ディオールSS26：ジョナサン・アンダーソンのデビュー男性ショーで起きたすべてのこと

It’s the show we were all waiting for, the reason Rihanna’s in town, and why viewing parties are blocking streets in the French capital: this afternoon (June 27), Jonathan Anderson made his Dior debut during Paris Fashion Week men’s SS26. 

Ever since it was announced earlier this month that the Irish designer would be replacing both Kim Jones and Maria Grazia Chiuri, making history by becoming the first designer since Christian Dior himself to oversee women’s, men’s and couture – we’ve waited with bated breath to witness Anderson’s interpretation of the luxury maison.

As ever, Anderson’s references were both abstract and eclectic. The joy of personal style, 18th century painting, Charles Baudelaire, Basquiat, Lee Radziwill, Bonjour Tristesse, and the concept of the ‘aristocrat’ were motifs all explored in today’s collection. Importantly, when a designer makes their debut at a historic label, as well as making it their own, they must also honour the maison’s rich past. Today, Anderson proved that he’d been knee-deep in the Dior archives, starting with the invite…

Whilst researching the history of the legendary French couture house, Anderson stumbled upon some archival crockery. “A search through the Dior archives led me to reissue a ceramic plate as the invite for the show,” he wrote on Instagram. His version of the plate comes with three ceramic hard boiled eggs too, a nod to one of Monsieur Dior’s favourite dishes: the humble omelette. 

Those of us unlucky enough to not be on the list had to make do with Dior’s official livestream instead. But unlike others beleaguered by buffering, this one was highly-produced and crystal clear, which seems very fitting for a Jonathan Anderson feature. At first there were cinematic vignettes shot before the show, like White Lotus actor Sam Nivola taking a sailboat out on a lake, then luxuriating in a meadow while petting a lamb. After that came house ambassador Robert Pattinson hurriedly prepping for the show in his hotel room, as well as Chinese actor Yu Shi getting ready in his own.

After wetting our whistle with those shorts, the stream switched to IRL, with cameras installed in the back of guests’ cars, showing live footage as they made their way through Paris. Josh O’Connor, Anderson’s main squeeze at Loewe, was back and buddied up with Lakeith Stanfield for a ride to the show; four-piece K-pop band Tomorrow X Together piled out of another car, while Yu Shi was in the flesh and out of a third. With those videos and feeds, Anderson remade private, backstage moments into part of the public spectacle, a tension he’d later explore in the upcoming collection.

Now this is pure speculation, but Luca Guadagnino stood outside the venue for a suspiciously long time, chatting to arrivals and seemingly directing them. Either he stepped in for the Dior PR team and was helpfully guiding famous guests to their seats, or there was something else going on here. If you cast your mind back to 2014, you will remember that Raf Simons’ Dior debut was documented by the treasured fashion film, Dior and I. Could Anderson be documenting his Dior debut too? Of course, the director would have to be longtime collaborator Guadagnino, so watch this space. 

With the catwalk inside Paris’ Hotel des Invalides – a museum dedicated to France’s military history –  the space inside had been transformed to resemble Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie gallery, with velvet walls and paintings on display by 18th century French artist Jean Siméon Chardin. Inside, French actor Louis Garrel recited a poem for guests, whilst they eagerly awaited a first glimpse of the collection. During his time at Loewe, Anderson proved his love of art time and time again, often referencing artists and their work. At Dior, it’s clear he plans to continue his great love affair with classical painting. 

This season’s front row felt familiar but fresh, a difficult spot to strike when venturing into new territory. Faces from Anderson’s Loewe era were present, like bestie O’Connor, Challengers co-star Mike Faist, actors Drew Starkey, Joe Alwyn and Manu Ríos, plus a bespectacled Daniel Craig. But also present were a new roster of huge names we’re sure to see more of soon, like Ethel Cain, Mia Goth, LaKeith Stanfield, Oliver Sim, and Sabrina Carpenter, who wore the iconic New Look silhouette, first introduced by Monsieur Dior in 1947.

Rounding off the guest list were industry names like Donatella Versace, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Pharrell, plus Pattinson and Rihanna, who already have pre-existing relationships with the maison, as menswear ambassador and the face of J’adore Dior respectively. Fashionably late and arriving a cool 35 minutes after the show was due to begin, a very-pregnant Rih appeared hand-in-hand with husband A$AP Rocky. Both dressed head-to-toe in the new collection, Rih wore a sage waistcoat and floral printed trench, its lining matching the palette of Rocky’s tie. 

Several days ahead of the show, Anderson shared a Polaroid photo of American socialite Lee Radziwill, taken by Andy Warhol. Known for her effortlessly chic personal style and tailoring, it’s no wonder that Anderson turned to her for inspiration, particularly when designing a collection based on the joy of dressing. The other Polaroid image shared by Anderson ahead of the show was of Jean-Michel Basquiat, also known for his impeccable, yet nonchalant suits – a theme carried throughout the show. 

