounge area offers space to relax and your suite will command the very best views. The Royal Suites have a bedroom, bath and shower as well as seperate living and dining areas.

Photo Gallery for Queen Mary 2 Cruise Ship

Get a glimpse at the regal atmosphere that awaits you on a Cunard Cruise among one of their three Queens: Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth in this photo gallery. 

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Top 10 Queen Mary 2 Cruises

• Queen Mary 2 15 NIGHT World CRUISE Departing From Cape Town, South Africa (Apr 2024)
• Queen Mary 2 7 NIGHT Transatlantic CRUISE Departing From Southampton, England (Apr 2024 - Dec 2026)
• Queen Mary 2 7 NIGHT Transatlantic CRUISE Departing From New York, New York (May 2024 - Nov 2026)
• Queen Mary 2 9 NIGHT Transatlantic CRUISE Departing From New York, New York (May 2024 - Oct 2026)
• Queen Mary 2 2 NIGHT Europe CRUISE Departing From Southampton, England (May 2024 - Oct 2026)
• Queen Mary 2 4 NIGHT Europe - Northern CRUISE Departing From Southampton, England (May 2024 - Nov 2026)
• Queen Mary 2 9 NIGHT Transatlantic CRUISE Departing From Hamburg, Germany (May 2024 - Jul 2026)
• Queen Mary 2 2 NIGHT Europe CRUISE Departing From Hamburg, Germany (May 2024 - Jul 2026)
• Queen Mary 2 3 NIGHT Europe - Northern CRUISE Departing From Southampton, England (May 2024 - Jul 2025)
• Queen Mary 2 6 NIGHT Transatlantic CRUISE Departing From Southampton, England (Jun 2024 - Jul 2024)

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The Tsaritsyno Estate is located in the southern part of Moscow. The estate was constructed for Catherine the Great by the Russian architects Bazhenov and Kazakov in a romantic...

Moscow Metro and Old Arbat Tour

The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union’s achievements for both the Russians...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion and vodka tasting)

Vodka is an important component of Russian life, an element of national identity and everyday culture. We invite you to visit the Vodka Museum and feel the atmosphere of long-gone...

Mikhail Bulgakov Apartment Museum

This apartment museum located close to Patriarch Ponds became the prototype of the "bad apartment" described in the novel "The Master and Margarita." Currently the museum's...

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Diamond Fund Tour

The State Museum of Lev Tolstoy Tour

Take this opportunity to learn more about the Russian writer Lev Tolstoy. During the visit to the museum you will see part of a vast collection of exhibits connected to Tolstoy...

Novodevichy Convent Tour with transport

Tour of the Novodevichy Monastery. Founded in 1524 by Grand Prince VasiliIoanovich, the original convent was enclosed by fortified walls and contained 12 towers. The structure...

City Tour with Visit to St. Basils & Red Sq. with transport

Panoramic City Tour. This Moscow tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with many of the city’s major highlights. Our professional guide will...

City Tour of Moscow

Head to the heart of Moscow with a professional guide on a 4-hour private walk through the city center. See Tverskaya and Old Arbat streets, Theatre Square with the world-famous...

Moscow Metro walking tour

Kremlin, Red Square and Cathedrals Tour

KGB Tour with transport

This is a very interesting and insightful tour. You will visit places connected with Stalin’s terror - a time of great repression and fear. You will be shown monuments to...

Soviet and Post-Soviet Moscow Tour

The tour begins with a drive or walk down Tverskaya Street – a Soviet masterpiece. In the years of Soviet power, Tverskaya began to undergo a transformation: it was widened...

Tretyakov State Gallery Tour

This world-famous gallery contains masterpieces of Russian art beginning in the 10th century up until today. You will view exquisite Russian icons and paintings from the 18th and...

