Perched on benches inspired by sénat chairs in a greenhouse in Paris’ Jardin de Tuileries, guests settled in for the unveiling of Jonathan Anderson’s autumn/winter 2026 collection for Dior. The park itself plays a part in the story – it has long served as the venue for Dior’s presentations and miniature versions of the park’s iconic green seats were sent as an invitation. In the corner of Jardin de Tuileries is the Musée de l’Orangerie where Monet’s Water Lilies is housed. Anderson takes inspiration from the masterpiece both for the collection and the set design, building a runway over a pond strewn with (you guessed it!) water lilies in bloom.
Dior AW26 is an ode to dressing-up and upgrades an everyday task, like a stroll through a park, into an occasion to parade your pieces. Jardin de Tuileries, a royal park commissioned by Queen Catherine de’ Medici and redesigned by Louis XVI, applied a dress code for entry in the 17th and 18th centuries. Similarly, promenading in 18th-century Britain was a ritual of the upper class. It is the art of simply going out to be seen, and Anderson ensures the Dior woman will never be lost in a crowd.
The collection was rooted in the creative director’s signature playful extravagance. It’s over-the-top yet restrained, flamboyant yet wearable and, quite simply, pretty. There is a lightness to the collection; pieces are infused with Anderson’s creativity and loosely woven into the history of the House without being weighed down by it. The peplum returns via a reinterpretation of Christian Dior’s figure-enhancing New Look. Anderson’s version, as has become his signature, exaggerates proportions even more, with jackets jutting from the waist and voluminous ruffles in homage to flowers in bloom.
Naturally, flowers – specifically water lilies – appeared throughout, from gigantic blooms affixed to dresses to embroidered blouses, brooches, shoes topped with lily pads and a bag shaped like an actual frog. Ever-so-slightly departing from the theme were suits speckled with metallic threads that gleamed in the spring sunshine, bedazzled denim, feather-lined outerwear and delicate buttons that demonstrated Anderson’s attention to every last detail, no matter tumbling tulle or tiniest embroidery.
“A walk through the park becomes a performance,” reads the show notes. For Dior AW26, Jonathan Anderson captures the romance of a garden stroll, the unmistakable Parisienne attitude, and the optimism of a Sunday surrounded by birdsong and sunshine.
Rewatch the show here
