27 January 2026 |
Feel the energy. Jonathan Anderson is shaking up the house of Dior, bringing his radical reboot to couture. Classic, this was not. Anderson’s approach is experimental, surprising, vividly creative and playful.
The vast tent, its ceiling festooned with flowers, echoed the floral theme of the show, which was inspired by a posey of cyclamen tied with simple black ribbon given to Anderson when he joined the house by none other than John Galliano. A fashion hero of Anderson’s, he is also Dior’s most notable (and notorious) designer. He sat in the front row and admitted that, although he’d created some of its most lavish and memorable catwalk moments, he’d never watched a Dior show before.
It was a new experience for him, and for us, as Anderson unveiled his striking vision. A trio of hourglass pleated dresses with bulb-like skirts opened the show, echoing the shape of his opening look in his debut ready-to-wear collection. Both structured and light, their shapes echoed the sensual vases of sculptor Magdalene Odundo who collaborated on versions of the Lady Dior bag. The trio of gowns bobbed down the catwalk like amuse bouche for the feast of craft that was to come.
Recreating Galliano’s cyclamen posy in silk and embroidery, Anderson’s vision of twenty-first century flower women unfurled. There was a heady abundance. Bodies were cocooned in transparent, bud-like capes, swathed in feather and chiffon petals or intensely embroidered blooms. Little lampshade dresses encrusted with flower embroidery echoed the trumpeting shape of a lilly.
Anderson upcycled 18th century veils, layering them into little lampshade skirts and used meteor rock for jewellery. Floor-length ‘grass’ fringe bags, ladybird clutches and even a silver, chain-mail ferret purse brought a playfulness to accessories.
Tailoring played a key part in the Dior story. Anderson described creating it at couture level as being “like performing engineering”. Precision came in the form of elongated bar jackets, trumpet-necked coats and swagged tuxedo jackets. Petal and embroidery-swathed gowns provided the swooning romance that the couture category promises.
Viewing couture as a vital art to be preserved through practice, Anderson changed the work schedule of the house to give more time to create the couture. The energy and experimentation he poured into the collection had its roots in the founder’s approach. Mr Dior was a radical creative, who never stopped experimenting with silhouette. People were scandalised by the swooning extravagance of his New Look. Anderson has shown with his debut men’s, women’s and couture collections, that he intends to be every bit as daring.
Photography by Christina Fragkou.
