Punks and Poiret give Dior menswear a new look

Jonathan Anderson unveiled his second menswear collection for Dior in Paris this week at Musée Rodin, guests included actors Robert Pattinson and Mia Roth and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton. Backstage at an early morning press preview the 41-year-old designer who became the first sole creative director across menswear and womenswear at the house last June, explained the collection was a continuation of the first men’s show that month – looking at the idea of what is a new aristocracy for today and the act of dressing up.

He hinted he had adopted Parisian practices and become somewhat of a flâneur – while walking down Avenue Montaigne before Christmas he spotted a commemorative mosaic for the fashion designer Paul Poiret outside the Dior store. Poiret launched his own couture house in 1903 and is known for abolishing the corset, the two are not known to have met, but in his 1957 autobiography, Christian Dior and I, Dior described Poiret as “ the powerful but kindly sultan” of 1912 Paris. An imagined meeting of the two fashion giants and the discovery of an original Poiret dress gave Anderson the starting point for men’s AW26. “I quite like it because Dior put structure in, whereas Poiret takes structure out,” Anderson explained. “Dior went against ease, and today we’re all about ease.”

The show opened with a trio of looks that were a facsimile of a sliced beaded Poiret dress shown with narrow jeans, Dior logo belt and cuban heel boots with a D shaped toe. All the models wore punky wigs, designed by hair stylist Guido, some in a vivid neon yellow. “I don’t want normality,” Anderson declared, “I want it to be a character, where this punkishness meets Poiret.”

Everything felt less restrictive this season, jackets were worn over bare chests with a bohemian air. “I wanted something which had a bit of angst and a bit of wrongness,” he said, presenting deliberately bad-taste golfing polo shirts with silver beaded epaulettes and clashing floral trousers. “The show is about this idea of collaging things together… Fashion shows are about showing ideas, it’s about exploring what’s new for the brand, finding that balance.”

The counter balance to the 1920s dresses came through in the tailoring. Two styles of suit dominated: a rounded shoulder pre-war look and slim fit early 60s cut – both periods in history before a moment that the world changed. “I think clothing can tell you something before the bang,” Anderson mused. Dior’s signature Bar jacket had its proportions tweaked, appearing in a cropped version with a flash of midriff and a longer coat version. “For me Dior, menswear is about tailoring. It’s how you play with it to search to find new shapes. I don’t want some mechanical repetition,” he explained.

Elsewhere on the moodboard were American musician MK Gee. His influence seen in the voluminous puffer jacket and skinny jeans silhouette, the cult film Withnail and I and further nods to Poiret. An opera-coat-meets-parka with a draped silk cape back with an interlocking butterfly motif was based on an original design by the pioneering couturier.

Anderson’s design approach is to put all his references in a metaphorical shoebox and pull things out, likening the collection to a dessert menu that shoppers are encouraged to mix up and order from at random. The proof of the pudding will be in the sales. Having dropped by 4% last week, LVMH shares gained 1.3% despite Trump threatening 200% tariffs on French luxury goods tied to France’s stance on his proposed Board of Peace. Bosses will be hoping the sales from the first collection, which hit stores last week, will further aid the uptick.

On Monday Anderson will make his haute couture debut for Dior at the same venue. The show’s invitation – a cyclamen corsage – is a nod to John Galliano, a previous creative director of the house. He was the first person Anderson showed his debut womenswear collection to, and gifted Anderson a similar posy tied with black ribbon. Following the show the couture collection will go on display in the same venue as part of a public exhibition to showcase archive looks alongside artist sketches and the current collection.