Jonathan Anderson’s starting point for his sophomore Dior Homme Fall/Winter 2026 collection in Paris today was a dress from Paul Poiret—the late couturier who dominated the Belle Epoque era in Paris. Poiret’s first boutique was just a few doors down from the Christian Dior boutique on Avenue Montaigne, and this reportedly caught Anderson’s attention as he began the design process for Men’s FW26.
Dior
Dior
Where Monsieur Dior’s silhouette was all about the “New Look”, Poiret’s inspiration was borrowed from structural codes referencing North Africa, the Middle East and East Asia. Dior was nipped and tucked, Poiret was draped and languid. Here, Anderson coaxed them into meeting in the middle, fusing his clever knack for clothing that feels so commercially tempting, contemporary, covetable, even; with concepts that sit and make you think for a moment.
Dior
Dior
The collection’s strongest moments emerged through tailoring, a focal point for Dior Homme. There were elements of the Bar Jacket cut into cropped, double breasted houndstooth blazers, while tailcoats and military jackets brought continuity from his debut menswear collection for the house last summer. Double breasted wool coats were trimmed with ginormous fur cuffs, while single-breasted suit jackets were worn slouchy with nothing underneath. Some coats were fastened with cape-like bolts of fabric bearing jacquard prints of Poiret’s own designs, other parka jackets were swathed in cocoons of quilted printed fabric fastened with a bow tie at the neck.
Dior
Dior
There was an element of randomness that felt welcome here, like the neon yellow wigs imagined by Guido Paolo that were worn by 50% of the models, or the occasional, magpie-like glint of something shiny: rhinestone epaulettes on the shoulders of polo shirts and knit pullovers, Dior buckled belts, a series of three sequined tank tops at the first few exits (reportedly an adapted version of a Poiret dress Anderson ordered), a knitted jumped woven with silver and purple thread. At every touchpoint, Anderson offered a different character for the Dior customer to play.
Dior
Dior
Experimentation, in these early days of Anderson’s Dior, is key to establishing what the designer, who is famously filled with ideas, will offer in the long term. As much as the past decade has seen a subdued version of Dior, there was once a time where experimenting with different characters and narratives built the luxury house into the giant it currently is. Dior is, at its core, fantasy and whimsy. Jonathan Anderson knows how to lean into both.
