Two days ago in Paris at the École Militaire, Kim Jones celebrated his five-year anniversary at the helm of Dior’s men’s collections with a presentation designed by longtime collaborators Villa Eugénie. Inside a long, futuristic space with glowing white ceilings a shining silver floor, stadium seating in five tiers flanked a wide runway. The show began in darkness, with squares on the ground that slowly began to light up. For a few seconds, each gleamed square-shaped illuminations until the overhead lights dimmed on. Simultaneously, each square began to open, and models on platforms slowly emerged from the ground.
As the lights faded on, the atmosphere turned into a sci-fi-esque setting, complete with eerie music by Simon Parris that could accompany an upcoming cult-favorite thriller. Stationed in rows of three, models departed from their squares once their square-shaped lights turned off. Down the long stretch of the perimeter, we then saw them walk in garments and accessories from the Spring/Summer 2024 collection.
Photo by Adrian Dirand, courtesy of Dior.
Photo by Brett Lloyd, courtesy of Dior.
“Dior is a haute couture house. It is all about the clothes. At the heart of Dior is silhouette, shape, technique, and fabrication of the very highest order. I like to think that in my five years of being here—this is my fifth-anniversary show and collection—I have never forgotten this,” said Jones. “It’s a culture we have inherited from womenswear past and applied to menswear present. And for the first time in our collections, it is a collage of influences from different Dior predecessors and eras we wanted to pay tribute to at once—together with some of our own. All are connected through texture and technique alongside some of the Dior Pop icons, particularly the cannage.”
Courtesy of Dior.
Collage of Dior Influences
Influenced by previous designers of the maison, including Monsieur Christian Dior himself, Jones looked to the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Gianfranco Ferré, and Marc Bohan for silhouette, embroidery, and texture inspiration. More feminine in structure and shape, the makeup of several pieces was inspired by the art of haute couture, and Saint Laurent’s tailoring in his 1959 collections, particularly. Volumes, vents, pleats, and cuts were of particular focus, appearing more relaxed, refined, and ready for warmer months.
Courtesy of Dior.
Menswear infused with womenswear of yesteryears
Shape-shifting traditional ideas of menswear today, the collection was infused with details sourced from womenswear design. Loafers and slides with a new circular logo were inspired by the Lady Dior bag of 1995; large Saddle bags in woven materials were carried; floral brooches donned several lapels; and playful, modern pieces combined formal and casual for an effortless sense of luxury and utility.
Courtesy of Dior.
Weaving together inspirations
Techniques, shapes, and textures from previous Dior designers were also considered, including cannage, tweed, embroideries, crew neck t-shirts, Harrington and Polo styles, and the classic cardigan. Traversing time and style, Jones moved from ordinary dress to extraordinary style with an array of accessories, too.
Men’s bags in various shapes, sizes, colors, and textures appeared, too, with extravagant tweed rucksack bags, rolled leather bags, wallet-sized satchels, and utilitarian backpacks all gently carried. The strong visual identity urges a new wave of men’s accessories to be considered men’s—not “unisex” or womenswear on men.
Courtesy of Dior.
Master-crafted caps symbolize a new era
Our not-miss detail of the show, of course, must be the Stephen Jones-designed hats, interpreting this new wave with beanies that double as Liberty Cap hats. Adopted during the French Revolution, the bonnet de la Liberté cap symbolized allegiance—and today signifies a storied Chinese design. In this new wave, the hat’s cockade is replaced by a ronghua—a traditionally Chinese velvet flower that has been in production since the Tang Dynasty. Special for the Spring/Summer 2024 collection, ronghua master craftspeople worked with Dior’s atelier to shape-shift technique and tradition for a new era of elegance, seen in new rosettes shapes for the contemporary season ahead.
