Published
January 26, 2026
Christian Dior always loved his gardens, and the visual abundance of nature was the key to an arresting and often beautiful debut haute couture collection by Jonathan Anderson for the house of Dior unveiled Monday in Paris.
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Christian Dior – Spring-Summer2026 – Haute Couture – France – Paris – ©Launchmetrics/spotlight
From an opening curvilinear trio of dresses in topiary cone shapes to the silk petals that bedecked the final gowns and cyclamen silk earmuffs worn by most models, nature informed pretty much every passage.
Stemming from a gift of a bunch of fresh cyclamens Anderson’s British predecessor John Galliano gave to the Northern Irishman, becoming “poetic batons” of the collection. So much so, the entire ceiling of the Dior show tent in the Musée Rodin was made of moss, and cyclamens. A few of whose petals began to dry and fall on the audience as the cast exited the silver runway.
And in remarkable moment, Galliano actually turned up at the show, 15 years after he was dismissed by the house. “It’s an honor to be here,” commented John, in what felt like a symbolic passing of the couture baton.
Throughout, Anderson combined silhouettes that flowed sinuously like leaves and petals, with the anthropomorphic shapes suggested by the ceramics of Magdalene Odundo.
“Everything is about how you use nature as a raw material, like a feather. Or how you remake it, for example, with silk and brass, which is then powder coated. So, it’s about how you’re kind of looking at nature to understand how to reenact it, to re-learn from it,” expounded Anderson in a morning, pre-show preview.
Nature has rarely appeared more abundant than at Jonathan Anderson’s Dior. With some beautifully sculpted chess piece dresses in puckered chiffon flowers, which recalled to many eyes, not the Galliano era at Dior, but rather Raf Simons.
Employing his occasionally surreal touch with striking new handbags: a silver mouse with chains; a ladybird minaudiere; or several clutches made like courgettes – albeit one in blue.
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Christian Dior – Spring-Summer2026 – Haute Couture – France – Paris – ©Launchmetrics/spotlight
He also broke new ground with a series of fantastic knits – not traditionally a couture material. Sculptured, falling off the shoulder, knotted at the front, they all looked great and were a very welcome development.
His use of feathers was audacious, including dyed cock feathers made into skirts that looked like right bright red sunsets. While his tailoring a striking blend of iconoclasm and tradition: making a back-to-front Bar jacket in silvery anthracite wool.
Jonathan’s love of miniature led to him incorporating ideas from two great, though somewhat obscure, 18th-century portraitists – Rosalba Carriera and John Smart – into beautiful brooches that seem destined to become cult items.
That era rippled through the show – from the remarkable 18th-century trompe l’oeil fabrics, woven on over 200-year-old looms all the way to the set. Every wall was made of worn and eroded mirrors.
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Christian Dior – Spring-Summer2026 – Haute Couture – France – Paris – ©Launchmetrics/spotlight
“I think France is all about mirrors, from the idea of fashion which is designed in front of mirrors to the Hall of Mirrors,” laughed Anderson, red-eyed but far less exhausted looking from when he staged his debut Dior ready-to-wear show in October.
Anderson may not have received completely unadorned reviews for his first collections, but he broke so much new ground that unanimity was unlikely. But he certainly injected momentum into the brand. Selfridges revealed to FashionNetwork.com that already this month, Dior’s pop-up at the corner of Oxford Street and Duke Street had broken all-time records for that 120 square-meter space. Coming in the first month that any of Anderson’s creations have hit retail shelves.
In the end, this was a somewhat erratic performance but nonetheless a great fashion statement. Which the general public will be able to enjoy now, since Dior is staging an exhibition “Grammar of Forms” in the show-space in the museum’s garden. Featuring Jonathan’s haute couture designs in dialogue with iconic creations by Christian Dior and ceramic sculptures by Odundo. With a program that includes public talks and school tours, the exhibition seeks to demystify the world of couture and inspire the next generation to ensure its future.
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Christian Dior – Spring-Summer2026 – Haute Couture – France – Paris – ©Launchmetrics/spotlight
“I know that couture is only destined to the 0.001 percent of the population but I think it has to be shown to the greater public in order to be kept alive. It’s an incredibly unique métier and skill. Look what happened in Scotland where there are now only two people who can make genuine kilts. We cannot let that happen in France!” he concluded. And bien sûr, he is absolutely right.
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