Dior’s Spring 2024 Menswear Collection: Kim Jones is a Tailoring Titan

Cormac Newman June 13, 2023

For Dior’s Spring 2024 menswear collection, designer Kim Jones elevates and innovates, demanding that tailoring be regarded not just in the realm of construction, but as an art form in its own right. Like a mad scientist with a French fashion house for a lab, Kim Jones measures the reactions between pure elements of menswear. Jones carefully studies male archetypes — the military man, construction worker, preppy golf star, businessman, jock, and so on — before blending them together.

Hems, fits, and silhouettes are the MVPs of the process. Tailored cuts and unconventionally-applied materials flip stereotypes their head. In outerwear, for instance, shearling coats fit like denim jackets, evoking the formal and casual at once.

Still, other creations spark and sizzle: the CD Diamond makes its way into argyle knits, while cannage quilting and fleece-lined collars punctuate the sheen of puffer jackets. Subverting fashion standards, Dior’s Spring collection leaves function to the wearer’s discretion. 

One overarching theme is deconstruction of tradition. From a monogramed sweater-vest to oversized slacks, each individual piece is an amalgamation of aesthetics. The photos below are a great example: a grey collared shirt incorporates the strait-laced vibe of a business-casual button-down, further accentuated with a light beige belt. However, they’ve paired the shirt with exceptionally oversized slacks reminiscent of 90s streetwear and accented the look with bold, white-framed sunglasses. To finish it off, a soft brown coat emphasizes the fit of both shirt and slacks. The resulting quality is almost ineffable; Jones’ synthesis of retro-futurism, nostalgic streetwear, and preppy staples manages to capture the heartbeat of menswear in a single look. 

Of his fusion, Jones says, “This is something I have always been interested in and is really part of what I do. This new line presents subtle codes of ceremony, classical decoration applied in a cheeky and impactful way; masculine decorative and practical are united themes this season.”

Retaining a playful cheekiness while working with classic motifs is no small feat. For inspiration, Jones looked to the work of Ray Petri, whose Buffalo styling fused couture and streetwear in a similar subversion of conventional clothing.

Credited with changing the face of British menswear, Petri’s work flooded the pages of London’s magazines — the same pages a young Kim Jones once looked through. Like Dior’s Spring 2024 line, Petri embraced contradicting aesthetics to establish his own. He mixed sportswear with suit jackets, and experimented with tailoring; Petri once cut the sleeves off his models and safety-pinned them back onto the insides of their coats to create the illusion of elongated arms.

Aside from a being good story, Petri’s influence speaks to the future of Dior menswear under Kim Jones. While his interest in tailoring makes a strong case for Jones being Petri’s successor, the Spring 2024 collection suggests – more explicitly than previous lines – that Jones is embracing a creative metamorphosis. After showcasing his adaptability with prior collaborations (including the recent Beachwear Capsule and unlikely team up with Hennessy), the Spring 2024 Collection lets Jones stand on his own.

The designer’s sheer versatility — evidenced by a collection encompassing suits, boots, bags, skirts, and everything in between — allows raw skill to take centre stage. Meanwhile, Jones’ talent for tailoring grants a layer of novelty to his work. When Dior launches a new line, be it beach-ready swimwear or haute couture, Jones’ mark is unmistakable. Nuanced fitting, hems, and tapers have become as symbolic of Dior as the CD emblem. 

“There is an exploration of the possibilities of tailoring. Not only have we moved away from the rigidity of the hard, constructed shoulder to something softer and more malleable, but we have also embraced the potential of what tailoring can be beyond questions of construction.” Jones said in a statement. 

The collection takes an unconventional route with classics, altering the fit of staples like grey suit trousers and powder blue jackets.  Garments speak to Jones’ vision of tailoring as creative expression, a growing menswear trend thanks to the designer’s trailblazing. Hard and fast rules of fashion are thrown out the window; Dior’s collection argues that there is no right or wrong way to wear apparel.

 “We’re really asking what constitutes a suit now. There is the importance of self-styling; it’s about not being dictated to but the freedom of wearing what you want how you want,” the designer said. Jones’ words echo the collection’s visual declaration.