Jewish Heritage of Moscow Tour

This tour offers a detailed look into the history and present-day life of the Jewish community of Moscow. On the tour, you will visit sites connected with the cultural and religious...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion only)

Lena, our guide in Moscow was excellent. She was very knowledgable and could answer any question we had for her. We liked that she could pick up on our interests and take us places we might not have thought of to go. When we realized that one of the places we had chosen to see would probably not be that interesting to us, she was able to arrange entry to the Diamond Fund and the Armoury for us. Riding the Metro with Lena was a real adventure and a lot of fun. In Saint Petersburg we found Anna well versed in the history of the Tsars and in the Hermitage collection. Arkady in Veliky Novgorod was a very good guide and answered all of our questions with ease. Novgorod was perhaps a long way to go for a day trip, but we did enjoy it. Vasily was a great driver to have and kept us safe with good humour and skill. We enjoyed ourselves so much, my daughter says she is already planning to return. We would both have no hesistation to recommend ExpresstoRussia to anyone we know.

Just wanted to let you know that My grandson Bruno and I couldn´t have been more pleased with our week in Moscow (6/15 - 6/21). We were absolutely enchanted with the whole experience, including getting lost a couple of times in the Metro during our free time. Although both our guides (both Eleanas) were excellent, I would particularly commend the first one (she took us to the Tatiakov, the KGB tour, and to that beautiful cemetery where so many great Russian artists, authors, composers, musicians, militarists, and politicians are buried). Her knowledge is encyclopedic; and her understanding of today´s Russia as a product of its past was, for us, truly enlightening. I will be taking another tour in Russia, with my wife, within the next two or three years. I will be in touch with you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I will refer you to other potential visitors to Russia as I meet them.

Tours to Moscow

Our Moscow tours are land only meaning that you arrange your own air travel to Russia and our expert staff meets you at the airport and handles everything else from there. Our online Airline Ticket booking system offers some of the most competitive rates to Russia available on the web so if you need tickets, please visit our Russian air ticket center . Rest assured that you will be taken great care of on one of our Moscow tours. Express to Russia has a fully staffed office in Moscow that will help to make your visit fun, informative and unforgettable. Please remember that of all these tours are private and can be adjusted to your taste. You can add, replace or skip some sights; you can add more days to the package or cut the tour short. Our specialists will be glad to help you create the tour of your dreams!

Moscow, a City Like No Other

Moscow is Russia’s largest city with a population of between 12 and 13 million. It is also Europe’s largest city and when you visit Moscow, you can feel it. The layout and architecture of the city is eclectic, ranging from crooked, ancient streets and alleyways to wide, bustling boulevards, from medieval churches to Stalin skyscrapers and to modern, glass buildings towering over everything and of course in the center of it all is the Kremlin and the magnificent Red Square. Moscow is also home to a fantastic, efficient and very beautiful metro system – each station having its own special design. In fact, Express to Russia’s Moscow metro tours and excursions are some of our most popular attractions that we offer. On our Moscow tours, you will see this and more.

Moscow Tours centering on Russian History

Moscow has a long and interesting history and has been the capital of Russia in many of its different iterations – capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow , the Russian Empire and of course the Soviet Union (who could ever forget the Soviet Union?). Moscow, was founded in the 12th century by Prince Yuri Dolgaruki (Yuri of the long arms – he really did have long arms!). From that time on, it was home to the Russian Tsars until Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1703. The city has survived invasions and sieges from the Mongols, the Tartars, the Poles, Lithuanians and Napoleon but has always persevered. Our Moscow tours will enlighten you on this great history and give you insights into Muscovites and their unique culture. Our Moscow tours show you what the city is like today but also brings to life the past. Moscow never seems to sleep and is bursting with energy. A Moscow tour with Express to Russia is truly the best way of getting to know Russia’s largest and most vibrant city.

Frequently Asked Questions From Our Travelers

What is the best time to visit moscow.

Any time of year is fine depending on what you plan to do. Summertime is pleasantly warm, ideal for exploring the city and its vibrant atmosphere, but Moscow will be much busier and accommodation is more expensive. Winter can be quite cold but beautiful nonetheless, and this is unproblematic if you intend to spend most of your trip in museums and galleries. There are also various festivals and events organised throughout the year. For more information about the best time to visit, read our guide

How many days are enough in Moscow?

If you plan your itinerary strategically and aren’t averse to a packed schedule, you can cover Moscow’s main sights over a long weekend. Most popular attractions are in the city centre, and the Moscow Metro allows you to cover much ground in a small amount of time. Ensure that your accommodation is fairly central and book tickets in advance, so that you can make the most of your days. For an informative and well-organised day out, check out our Moscow day tours with options to suit all interests.

