The historic courtyards of the Ecole Militaire served as the grand stage for Dior’s men’s show on Friday, a spectacle that played out under the watchful eye of the Eiffel Tower. A sweltering Parisian heatwave had guests like Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie using their metallic invitations as makeshift fans, and a futuristic, square plate-themed runway hinted at the show’s transformative intent.
As celebrities found their seats, the show began with an unusual flourish that stirred the audience. Square tops on the runway receded, with male models rising from the remaining square holes, a costly theatrical demonstration that even had the stoic Bernard Arnault, CEO of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, reaching for his phone to film.
The event marked a milestone for British designer Kim Jones, celebrating his fifth year at the helm of Dior menswear. The collection displayed was decidedly bold, marrying traditionally feminine elements of Dior’s past with a modern men’s aesthetic, effectively capturing the gender-fluid ethos of Generation Z.
“Dior is a haute couture house,” Jones remarked. “It’s a culture we have inherited from womenswear past and applied to menswear present.” The show exhibited styles that championed a softer approach to masculinity. Dior handbags swung from male arms, leopard print skirt-shorts were presented unapologetically, and pink pastel tweed shorts offered a fresh interpretation of manhood.
The collection showcased an intricate blend of masculine and feminine, transmuting the high-end tailoring traditions of British menswear with haute couture fabrications, harking back to Dior’s womenswear roots. Notable elements included neon accents on loafers and tennis shirts, geometric Balkan motifs, and an array of bags in diverse shapes, colours and textures.
Jones’ collection also paid homage to his predecessors, with a “collage of influences” visible in the textural techniques and silhouettes. Drawing from Yves Saint Laurent to Gianfranco Ferré, Marc Bohan to Monsieur Dior himself, Jones created a mix of pop iconography and tradition, transforming the house's iconic flower women designs into “hommes fleurs” or “flower men.”
Stephen Jones, famed for his millinery, contributed with reinterpretations of new-wave beanies that bore “ronghua,” exquisite velvet flowers of Chinese origin dating back to the Tang dynasty.
Dior's men’s show was a bold statement by Jones, highlighting the fluidity and interconnectedness of gender in fashion. His fifth-anniversary collection tackled society’s shifting perceptions of manhood head-on but also served to push the boundaries, even as he mirrored them. For Jones, fashion should be a dialogue, seamlessly bridging the past, present and future. With his collections, he tried to steer the conversation toward a more expansive view of gender roles.