The house is officially under new direction — and it’s worth watching where it goes next.
Jonathan Anderson’s womenswear debut for Dior Spring/Summer 2026 was one of the most anticipated shows of Paris Fashion Week. Having officially joined Dior in June, Anderson now leads the brand’s men’s, women’s, and couture lines. That alone makes him the most “powerful” creative director in the house’s history. But instead of being weighed down by Dior’s legacy, he used this collection to start reshaping it.
The set at the Tuileries was built around a massive upside-down pyramid hovering above a half-opened Dior box. A film by Adam Curtis played across the pyramid, made up of chaotic archive footage from Dior’s past from runway clips, fittings, slammed doors, and even screaming.
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Anderson’s focus on updating core Dior signatures
The show opened with a white plissé dress tied with two bows. It was light, crisp, and referenced Dior’s 1956 Tourbillon gown, but with movement and ease. From there, the collection moved between formal shapes and everyday wear.
The Bar jacket showed up in several versions. There was a mini tweed one with micro-sequins and an open back, another sculpted into petal shapes. Anderson’s approach wasn’t about recreating the original but twisting it into something else.
Hats returned in a big way too. Loïc pointed out that they looked like fighter jet helmets or nun’s headpieces. They were made in satin shaped by folding rather than molding, and designed by Stephen Jones. Dior’s past with hats runs deep, and this collection brought that detail back with an edge. These nodded to Dior’s early career sketching for milliners, as well as past shows under John Galliano.
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Bows appeared throughout the collection. Oversized, or integrated into the structure of dresses and tops. There were also references to Victorian pieces, like a jabot neckline that showed up again in the closing look which is a softer take on the iconic Junon dress, originally from 1949.
Throughout the show, fabrics were layered and engineered. Laminated neoprene, silk jersey, satin, wool used in ways that kept their structure but looked light. Even the bags got an update. The Cigale was inspired by Christian Dior’s 1952 Cigale dress, which Anderson called his “all-time favorite” in an Instagram caption.
If this collection said anything, it’s that this was a confident first step. The house is officially under new direction — and it’s worth watching where it goes next.