Do they speak English in Moscow?

As Russia’s capital city, tourists are well accommodated in Moscow. There should be English-speaking staff in restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and attractions in tourist hotspots, and there are also English-speaking tourist police. Transport services have English translations on their maps and English announcements via intercom; alternatively, order taxis from the Yandex Taxi app (Russian Uber), though it’s unlikely that your taxi driver will speak English. If you get stuck and cannot communicate, it’s fine to use Google Translate.

Is it safe to travel to Moscow?

It is no less safe to travel to Moscow than to any European city if you exercise common sense and look after your belongings. As with every city some regions can be more unsavoury than others, but no tourist attractions are located there. The traffic in Moscow is notorious, so exercise caution when crossing roads. Do not take unlicensed taxis; book in advance or take public transport, which is widespread and perfectly safe. If you encounter any problems, look for the special tourist police who can help you. For more information, read our guide about staying safe in Russia .

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TravelAwaits

Our mission is to serve the 50+ traveler who's ready to cross a few items off their bucket list.

19 Unique And Fabulous Experiences In Moscow

• Destinations

Thinking of visiting Russia? When visiting such a famous city, one must, of course, visit the iconic landmarks first. Moscow has plenty of those, most of them in the center of the city, which is very well-planned for tourists. Once you’ve seen the sights that are on most travelers’ lists, it’s time to branch out and visit some of the lesser-known sites, and there are some fascinating places to see and things to do.

I know this list is long, but I just couldn’t help myself. You probably won’t have the time to see them all. But that’s okay. Just scroll through the list and choose what sounds the most interesting to you. Where possible, make sure to book in advance, as things can get crowded, especially during high season.

1. The Red Square, Kremlin, And Surroundings

Red Square (Krasnya Ploshad) is the heart and soul of Russia, and where much of the country’s history has unfolded. This is the most famous landmark in Moscow and indeed the whole country, it’s an absolute must-do! The square is always full of people and has a rather festive atmosphere!

Saint Basil’s Cathedral

This is the famous church with the rainbow-colored, onion-domed roof. The cathedral was commissioned in the 1500s by Ivan the Terrible and according to legend, the Tsar thought it was so beautiful, that he ordered that the architect’s eyes be cut out afterward, so he could never build anything more beautiful! He wasn’t called Ivan the Terrible for no reason!

Lenin’s Mausoleum

The “love-it-or-hate-it” of tourist attractions in Russia. A glass sarcophagus containing the embalmed body of Russian revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin. It may seem a bit bizarre to display the mummy of a person, but it has been there for almost half a century and the 2.5 million visitors who come each year, clearly feel the queuing and thorough body search are worth it, to be in Lenin’s presence.

Pro Tip: no photos and no loud talking are allowed inside the Mausoleum.

Eternal Flame

There is an Eternal Flame in honor of an unknown soldier on the left side of Red Square. The hourly changing of the guards is worth seeing.

The Kremlin is the official residence of the Russian president. You can see it from the outside, or you can take an excursion to one of the museums located inside. This is the biggest active fortress in Europe, and holds a week’s worth of attractions! Once behind the 7,332-feet of walls, there are five squares, four cathedrals, 20 towers, various museums, and the world’s largest bell and cannon to see. Worth a special mention is the Armory Chamber that houses a collection of the famous Faberge Eggs.

Pro Tip: You can only go inside the Kremlin if you are part of a tourist group.

2. Bolshoi Theatre

Bolshoi Theatre translates to “The Big Theatre” in Russian, and the building is home to both the Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera — among the oldest and most famous ballet and opera companies in the world.

Pro Tip: It’s hard to get an inexpensive ticket, so if you’re reading well in advance of going to Moscow then try buying tickets on the official website . Last-minute tickets cost around $250 per person. If this is out of your budget, about an hour before a performance, you can try buying a ticket at the entrance from a reseller. Most can speak enough English to negotiate the price.

Tour the Bolshoi Theatre: You can take a group guided tour of the Bolshoi Theatre which focuses on the history and architecture of the theatre and behind the scenes. There’s an English language tour that lasts 2 hours and costs around $300 for a group of up to six.