Whilst the tailoring was of Dior-standard, it was notably undone. Ties were worn backwards, some half tucked under collars, and half peaking over the top. Overcoats were worn awkwardly open on one side, like they’d been caught in a gust of wind, whilst trousers were rolled up on one leg and reaching the floor on the other. Appropriately, models walked to the sound of “Make Out” by New York, with the lyrics, “I’m just a lazy girl, trying to get by/Caught in a popular body” echoing around the show space. Clearly, Anderson’s Dior man (or Dior homme), is a little sleepy. Or maybe he just forgot to check the mirror after throwing on his shirt and tie. One model even carried a Bonjour Tristess tote bag, the ultimate lazy-girl book. 

It’s no secret that Monsieur Dior was obsessed with English culture (he held shows at The Savoy and Harrods), and Anderson certainly tapped into this with a distinctly preppy, Etonian aesthetic. A tale of Oxbridge through the ages, we began with Lord Byron and his accomplices at Cambridge in the late 18th century, sporting a cravat and waistcoat, and journeyed into the modern day as historical references were paired with more modern silhouettes – a pair of leather flares, for example, or the undershirt missing altogether. Elsewhere, gabardine green trenches, capelets and knitwear, made the case for a very British (very public school) showing.

More often than not, the collection seemed to compound both evening and everyday wear, and with that explore tensions between public and private selves. Along this fault line, tuxedo shirts and waistcoats were paired with khakis and denim, New Look-style blazers with comically large cargo shorts, silk evening scarves poured from beneath casual jumpers, and pressed trousers were tucked into sporty tube socks. Elsewhere, a baby blue, criss-crossed jumper had been remade as a long evening cloak, tied at the neck with a ribbed hem draped across its model’s shoulders, plus smart ties were shown under denim jackets, and bowties with plain cotton tees.

It was as if Anderson’s imagined character was a private school boy stuck between two modes, inadvertently existing in between when forced to choose. Though public and private schools are only available to a privileged few, something that is relatable to all is the tension between our public and private selves, and here Andeson has chosen those institutions as avatars to tell that story. But from navigating that tension, new possibilities can be born: in the context of a fashion show, new clothing combinations and creative ways of dressing, but on a much broader scale, fresh ways of decoding our lives.

It’s the show we were all waiting for, the reason Rihanna’s in town, and why viewing parties are blocking streets in the French capital: this afternoon (June 27), Jonathan Anderson made his Dior debut during Paris Fashion Week men’s SS26. 

Ever since it was announced earlier this month that the Irish designer would be replacing both Kim Jones and Maria Grazia Chiuri, making history by becoming the first designer since Christian Dior himself to oversee women’s, men’s and couture – we’ve waited with bated breath to witness Anderson’s interpretation of the luxury maison.

As ever, Anderson’s references were both abstract and eclectic. The joy of personal style, 18th century painting, Charles Baudelaire, Basquiat, Lee Radziwill, Bonjour Tristesse, and the concept of the ‘aristocrat’ were motifs all explored in today’s collection. Importantly, when a designer makes their debut at a historic label, as well as making it their own, they must also honour the maison’s rich past. Today, Anderson proved that he’d been knee-deep in the Dior archives, starting with the invite…

Whilst researching the history of the legendary French couture house, Anderson stumbled upon some archival crockery. “A search through the Dior archives led me to reissue a ceramic plate as the invite for the show,” he wrote on Instagram. His version of the plate comes with three ceramic hard boiled eggs too, a nod to one of Monsieur Dior’s favourite dishes: the humble omelette. 

Those of us unlucky enough to not be on the list had to make do with Dior’s official livestream instead. But unlike others beleaguered by buffering, this one was highly-produced and crystal clear, which seems very fitting for a Jonathan Anderson feature. At first there were cinematic vignettes shot before the show, like White Lotus actor Sam Nivola taking a sailboat out on a lake, then luxuriating in a meadow while petting a lamb. After that came house ambassador Robert Pattinson hurriedly prepping for the show in his hotel room, as well as Chinese actor Yu Shi getting ready in his own.

After wetting our whistle with those shorts, the stream switched to IRL, with cameras installed in the back of guests’ cars, showing live footage as they made their way through Paris. Josh O’Connor, Anderson’s main squeeze at Loewe, was back and buddied up with Lakeith Stanfield for a ride to the show; four-piece K-pop band Tomorrow X Together piled out of another car, while Yu Shi was in the flesh and out of a third. With those videos and feeds, Anderson remade private, backstage moments into part of the public spectacle, a tension he’d later explore in the upcoming collection.

