There’s been hot anticipation around Jonathan Anderson’s debut at Dior; we’ve seen some carefully curated teases, cue the polaroids of Lee Radziwill and Jean-Michel Basquiat, the return of the old logo, and Kylian Mbappé as ambassador, all signalling a new take for a new Dior. Then the collection arrived, shown in a velvet-lined space modelled after Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie and in a classic Anderson move, two Chardin paintings hung on the walls, acting as a subtle cue that set the tone.
Anderson’s ethos came through in an amalgam of artistry, craft and quality. There were familiar House references, and nods to Christian Dior’s own obsessions including his love for the 18th century, floral motifs, and British culture, as well as his penchant for the tension that sits between romance and restraint. As such, we saw Anderson’s interpretation of the Bar jacket, tailcoats, high-buttoned waistcoats, there were also embroidered roses and Diorette charms that brought about the artistry of the rococo. Historic dresses like the Delft, Caprice and La Cigale were reworked too, but made contemporary through styling, that shifted them out of the archive and into today’s landscape.
“Decode to recode”
Accessories built on this idea. The Dior Book Tote was printed with classic book covers, from Les Fleurs du mal, and In Cold Blood, to Dracula and the Lady Dior received an artistic makeover–she became an objet d’art, finished with Anderson’s signature left-of-centre touch — finally the frog and lily pad teases made sense. To a standing ovation, Anderson’s debut for the Maison balanced instinct and nostalgia, and here, we saw the past, present, and future come together all in one collection.