3. Luxury Shopping At GUM And TSUM

Russia’s main department store, GUM, has a stunning interior that is home to over 100 high-end boutiques, selling a variety of brands: from luxurious Dior to the more affordable Zara. Even if shopping is not on your Moscow to-do list GUM is still worth a visit; the glass-roofed arcade faces Red Square and offers a variety of classy eateries. TSUM, one of the biggest luxury malls in town, is right behind the Bolshoi and GUM. It’s an imposing building with lots of history, and worth a visit just for its design and its glass roof.

4. Christ The Savior Cathedral

This is one of Russia’s most visited cathedrals and is a newer addition to the gorgeous array of Muscovite cathedrals, but don’t let its young age fool you. After perestroika, in the early 90s, the revived Russian Orthodox Church was given permission to build a cathedral on this site. It did the location honors and built the largest temple of the Christian Orthodox Church. The façade is as grand as you’d expect, but it’s the inside that will mesmerize you, with its domes, gold, gorgeous paintings, and decor!

The cathedral is located just a few hundred feet away from the Kremlin and was the site of the infamous Pussy Riot protest against Putin back in 2012.

Pro Tip: Bring a shawl to cover your hair as is the local custom.

5. Gorky Park

Moscow’s premier green space, Gorky Park (Park Gor’kogo) is the city’s biggest and most famous park. There is entertainment on offer here for every taste, from outdoor dancing sessions to yoga classes, volleyball, ping-pong, rollerblading, and bike and boat rental in summer. In winter, half the park turns into a huge ice skating rink. Gorky Park is also home to an open-air movie theater and the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. There is also Muzeon Art Park, a dynamic contemporary space with a unique collection of 700 sculptures. It is located right in front of Gorky Park.

6. Sparrow Hills Park

If you take a walk from Gorky Park, along the Moscow River embankment, you’ll end up in the city’s other legendary park, Sparrow Hills. Although the park doesn’t offer as many activities as its hip neighbor, it has a great panoramic view of the city

Pro Tip: You can take a free walking tour to all of the above attractions with an English-speaking guide.

7. River Cruising

One of the best ways to experience Moscow, and see all the famous landmarks, but from a different angle, is from the Moscow River. Take a river cruise. Avoid the tourist crowds. There are little nameless old boats that do the cruise, but if you are looking for a more luxurious experience take the Radisson Blu cruise and enjoy the sights with some good food and a glass of wine.

8. Metro Hopping

Inaugurated in the 1930s, the Moscow Metro system is one of the oldest and most beautiful in the world. Started in Stalinist times, each station is a work of art in its own right. I’d recommend touring the stations between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. This way, you’ll be able to properly see it without the crowds. Ideally, I’d recommend taking a tour with a knowledgeable guide with GuruWalk, who will tell you stories of forgotten stations and how the history of the country is interconnected with the metro development. If going by yourself, then I definitely recommend checking out: Mayakovskaya, Ploschad Revolutsii, Kievskaya, Kropotkinskaya, Kurskaya, and Novoslobodskaya stations.

Visit the free Moscow Metro Museum: For real train enthusiasts, located in the southern vestibule of Sportivnaya station is a small free museum. Here you can take a peek into the driver’s cabin, see a collection of metro tokens from different cities, and see different models of a turnstile, traffic lights, escalator, and more.

9. Moscow State University View

In his effort to create a grander Moscow, Stalin had seven skyscrapers built in different parts of town; they’re called the Seven Sisters. The largest of these buildings and the one with the best view is the main building of the Moscow State University. Although this is a little outside the city center, the view is more than worth it.

10. Izmailovsky Market

Mostly known for the city’s largest flea market, the district of Izmaylovo is home to a maze of shops where you can get just about anything, from artisan crafts to traditional fur hats, handcrafted jewelry, fascinating Soviet memorabilia, and antiquities. It’s also one of Moscow’s largest green spaces. There are often no price tags, so be prepared to haggle a bit. Head to one of the market cafes for a warming mulled wine before continuing your shopping spree.

The History of Vodka Museum is found here, and the museum’s restaurant is the perfect place to sample various brands of the national drink.

Once you’ve covered the more touristy spots, Moscow still has plenty to offer, and the places below will also be full of locals! So for some local vibes, I would strongly recommend the spots below!

