Kim Jones, who like many of his Dior collections has been a collaborator with writers and artists, approached his 75th-anniversary homage for the house as a one-person show. The designer revealed that a Birkenstock had been done, but not because he wanted to create a Christian Dior gardening shoe. However, the “one-man show” label is misleading. Jones was a tribute to the green-fingered founder. Jones worked with Christian Dior to put in neon lights the archive genes that naturally underpin all collections he created.
Jones built Pont Alexandre III a life-size replica in a tent located at Place de la Concorde. This was just a stone’s throw away from the real Pont Alexandre III. Jones was accompanied by Christian Dior, who sounded like a god as Jones performed his interpretations of Dior’s signature silhouettes while he walked along the bridge’s banister. It was a simple exercise: Jones took each Dior icon and made it into something that could appeal to modern men.
“It’s very complicated pattern-cutting, yet it looks so simple. He pointed to one of the jackets in his board of looks. Jones said that cleanliness is as important as godliness at Dior. But Jones’s time machine was most effective when he deliberately chipped off the polish. A series of Bar jackets or coats that looked almost like men’s blazers had white stitching. They had a distinctive character that isn’t common at his Dior. It fit him. It was, however, nice to see a Dior line that was Jones-centric.
Jones was asked if he felt it more “him”, and he pulled up Vogue Runway via his phone. He searched for the Fall 2005 collection under his eponymous label. “Funny, it reminds a lot about the collection I did back around the noughties. This is 20 years ago. I feel old and frightening. There were clear similarities. The sweatshirt grays in Jones’s collection became the Dior grays in this one, and he had–perhaps subconsciously–evoked the same sporty trouser silhouette as back then, although on this runway, his tailored track pants looked more like the athleisure that has seeped into menswear in recent years.
This collection included trousers that were more appropriate for younger consumers who enjoy sportswear. A collection like this might not get the attention of last season’s Travis Scott collaboration. The release was delayed indefinitely because of controversy surrounding the rapper. But in its Dior core, it will help to educate new audiences on the history of the house. Jones stated that young people desire to learn about different things. “Dior still looks fresh when you view pieces from its archives. That’s the beauty of it.” It’s probably because it’s still around, and so big. He made his bow along with Stephen Jones the milliner and modified the founder’s beret so that it would fit Jones’s head.
