After debuting in China last year, French fashion house Christian Dior is continuing to make inroads into the world's biggest luxury market, Xu Junqian reports in Shanghai.

It was a late afternoon in early spring and a crowd had gathered outside Shanghai's The Bund No 5, an elegant six-floor building where a glamorous group of men clad in black suits had formed two lines.

"What's going on?" someone asked.

"No idea. But definitely something big," another person in the growing crowd answered.

An hour later a black Audi pulled up and out stepped Jessey Meng, a famous model and MC from Taiwan, sporting a perfect high bun and long dress. She glided into the building, passing two gray Dior signs hinting at what lay inside.

French luxury house Christian Dior debuted in China last year and the commotion caused on Shanghai's most famous landmark on March 30 was thanks to their follow up act - a much anticipated, though lightning fast, fashion show. China, the world's largest luxury market, is embracing the trend of the invitation-only under-30-minute fashion parade with zeal.

The show lasted less than half an hour and despite its fast and furious nature, showcased the pomp and glamour the fashion house is famous for.

Chinese supermodel He Sui was first down the runway followed by dozens of international modeling stars. The event was attended by a number of celebrities, including movie stars Zhang Ziyi and Sun Li, singer Na Ying, celebrated artist Zhang Huan and the crme de la crme of Shanghai socialites.

The show was the first collection designed by Raf Simons, artistic director of the historic fashion house.

The Dior Spring-Summer 2013 Haute Couture collection is essentially a replica of work first unveiled during Paris' Couture Fashion Week in January.

Vertical black stripes on a milky silk maxi-skirt demonstrates understated elegance, peach blossom pattern on turn-down collars add a touch of spring, and dresses in bright colors evoke thoughts of summer days. Clients are invited to make appointments for purchases after the show.

Simons, the successor to the iconic John Galliano, has recreated a bucolic Garden of Eden.

The collection explores the rich diversity of the seasons and features carefully constructed full flowers and exquisite multi-layered embroideries that bloom on dresses and silhouette trousers.

"I want to get away from couture just being done for a picture, or for a single moment on the red carpet," says Simons, in an interview in the November issue of Australian Vogue.

"I want to try and convince women that couture can be worn in the day and that there's a reality and a relevance there, because that's what Mr Christian Dior wanted. In my opinion, Christian Dior was never, ever theater."

It's an attitude toward design that may help the fashion house that is eyeing the "big market of tomorrow", China, where red-carpet theatrics are rare.

Dior's chief executive Sidney Toledano told Reuters at the show that sales of the company's business in the United States have been bouncing back, especially in couture. According to Toledano, Chinese-Americans, Chinese-Australians and tourists from China are the main driving force.

Another French couture house, Chanel, is also making moves to cater to Chinese market.

In 2009, Karl Lagerfeld, designer and creative director for the fashion house, brought Chanel's first "demi-couture" pre-fall collection to Shanghai and has been traveling to the country twice a year to meet private clients, according to the Business of Fashion website.

Contact the writer at xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 04/14/2013 page13)