Now this is pure speculation, but Luca Guadagnino stood outside the venue for a suspiciously long time, chatting to arrivals and seemingly directing them. Either he stepped in for the Dior PR team and was helpfully guiding famous guests to their seats, or there was something else going on here. If you cast your mind back to 2014, you will remember that Raf Simons’ Dior debut was documented by the treasured fashion film, Dior and I. Could Anderson be documenting his Dior debut too? Of course, the director would have to be longtime collaborator Guadagnino, so watch this space. 

With the catwalk inside Paris’ Hotel des Invalides – a museum dedicated to France’s military history –  the space inside had been transformed to resemble Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie gallery, with velvet walls and paintings on display by 18th century French artist Jean Siméon Chardin. Inside, French actor Louis Garrel recited a poem for guests, whilst they eagerly awaited a first glimpse of the collection. During his time at Loewe, Anderson proved his love of art time and time again, often referencing artists and their work. At Dior, it’s clear he plans to continue his great love affair with classical painting. 

This season’s front row felt familiar but fresh, a difficult spot to strike when venturing into new territory. Faces from Anderson’s Loewe era were present, like bestie O’Connor, Challengers co-star Mike Faist, actors Drew Starkey, Joe Alwyn and Manu Ríos, plus a bespectacled Daniel Craig. But also present were a new roster of huge names we’re sure to see more of soon, like Ethel Cain, Mia Goth, LaKeith Stanfield, Oliver Sim, and Sabrina Carpenter, who wore the iconic New Look silhouette, first introduced by Monsieur Dior in 1947.

Rounding off the guest list were industry names like Donatella Versace, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Pharrell, plus Pattinson and Rihanna, who already have pre-existing relationships with the maison, as menswear ambassador and the face of J’adore Dior respectively. Fashionably late and arriving a cool 35 minutes after the show was due to begin, a very-pregnant Rih appeared hand-in-hand with husband A$AP Rocky. Both dressed head-to-toe in the new collection, Rih wore a sage waistcoat and floral printed trench, its lining matching the palette of Rocky’s tie. 

Several days ahead of the show, Anderson shared a Polaroid photo of American socialite Lee Radziwill, taken by Andy Warhol. Known for her effortlessly chic personal style and tailoring, it’s no wonder that Anderson turned to her for inspiration, particularly when designing a collection based on the joy of dressing. The other Polaroid image shared by Anderson ahead of the show was of Jean-Michel Basquiat, also known for his impeccable, yet nonchalant suits – a theme carried throughout the show. 

Whilst the tailoring was of Dior-standard, it was notably undone. Ties were worn backwards, some half tucked under collars, and half peaking over the top. Overcoats were worn awkwardly open on one side, like they’d been caught in a gust of wind, whilst trousers were rolled up on one leg and reaching the floor on the other. Appropriately, models walked to the sound of “Make Out” by New York, with the lyrics, “I’m just a lazy girl, trying to get by/Caught in a popular body” echoing around the show space. Clearly, Anderson’s Dior man (or Dior homme), is a little sleepy. Or maybe he just forgot to check the mirror after throwing on his shirt and tie. One model even carried a Bonjour Tristess tote bag, the ultimate lazy-girl book. 

It’s no secret that Monsieur Dior was obsessed with English culture (he held shows at The Savoy and Harrods), and Anderson certainly tapped into this with a distinctly preppy, Etonian aesthetic. A tale of Oxbridge through the ages, we began with Lord Byron and his accomplices at Cambridge in the late 18th century, sporting a cravat and waistcoat, and journeyed into the modern day as historical references were paired with more modern silhouettes – a pair of leather flares, for example, or the undershirt missing altogether. Elsewhere, gabardine green trenches, capelets and knitwear, made the case for a very British (very public school) showing.

More often than not, the collection seemed to compound both evening and everyday wear, and with that explore tensions between public and private selves. Along this fault line, tuxedo shirts and waistcoats were paired with khakis and denim, New Look-style blazers with comically large cargo shorts, silk evening scarves poured from beneath casual jumpers, and pressed trousers were tucked into sporty tube socks. Elsewhere, a baby blue, criss-crossed jumper had been remade as a long evening cloak, tied at the neck with a ribbed hem draped across its model’s shoulders, plus smart ties were shown under denim jackets, and bowties with plain cotton tees.

It was as if Anderson’s imagined character was a private school boy stuck between two modes, inadvertently existing in between when forced to choose. Though public and private schools are only available to a privileged few, something that is relatable to all is the tension between our public and private selves, and here Andeson has chosen those institutions as avatars to tell that story. But from navigating that tension, new possibilities can be born: in the context of a fashion show, new clothing combinations and creative ways of dressing, but on a much broader scale, fresh ways of decoding our lives.