Fresh, feminine, fun and fabulous …
Florals for spring is something of a fashion cliché, though few designers have focused on the cyclamen perennial that inspired Jonathan Anderson’s first haute couture collection since taking over as Dior’s Creative Director.
He credited his “hero” designer John Galliano, creative director at Dior from 1997 to 2011, who gifted him two posies of cyclamens tied with black silk ribbons – later sent to guests as a “symbol of continuity”. Expect to see this idea replicated at spring weddings and on tablescapes, as well as the dreamy set decoration. The show notes explained, “The space inverts nature, drawing viewers into an upside-down landscape where earth and flowers fall, quietly asserting their presence.”
Anderson’s show was held in the garden of Paris’ Rodin Museum where a mirrored Dior catwalk reflected a canopy of moss studded with cyclamens. The impression was of a lush meadow where guests including French First Lady Brigitte Macron, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault, and Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez gathered in expectation. They had to practice patience – apparently the show did not start until Rihanna arrived an hour late!
No matter: the 63 exits enchanted, reinterpreting Christian Dior’s 1947 New Look. A trio of balloon-shaped silk georgette cocktail dresses opened the show in a tricolour formation, seen again in the finale, which is clearly a nod to Anderson’s love of all things Irish. With pleats twisted around the body, their shape is inspired by the work of Kenyan-born British ceramicist Dame Magdalene Odundo, who also collaborated on several Lady Dior handbags. Anderson worked with Odundo at Loewe.
If the soundtrack was eclectic – from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to Portishead’s Beth Gibbons – so was the collection. There were translucent swirling tops, mini capes and bell-shaped dresses, reminiscent of lily-of-the-valley – Mr Dior’s favourite flower.
Anderson also referenced Raf Simons’ tailoring in a minimalist black Bar coat (Simons was creative director of women’s from 2012 to 1015) paired with tufted pink mules, and Galliano’s Belle Epoque aesthetic in bias-draped black gowns.
Prior to the show, a series of cryptic references teased with images of fossils, shells and a sculptural dress, photographed by Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto. These elements formed the moodboard for accessories, especially jewellery, while florals and nature motifs prevailed in the Ladybug miniaudières, huge pom pom cyclamen earrings and corsages of orchids, both real and fake. Anderson also sourced cameo brooches from antique sellers pinned to dresses, which will surely be the next big trend.
The finale was modelled by Mona Tougaard as the bride in a poetic asymmetric gown, a homage to the craftsmanship and petits mains at the house of Dior.
Verdict: Fresh, feminine and fun, Anderson called the collection a “wunderkammer” of ideas, saying; “It’s never going to be a one-note. My brain doesn’t work that way, and I get bored quickly.”
It also signalled Galliano’s return to the forefront as he was pictured with his longtime champion Anna Wintour. Out top tip? When in Paris, Odundo’s ceramics will be featured in a weeklong exhibition, alongside 15 looks from the spring 2026 collection and nine archival outfits by founder Christian Dior.
