Jonathan Anderson's Dior Debut: Really Dior, Really Good
In what is, without a doubt, the season's most anticipated occasion, Jonathan Anderson debuts his vision for the house of Dior. Premiering as part of Paris Fashion Week Men's Spring/Summer 2026, the 40-year old Irish designer put forth a collection that melded the legendary French house's codes with his own, wonderfully wonky handwriting.
Teaser posts on the company Instagram account in the days leading up to Anderson's first Dior collection included Andy Warhol's headshots of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Lee Radziwill, alongside whimsically animal-shaped pin cushions and a portrait video of Kilian Mbappé suiting up.
Though these impressions give away little of what we'd be shown on this hotly awaited of hot summer days, they did set the tone for what ended up hitting the runway.
Anderson's first Dior collection was a masterclass in timeless tailoring, interspersed with Anderson's craft-driven, tactile approach to workwear, blended with references to master Christian Dior's own tailoring cues.
Think movie-poster handbags, bulging blazers atop ruffle-draped cargo shorts, and embroidered waistcoats worn alongside long silken scarves or velvety neck-brace bow ties above beat-up high top sneakers or fisherman sandals over socks, with the perfectly faded blue jeans to match.
There's a lot of Anderson and a lot of Dior in this collection. And it's as artful as it is approachable, real-deal strong clothes.
Always having been something of an interdisciplinarian, it's great to see Anderson bring his inventive whimsy to Dior, a huge house that's recently been more garment-, less gimmick-centric if even only to appeal to its massive audience (and commercially minded stakeholders).
Fresh off the heels of his 11-year gig at the far quainter LOEWE, Anderson recently stepped into the creative director role at Dior for both men's and women's (and couture), replacing Kim Jones and Maria Grazia Chiuri, respectively.
He's the first person to lead all lines since Christian Dior himself but'll retain oversight of his own label, JW Anderson, as well as the latter's ongoing UNIQLO collaborations.
That's 18 collections annually, 10 of them for Dior.
Given such mighty expectations, the fashion industry's been tingly with excitement over how (or if) Anderson will bring his surrealist charms to the nearly $80-billion maison, second only to Louis Vuitton itself within LVMH's stacked portfolio. And well, here we are.
Seeing the London College of Fashion alumnus infuse a storied mainstream name with his niche-bred sensibilities for what's odd and unconventionally beautiful not only makes a case for great menswear to come, but raises the bar even further for the couture and women's shows up next.
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