Mood board: Flashes of New Wave and a sportif élan are at the core of everything Kris van Assche does. During his nine-year tenure at Dior, he has created a language that is always athletic in its approach to formal tailoring and modern with its play on traditional craftsmanship techniques. For S/S, Assche focused on his formative years in a collection that embodied ‘a remix of shared boyhood memories.’ The textile suggested clothes that might have been once lost or loved – pinstripes were interrupted and frayed, knits were scarred and houndstooth blurred. Japanese artist Toru Kamei’s arcane floral paintings appeared as patches on sleeveless shirts and slim trousers, as if markings of a misspent youth.
Best in show: Assche talked backstage about a cocktail of style tribes he explored growing up in rural Belgium. Punk, New Wave and New Romanticism have each influenced this season’s playful polish. The silhouette is more relaxed and richly offhand; new proportions for suiting such as jogging or wide-legged trousers with work-wear pocket detailing were paired with smart two-button jackets.
Scene setting: The attitude of Haçienda youth pumped throughout the industrial space at the Tennis Club de Paris. Guests were seated around a sprawling mass of rollercoaster tracks, festooned with coloured lights in a set that was said to be a direct replica of a ride that once stood at Sinksenfoor Antwerp – a traditional Belgian fairground.
INFORMATION
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
-
Gucci’s ‘Design Ancora’ reimagines furniture classics in rich redGucci launches new editions of Italian design icons in an alluring deep red, showcased during Milan Design Week 2024
-
Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson drafts artists to create 24 extraordinary lamps at Milan Design Week 2024Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson commissioned international artists and artisans to explore ‘illumination within the house’ with a series of lamps and lighting installations, shown at a group exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024
-
What are polynucleotides? Trying the skin injectable made from salmon spermPolynucleotides are the latest in skin injectables, containing DNA derived from the gonads of salmon. Wallpaper* Beauty & Grooming Editor Hannah Tindle tries them to discover exactly how they work
-
Mariella Bettineschi’s feminist artworks survey guests at Dior A/W 2022 showAs guests gathered at Dior’s A/W 2022 womenswear show venue in Paris, sets of duplicated eyes stared down at them from the artworks of Mariella Bettineschi
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from A/W 2022 menswear showsA Kubrickian space odyssey at Prada; a recreation of the Pont Alexandre III in Paris at Dior; and colourful, artist-created flags at Loewe: explore the best runway sets from the A/W 2022 menswear shows
-
Dior recreates Paris bridge, Pont Alexandre III, for A/W 2022 showDior recreated Paris’ landmark bridge, Pont Alexandre III, for its A/W 2022 menswear show, which took place on 21 January 2022, the date of Christian Dior’s birthday
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2022: Louis Vuitton to Loewe, Dior to HermèsIn this extended report, Laura Hawkins reveals 9 highlights from Paris Fashion Week Men's A/W 2022. Including: Virgil Abloh's final collection for Louis Vuitton; Rick Owen's riff on sleaze; elfin-inspired accessories; and a celebration of slouch and surrealism
-
Year in review: fashion features editor Laura Hawkins picks her top 10 posts of 2021Wallpaper’s Laura Hawkins reveals her top 10 fashion posts from 2021, spanning designer interviews, scene-stealing show sets, and innovations towards sustainability
-
Virgil Abloh to Dior: fashion must-sees in DohaThe Qatari capital Doha plays host to a duo of blockbuster retrospective fashion exhibitions, ‘Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech’ and ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
