Jonathan Anderson presented his debut collection for Dior behind a famed French monument to its military, Les Invalides, and at the finale it felt very much like a designer marching to glory.
Think of it as the New Era, rather than the New Look, as the Irishman riffed on Dior’s DNA, and many women’s wear designs of Monsieur Dior himself, to create a powerful pathbreaking fashion statement.
Take Monsieur’s autumn 1948 multi-fold Delft dress made in silk faille which Anderson then morphed into multi-leaf white denim cargo shorts that opened the show.
Or a superb check wool coat, nipped at the waits but scalloped below the hips, a look Monsieur named Caprice from spring 1948, which led to a great series elephantine men’s pants with wraparound features.
The Stakhanovite Anderson has clearly been putting long shifts at Dior, mastering the codes, delving into the archives. Playing on another Dior classic, Christian’s Autumn 1952 dimpled moiré coat, La Cigale. But taking it forward into the 21st century with some great coats. Plus, his herringbone versions of the house’s signature Bar jacket were pretty sensational.
Throughout, there was a whole Edwardian feel – with high collars, stocks and knotted bows, albeit worn without shirts, and paired with great Dior grey fracks, albeit paired with faded jeans. Plus, Anderson will surely ignite huge demand for the trim linen summer gilet – in pink or finished with flowers.
Many looks anchored by a new suede boxing-meets-trail bootie. He dreamed up one striking new mop bag, but otherwise played with Dior’s hit fabric tote, by creating many versions printed with classic novels – from Françoise Sagan’s “Bonjour Tristesse” to Bram Stroker’s “Dracula”.
If occasionally erratic – one or two chino and striped shirts looks reminded one that Anderson has made several capsule collections for Uniqlo – it still all felt like a major menswear statement and huge hit.
Without question it was the most anticipated debut by a designer at a major house this century. If there was any doubt; look at the fellow designers who showed up: Donatella Versace (for whom he briefly designed Versus), Stefano Pilati, Courrèges’ Nicolas Di Felice, Glenn Martens, Silvia Fendi, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Daniel Roseberry, Christian Louboutin, Chitose Abe, Michael Rider, Julien Dossena, Chemena Kamali, and LVMH regulars or alumni – from Pharrell Williams to Kris Van Assche. Talk about designer gridlock.
The 40-year-old Northern Irishman takes over at Dior as an already acclaimed star. Having turned Loewe, LVMH’s leading Spanish brand, into the hottest show in Paris this past half decade. Jonathan’s choice of location respected tradition, seeing it was the same square where his immediate predecessor Kim Jones had staged his final show for Dior in January. There the similarity ended, with not a hint of Kim’s style in sight.
Though the set design did recall Anderson’s debut show at Loewe, which featured precisely poured concrete blocks as seats. At Dior, the audience sat on precise plywood blocks, on a plywood floor, under a high ceiling entirely made of illuminated squares.
Even since he began teasing on social media his new era at Dior, it’s been a respectful homage to classicism. Just like this collection, even if he also managed to turn the whole codes upside down.
Somewhat eccentrically, a pre-show French speaker recounted – at length – exact cuts, darts, shapes and fabrics of Dior looks, which turned out to be indie director and French heartthrob, Louis Garrel reading from the memoir “Dior and I”. Garrel, whose mop hair appears have been the inspiration for all the models hairstyle, joined Louvre director Laurence Descartes, Roger Federer, Robert Pattinson, Daniel Craig and Rihanna, in the front row.
In teases and in the show, Jonathan also played on Monsieur Dior’s great affection for British taste with an opening Instagram post of a blue shirt fabric with a pin for Dior. Putting that online in mid-April six weeks before his appointment was official. Posting all manner of hints from a tape measure curled into a thimble to look like a snail on huge leaf, to an embroidered Louis XIV chair, he personally redesigned.
Anderson – who will direct menswear, women’s wear and couture at Dior – restored the house’s dove gray logo, and replaced the all capital Dior, with just the “D” capitalized. Seen at the entrance to the huge show tent, over a giant illustration of Dior’s neo-classical salon on Avenue Montaigne, which witnessed the birth of the house, and the legendary New Look on February 12, 1947.
Which segued into two works of fine art – oil paintings by J.B.S. Chardin of a vase full of flowers, or a plate of raspberries – that hung inside the show. Both lent for the show by the Louvre, and much admired by LVMH CEO, and Anderson’s ultimate boss, French billionaire, Bernard Arnault, who studied them carefully. As did Jonathan’s proud parents, his rugby playing father and one-time captain of the Irish national rugby team Willie, and his elegant schoolteacher mum, Heather.
Post show, when asked his thoughts on the show, Arnault told FashionNetwork.com: “It was, frankly, magnifique!”
Though perhaps the most chatter this fashion sea change inspired by Anderson’s idiosyncratic invitation – a ceramic white plate with three ceramic eggs. Like the solid stools, there was a sense of reassurance.
Back when Jonathan was a teen growing up in the outskirts of the small town of Magherafelt in County Derry, his first teenage job was gathering eggs from a local farm.
“Next thing you know, we came back home and there was a sign, ‘eggs for sale.’ Jonathan has always been an incredibly hard worker. He puts his head down and never stops. But he is still the same person we knew when he left Northern Ireland. And we like that,” said his proud dad.
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