11. Moscow City

With a completely different vibe, Moscow City (also referred to as Moscow International Business Center) is like a mini Dubai, with lots of impressive tall glass buildings. Here is where you’ll find the best rooftops in towns, like Ruski Restaurant, the highest restaurant both in Moscow City and in Europe. Moscow City is great for crowd-free shopping and the best panoramic views of the city.

12. Tretyakov Gallery

Tretyakov Gallery started as the private collection of the Tretyakov brothers, who were 19th-century philanthropists. They gave their private collection to the government after their deaths. If there is just one museum you visit in Moscow, I recommend this one!

13. Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve

Tsaritsyno was a residence of Catherine the Great more than two centuries ago. It became derelict during the Soviet era but has now been fully renovated. With its opulently decorated buildings, gardens, meadows, and forests, Tsaritsyno Park is the perfect place for a green respite in Moscow.

14. Kolomenskoye

A 10-minute metro ride from the city center is Kolomenskoe Museum-Reserve, where you can get an idea of what Russia looked like 200 years ago. You’ll find ancient churches (one dating back to the 16th century), the oldest garden in Moscow, and the wonderful fairytale wooden palace of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, father of Peter the Great.

15. Ostankino TV Tower

Built in 1967, Ostankino TV Tower was the tallest free-standing construction in the world at the time, it’s still the 8th tallest building in the world and the highest in Europe. It’s also the best observation deck, with a glass floor and 360-degree views. The speedy elevators take you 1,105 feet in next to no time.

Pro Tip: You need to book in advance; entrance is based on specific ticket times and the capacity is limited and only a certain number of tourists are allowed per day. Don’t forget your passport, you’ll need it to get through security.

16. Zaryadye Park

Zaryadye is a newly opened, landscaped urban park so new you won’t find it in a lot of tour guides. The park is near Red Square and is divided into four climatic zones: forest, steppe, tundra, and floodplains, depicting the variety of climatic zones in Russia.

These last three suggestions are a little quirky, but all are really worth checking out.

17. Museum Of Soviet Arcade Games

Release your inner child playing on 66 arcade machines from the Soviet era! What a great way to spend a couple of hours when tired of visiting museums and palaces. The staff speaks excellent English and are happy to explain how the games work.

18. Moscow Rooftop Tour

Take a 1-hour private Moscow rooftop tour with an experienced roofer. I can just about guarantee none of your friends will be able to say they’ve done it! For your comfort, I recommend wearing comfortable shoes. Take your camera, there are some amazing photo opportunities out there!

19. Sanduny Banya

This classical Russian bathhouse opened its doors in 1808 and is famous for combining traditional Russian banya services with luxurious interiors and service. If you enjoy spas and saunas, then you should experience a Russian bathhouse at least once in your life! Go with an open mind and hire a specialist to steam you as it’s meant to be done — by being beaten repeatedly with a besom (a leafy branch)! This is said to improve circulation, but is best done by a professional!

So there you have my list of things to do in Moscow. I could have gone on and on and on, but I didn’t want to try your patience! There are so many things to do in this vibrant city that you’ll definitely need to allocate several days for exploring.

Here are some other reasons to visit Moscow and Russia:

• 7 Reasons To Put Moscow On Your Travel Bucket List
• Russia 30 Years (And 30 Pounds) Ago
• Massive Mysterious Craters Appearing Again In Siberia

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, before moving to Africa at the age of 21, Sarah Kingdom is a mountain climber and guide, traveler, yoga teacher, trail runner, and mother of two. When she is not climbing or traveling she lives on a cattle ranch in central Zambia. She guides and runs trips regularly in India, Nepal, Tibet, Russia, and Ethiopia, taking climbers up Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro numerous times a year.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

‘Make it a Christian town’: the ultra-conservative church on the rise in Idaho

Increased influence of Christ Church, whose leader wants to create US ‘theocracy’, comes as social conservatives aim to gain traction

A Guardian investigation has revealed that a controversial church whose leader has openly expressed the ambition of creating a “theocracy” in America has accumulated significant influence in the city of Moscow, Idaho .

Christ Church has a stated goal to “make Moscow a Christian town” and public records, interviews, and open source materials online show how its leadership has extended its power and activities in the town.

