Jonathan Anderson Presents Dior Men’s Spring-Summer 2026
Friday, June 27th was circled on everybody’s calendar, from the fashion cognoscenti to runway photographers and even other designers. Jonathan Anderson’s debut at Dior was the most highly anticipated event of Paris Fashion Week. For years, Anderson has been the fashion world’s favourite designer for his work at Loewe, where he turned a storied — but overlooked and downtrodden — leather goods purveyor into a runway powerhouse. Such was the extent of Loewe’s revival under Anderson that he essentially had free rein. It seemed such a good gig and such a perfect match that it was hard to imagine Anderson ever leaving.
But, when Dior comes knocking, you listen.
Much of the anticipation centered around the delicate balancing act that awaited Anderson at Dior, with the French house representing a different challenge than the Spanish one. At Dior, there are storied codes to be respected, history to be preserved, ways of doing things and not doing things. How would Anderson — whose eponymous label and work with Loewe might best be described as funky and playful yet incredibly luxurious — make that work?
The Spring-Summer 2026 collection offered some insight and charted a new way forward, without totally breaking from Dior’s historical course. The opening look featured a take on Christian Dior’s iconic Tailleur Bar, reworked for men by doing away with the padded hips and fashioned from Donegal wool — a nod to Anderson’s Irish heritage. Multi-layered shorts were inspired by Dior’s 1948 “Winged” collection and the neck cover and bow tie were reminiscent of the 18th century garb of which Monsieur Dior was so fond. That was a through line in the collection, which saw Anderson riff on staples from that era, most notably with buttoned military-style jackets and frogged vests, with a pair of 18th century masterpieces by Jean Siméon Chardin looking on from the walls.
Yet despite the proper nature of the references Anderson drew from that era, he presented his modern take with a youthful nonchalance that felt inspired by the laissez-faire style of students after-hours: ties worn backwards, rolled shirt sleeves and pants cuffs, sweaters draped over shoulders, untucked shirts and formal shirts worn unbuttoned and without any neckwear; jeans with tail coats.
In other words: he struck the delicate balance and checked all of the boxes, nodding to Dior’s past, while bringing a youthful edge. The palette was light but vibrant, resplendent with pinks, green, purple and some blue; the knitwear, one of Anderson’s fortes over the years, was strong, from the solid coloured cable knit sweaters to those embroidered with small florals; there were the proverbial clickbait pieces, like the “Winged” shorts or the baggy trousers, but much of the collection was easily wearable.
Dior Men’s Spring-Summer 2026.
Dior Men’s Spring-Summer 2026.
Dior Men’s Spring-Summer 2026.
Dior Men’s Spring-Summer 2026.
Dior Men’s Spring-Summer 2026.
Dior Men’s Spring-Summer 2026.
Ultimately, what made it that great things were expected of Jonathan Anderson at Dior was his preternatural ability not to design clothes, but to create a universe that people want to be a part of. He has panache, impeccable timing and a keen grasp of both contemporary pop culture and the historical context in which he works. For Spring-Summer 2026, all of those qualities were on display, from tapping Kylian Mbappé as the front man for the campaign to striking the perfect balance between Dior’s history and his own penchant for irreverent creativity. He didn’t present a collection of clothes — he presented a stylish lifestyle that people can already picture themselves wearing.
It’s old, yet new. It’s luxurious, yet approachable. It’s Jonathan Anderson. It’s Dior.
Photos by Corey Ng.
