What’s the verdict?
The setting: For his inaugural collection for Dior, Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson chose the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris where his guests were perched on wooden cubes within the Cour du Dôme des Invalides. The space was restrained and gallery-like, deliberately chosen to channel the velvet-lined interiors of Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie. Key details were two small still life paintings on the wall, both by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin. Anderson called them “modest yet beautiful.” While at Loewe, Anderson said his ideal customer is an art enthusiast.
The guest list: Ensured plenty of VIP clout with Rihanna in a Dior embroidered silk coat, Sabrina Carpenter in a Dior wool Bar jacket and pleated skirt, Daniel Craig in a Dior brown wool notch lapel jacket and Robert Pattinson wearing a Dior wool bomber jacket, as well as past and present employers the Arnault family and Donatella Versace for whom he worked on Versace’s diffusion line, Versus. No doubt his parents, Heather and Willie Anderson were on the frow with his siblings Thomas and Chloe. In lieu of the usual invite, guests received a sleek box containing a porcelain plate with three eggs – a nod to 19th-century trompe l’oeil and the result of Anderson’s deepdive into Dior’s archives.
The moodboard: Included Andy Warhol polaroids of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and Lee Radziwill, both of whom represent the “epitome of style”, according to Anderson. Reworked book totes with covers of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Les Liaisons Dangereuese also featured, in addition to footage of French footballer Kylian Mpabbe donning a tux. The latter perhaps referenced Anderson’s time at Brown Thomas Dublin where he worked as a visual merchandiser. During that experience, he found a vintage Dior tuxedo that he often wore clubbing.
The show: The programme notes emphasised the art of dressing up to become a character, of mixing past with present, of being spontaneous and “the idea of the aristocrat.” There was a whiff of Brideshead Revisited in many of the 60 exits – as if many of the models had just come from a tutorial at Oxford or a grand ball, or were off to a country estate for the weekend. Anderson explained; “I had the idea of this gang of guys, a little bit Sorbonne, a little bit Jean-Luc Godard. I wanted formality, a take on history and mixing it with a kind of personal style.”
The details: There were several Irish references – a Donegal tweed jacket and some pops of Kelly green in a decidedly colourful collection which effortlessly mixed historical references from Versailles to the Dior Bar Jacket, first seen in 1947. A crossbody Dracula by Bram Stoker bag paid homage to the book tote, with others including Saints Pères editions of Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. The Lady Dior was re-imagined by artist Sheila Hicks, cloaked in a nest of pure linen ponytails.
Waistcoats embroidered with roses and charms all felt very Rococo – a deliberate nod to Mr Dior’s favourite period. Anderson also referenced his Delft, Caprice and La Cigale dresses as recontextualised. Trousers alternated from voluminous panniered cargo shorts to jeans (lightwash, skinny and baggy) as well as a relaxed grey suit, the final exit. The notable details for me were the romantic ruffles and bowties, silk scarves nonchalantly trailing under jackets and the shoes – suede boxing sneakers and preppy loafers with CD hardware. Everything seemed to underscore Anderson’s delight in contrast.
In his own words: Backstage, Anderson admitted; “I can’t stand here and say I’m not nervous, that it’s not petrifying. Dior is on billboards. It’s on Rihanna. It’s transcendent. But this is the starting point – the first five shows will show different aspects. Some will contradict; others will be completely radical.” He wore his trademark Levi’s and a plaid Dior shirt. He looked understandably emotional when he took his bow to a standing ovation.
Verdict: A French brand designed by an Irishman with a collection showcasing American preppy and English aristocratic style. This was an epic beginning with a notable soundtrack too – Bruce Springsteen’s State Trooper. Anderson has taken Paris by storm!
