Dior SS26: The Woman of the Moment
Jonathan Anderson’s womenswear debut blends archival references and menswear codes to create a Dior woman both timeless and modern.
Images courtesy of Dior
In a fashion season filled with debut collections, Jonathan Anderson’s first womenswear outing for Dior was among the most anticipated. There had been suggestions of what he might have in store via celebrity red carpets the past few months: Alba Rorwacher’s dress with its wildly exaggerated hips at the Venice Film Festival; and Anya Taylor Joy’s Toronto Film Festival look, a large skirt with braided satin ribbons.
There was also his menswear show in late June, featuring cargo shorts with waves of fabric, referencing a vintage Dior gown called the Delft, and bowtie collars which alluded to the Miss Dior perfume bottles.
As it turns out, Anderson combined the codes established in his menswear collection with the dramatic red carpet looks into his debut, while keeping plenty of surprises for the big reveal.
Before the clothes came the setting. Guests included new ambassadors Greta Lee and Mikey Madison, alongside France’s first lady Brigitte Macron, who posed for photos with Johnny Depp and Bernard Arnault. At the center of the space hung an inverted pyramid, which became a screen for a film that opened the show. “Who dares enter the house of Dior?” it began, followed by archival clips of shows and atelier fittings interspersed with scenes from horror movies. All this was underscored by the music of feuding musicians Ethel Cain and Lana Del Ray. It was a pop culture bonanza, as is Anderson’s style.
Once the models took to the runway, certain details stood out. There were the hats: large, nun-style cornettes that harked back to one of John Galliano’s collections from the 2000s. Another archival nod was a short dress whose skirt of fabric petals felt like a modern take on Christian Dior’s famous Junon dress.
The signature bar jacket was styled with denim miniskirts or those Delft cargo shorts, as well as a tidy cropped version, paired with a matching pleated skirt. There was a grey onesie with a tuxedo bib paired with heels. The more architectural looks included a jacket designed so what would traditionally be the back was now the front. And softer looks included a short, jellyfish-style dress in embroidered lace.
The finale was met with resounding applause, but the most rapturous reception was for Anderson himself. His vision of the Dior woman is at once referential and refreshingly new.