Mood board: Kris Van Assche sought to shift the Dior Homme register, considering the ways in which dressing down could appear as polished as dressing up. Although the show began with a three-piece suit matched with trainers and included no shortage of impeccably tailored jackets, the freshness came from camouflage print argyle patterning, polo knits styled over shirts and ties, and cargo pants stylised with not one pocket per leg but several. 'The dialogue with Christian Dior continues in a more abstract way,' was Van Assche’s explanation in the show notes.
Scene setting: The transformation of the Tennis Club de Paris into a contemporary indoor garden where upwards of 2,000 Fée de Neiges rosebushes filled triangular parterres made for quite a sublime mise-en-scène. Wall-to-wall slanted mirrors set against a black backdrop accentuated the impact of the models winding through the parquet pathways.
Best in show: The idea of subverting the bourgeois Frenchman by allowing him to dabble in street style played out strongest in the outerwear offering, from the MA-1 bombers reimagined as a leather parka lined in orange, or better still, a blouson in orange croc. The floral-embroidered sleeved varsity jackets that closed the show also effectively infused house codes with new cool. If anyone missed the sculptural jewellery tucked into the hands of the first five models, these colourfully glazed talismans created by ceramic artist Kristin McKirdy extended the collection’s uniqueness. And if you’re going to put your faith in a lucky charm, it might as well be from Dior.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
