Jonathan Anderson Reimagines Tradition at Dior Men's Spring/Summer 2026 Show

Jonathan Anderson’s debut collection for Dior was unveiled amidst the solemn grandeur of the Hôtel National des Invalides, setting the stage for a striking conversation between past and present, rigour and ease. Each piece engages directly with the House’s heritage, dissecting its codes not to preserve them, but to reinvent them. Tradition gains a fresh, vibrant spirit: classic tweed Bar jackets meet the boldness of the tuxedo; haute couture’s refined lines reappear in unexpected forms, including cargo shorts shaped by memory rather than convention.

Sculpted tailcoats contrast with the casual drape of denim, while antique French embroideries – echoes of the 18th and 19th centuries – emerge on jumpers and trainers, forming subtle links between aristocratic craft and street culture. In this natural, unforced movement, elegance becomes empathetic, reimagined with a candid, accessible grace. The runway space, reminiscent of Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie, took on the air of a museum, where two Chardin still lifes, lent by the Louvre and museums in Scotland, observed quietly, standing as witnesses to a transformed legacy.