Church figures have browbeaten elected officials over Covid restrictions, built powerful institutions in parallel to secular government, harassed perceived opponents, and accumulated land and businesses in pursuit of a long-term goal of transforming America into a nation ruled according to its own, ultra-conservative moral precepts.

The rise of Christ Church may be playing out in a small Idaho city but it comes at a time when the US is roiled by the far right, including Christian nationalism, and when social conservatives are seeking to roll back basic tenets of US life such as legal abortion, as well as dominating powerful national institutions, such as the supreme court.

While the church’s previous controversies have centered on its founder and pastor, Douglas Wilson, a new generation of male church leaders – including Wilson’s son – have found ways to expand the church’s reach in Moscow and beyond, even gaining footholds in mainstream popular culture in the broader US.

In recent months, Christ Church has advocated for resistance to Covid mandates in Moscow, and Wilson has attempted to give theological ballast to opposition to restrictions and vaccination programs, as well as warning of political violence.

Last month, a video version of a post by Wilson at his well-read blog was removed from YouTube. The blogpost , entitled “A Biblical Defense of Fake Vaccine IDs”, was based on a conspiracy theory asserting that the vaccine response was a “power play” on the part of the Biden administration, which intended to leave the restrictions in place permanently.

Wilson further claimed that “we are not yet in a hot civil war, with shooting and all, but we are in a cold war/civil war” and urged readers to “resist openly, in concert with any others in your same position”, claiming that this would not be “rebellion against lawful authority” but “an example of a free people refusing to go along with their own enslavement”.

The post was met with outrage, including from other prominent evangelicals .

That was not the only time that Wilson’s activities and positions have led to criticism from other evangelicals, and associations with Wilson have led to crises in other churches.

In recent months, members and clergy resigned from Minneapolis’s Bethlehem Baptist church, and staff resigned from its associated Bethlehem College and Seminary (BCS), in part over the appearance of newly appointed BCS president Joe Rigney on Man Rampant , a video series hosted by Wilson and streamed on platforms including Amazon Prime. The show promotes Wilson’s long-held position that men need to assert themselves in society .

Christ Church was founded in Moscow in the 1990s, and experts who have studied the church estimate the size of the congregation and its offshoot churches at about 2,000, or 10% of the city’s total population.

But they also say that the church is increasingly drawing people to the area who are attracted to the idea of northern Idaho as a conservative “redoubt” against American modernity, and by the church’s “ reconstructionist ” position, which holds that the world will need to be governed according to their interpretation of biblical morality before Christ returns to earth.

Christ Church’s previous controversies have garnered national attention.

Recent reporting focused attention once more on the church’s – and Wilson’s – handling of a series of sexual abuse cases, and the theological subordination of women.

In 2005, Wilson asked a judge for leniency in the case of Stephen Sitler, a former student at a Christ Church-aligned college, New Saint Andrews College (NSAC). Sitler was at that time convicted of sex offenses involving children.

After his release on probation in 2007, Sitler was married in Christ Church in 2010, by Wilson, to a woman who, by Sitler’s and her account, had been introduced to him by Edwin Iverson, then a Christ Church elder and now pastor of a Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) church in Colville, Washington.

Wilson has faced scrutiny over other positions.

In the early 2000s, Wilson received criticism over a book, Southern Slavery as it Was, which he had co-written in the previous decade with J Steven Wilkins. Wilkins is a Louisiana pastor who was a co-founder of the neo-Confederate organization, the League of the South. His church is a member of Wilson’s congregational umbrella group, the CREC.

The book depicted slavery in the antebellum southern United States as “a relationship based upon mutual affection and confidence”, and argued that the enslaved enjoyed “a life of plenty, of simple pleasures, of food, clothes, and good medical care”.

Wilson has repeatedly disavowed any interest in national electoral politics, but Christ Church’s eventual aim is what Wilson explicitly describes in a 2016 book as “theocracy”, or “a network of nations bound together by a formal acknowledgement of the lordship of Jesus Christ”, as opposed to secular society ruled by “civil governments, [which] are in necessary degrees satanic, demonic, and influenced by the god of this world, who is the devil”.

These beliefs have led Christ Church into conflicts with local government, but additionally, Wilson and other Christ Church members have founded a range of local and national institutions which are affiliated with or sponsored by the church.

