7 July 2026 |
Some designers are inspired by artists, Jonathan Anderson went deeper, describing his Dior couture collection as, “a response in the language of couture to the work of American sculptor Lynda Benglis.” He’s collaborated with her before and she starred in a Loewe campaign for him, but this couture show took their creative relationship to another level.
Not only did Lynda Benglis collaborate with Dior on several metallic, pleated bags featured in the show, but Anderson created metallic gowns based on her sculptures. These wearable works of art were amongst the stand-out pieces in a couture collection that thrilled with ideas and intense experimentation. Hand pleating (a favourite technique of Benglis) was a big story, with the designer creating sumptuously soft, pleated versions of the bar jacket and a scarlet trapeze coat based on a 1948 archive design by Mr Dior. A large fan (another Benglis reference) adorned the front of a silk gown, and a sky blue skirt suit was hung with a cacophony of dangling beads, tassels and abstracted flowers – all masterfully created by Dior’s artisans in India and its expanded Paris atelier. Meanwhile, Anderson’s haute couture take on denim involved collaging thousands of denim flowers together for jeans and a frock coat.
The quieter pieces had an elegance only couture, with its obsession with cut and flou can express – from liquid silk draped dresses that were almost pyjama-like, to fluted skirt suits and coats in speckled tweed. Add a swooping metallic cloche hat by Stephen Jones and the look was complete.
Photography courtesy of Dior.
