There is a vision that Jonathan Anderson has embodied since his debut at Dior: a dream made up of youthful reverie, multifaceted influences drawn from different worlds, and an exquisite and deeply personal reinterpretation of tailoring. A vision that has taken shape most decisively in his menswear collections: while in women’s wear the Irish designer still echoes constructions that are as experimental as they are dedicated to redefining the most sophisticated and uncompromising Dior Look, it is in menswear that his free-spirited and unconventional nature emerges most clearly, characterized by a creative nonchalance reflected in collections that are extremely elegant yet relaxed, carefully crafted yet spontaneous, authentic, and genuinely irreverent—all without ever neglecting the sartorial approach.
Among rock ’n’ roll dandies, students driven by utopian ideals, contemporary poets, and cosmopolitan young men who could easily spend their days reading Rimbaud, strolling through Paris’s chicest streets, and escaping to the Canary Islands to surf, Anderson’s Dior man emerges as the protagonist of a timeless novel, as relevant today as he was yesterday: a more mature Oliver Twist or a less sinful Dorian Gray. His men, in fact, possess the contemplative allure of those who still know how to look upon beauty with grace and generous curiosity, without necessarily having to delve into the less noble depths of the human condition. In his shows, as in his campaigns, there is always a redeeming light.
The latest Spring/Summer 2027 collection, presented this morning in sunny Paris, against the enchanting backdrop of the Musée Nissim de Camondo—currently undergoing restoration—is likely one of the designer’s most successful creations for the French fashion house. It is an ode to tailoring explored in its most diverse forms, yet perfectly cohesive within a narrative rich in imagery and references.
The jacket remains the beating heart from which Anderson set out, right from the start, to define his creative direction at Dior. We’d already seen this with his reinterpretation of the iconic Bar Jacket, and it reappears in this collection, where the jacket serves as a springboard for far-reaching structural and aesthetic lyricism. Transplanting key details of a suit jacket into a bomber jacket with an everyday feel is just one of the many creative maneuvers the designer has employed, as is introducing—amidst this garden of neoclassical beauty—luxurious cardigans finished with fringes at the hem, ripped denim paired with long robe-style coats, romantically decorated shirts with trompe-l’œil ties, denim cycling shorts paired with impeccably tailored cuts, and suede cowboy boots, sometimes embellished with floral embroidery.
Accessories are an equally powerful element: multicolored fabric bags with an ethno-chic allure are worn effortlessly over long coats and suits with bow ties that, however, deliberately eschew the immaculate perfection often associated with evening wear, succumbing to an almost childish yet irresistible sense of irreverence. Suede tote bags and briefcases worn over the shoulder with apparent nonchalance become devices that, step by step, shape the unfolding of this coming-of-age story in which the Dior men are the protagonists.
But perhaps the main protagonist is none other than Jonathan Anderson himself, who is writing a chapter in his own creative novel, weaving it together with the splendor of a historic fashion house that he has not allowed to overwhelm him. On the contrary, he has managed to build an equally fascinating parallel story alongside it: that of his own creativity.
[📷Getty Images]