Christ Church itself is an unincorporated nonprofit, which means that it is not obliged to provide details of its finances to government authorities. Many entities associated with the church are either also unincorporated, like the Logos School, or, like publisher Canon Press, are operated by a network of limited liability companies (LLCs) which are similarly limited in their accountability.

But insiders who spoke on condition of anonymity said that all members tithe 10% of their household income, and wealthier members are expected to make an even larger contribution.

Within a network of educational institutions, publishing houses, churches, and national associations that Wilson has founded or led, a small number of men, from a small number of families, have come to exert significant power within the organisation and Moscow.

Not least among these is Wilson’s own family, with him as its head.

At NSAC, for example, the college president is Wilson’s son-in-law, Ben Merkle. Another son-in-law, Luke Jankovic, sits on the board of trustees, as does Wilson himself and Christ Church’s associate pastor, Toby Sumpter.

Douglas Wilson is also on faculty at NSAC, and is listed as a senior fellow in theology. Also on faculty are his son Nathan (ND) Wilson, a fellow of literature; and his brother, Gordon Wilson, a self-described “young earth creationist” who believes that God created the earth in seven days, is senior fellow of natural history.

According to tax filings, Merkle and Gordon Wilson each draw salaries from the college, which lists tuition and costs for undergraduate students at $19,900 per year.

Merkle, Jankovic, and all three Wilson men are also elders at Christ Church, along with a founding director and former trustee at NSAC, Moscow resident Andrew Crapuchettes.

Until June 2021, when the company was acquired by a competitor, Crapuchettes had been chief executive of Moscow’s largest private employer, EMSI, for more than 19 years.

During that period, EMSI was a major employer of NSAC graduates. According to LinkedIn data, there are 55 current employees at EMSI who are NSAC graduates, from a college which has graduated only 635 people throughout its history.

In addition, a number of Christ Church elders hold senior positions at EMSI. They include Luke Jankovic – the NSAC trustee who is Wilson’s son-in-law – who is now executive vice-president of higher education.

Also, EMSI’s chief operations officer and chief financial officer is Timothy van den Broek, a teaching elder at Trinity Reformed church, Christ Church’s suburban offshoot.

Van den Broek began his career at EMSI immediately after graduating from NSAC, and he sits on the boards of church-aligned businesses and organizations, including the charity, the Hope Center, and Classic Learning Initiatives, which aims to devise alternative standardized testing for students at Christian private schools who wish to attend private Christian universities like NSAC.

Since his departure from EMSI, Andrew Crapuchettes has started a new venture, a jobs website called Red Balloon, which advertises itself as connecting “employers who value freedom with employees who value it too”, in “a world beyond cancel culture, where employees are free to work … without fear that they will find themselves on the wrong side of their employer’s politics”.

Many of the website’s initial clients appeared to be either church run or founded organizations, or companies belonging to other church members.

Now, Crapuchettes has branched out into property development, and this year won approval from Moscow city council for the “annexation” of 27 acres of land on Moscow’s south-western edge for a new, 109 unit subdivision called Edington.

A local businessman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the church already had a disproportionate presence in the downtown area, and that developments like Edington were evidence that “they are trying to attract more people here”.

He added that the church’s anti-mask and anti-vaccination positions, as well as its attempts to “take over local institutions” like a food co-op, had polarized the community.

He also referred to an ad for New Saint Andrews College that had been seen as transphobic by many in Moscow had “galvanized the town against them”. He called it a demonstration of the church’s preparedness “to throw red meat and recruit on the basis of hate”.

In response to detailed emailed questions about various aspects of Christ Church’s operations, Douglas Wilson did not offer any specific response, but wrote that the Guardian’s “approach illustrates an absurd fixation and anti-church bigotry that we have come to expect from certain elements of the leftist media”.

Asked about EMSI’s hiring practices under his leadership, Andrew Crapuchettes wrote that: “Under my watch, EMSI grew into a global company with offices on two continents, and in an ever-tightening labor market, we hired talent wherever we could find it, including from the 3 local colleges – Washington State, University of Idaho and New Saint Andrews.”

This article was amended on 12 November 2021 to correctly refer to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, rather than the Council of Reformed Evangelical Churches.

• Christianity

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