Dior’s Kim Jones is the curatorial king of collaboration, but for A/W 2022 the men’s artistic director of the French maison was most preoccupied with celebrating the history of the brand’s founder Monsieur Dior. The label’s show took place in Paris on the birthday of Christian Dior – who was born 21 January 1905 – and celebrated both 75 years since the label's first show, and 25 years since it first collaborated with milliner Stephen Jones.
Kim Jones’ collection riffed on signatures synonymous with the brand: Monsieur Dior’s affection for Trianon grey, with which he decorated the walls of his Avenue Montaigne salons; and the brand’s famed New Look, which shocked the fashion world when it was showcased in 1947, with its cinched, waist-celebrating volumes and superfluous use of fabric. Both were celebrated in the Dior A/W 2022 menswear offering, which featured soft menswear interpretations of the Bar Jacket silhouette and looks in sumptuous shades of grey, from tracksuits to tailoring.
Dior A/W 2022 and recreating Pont Alexandre III
Just as Kim Jones turned his attention to the heritage of the house, so too he looked to the topographical history of its home city. The collection was unveiled on a long, majestic runway, which recreated Paris’ historic bridge, Pont Alexandre III, and offered a cinematic, sweeping vision of the city.
The bridge, which was built in celebration of the 1900 Exposition Universelle (or Paris Exposition), and is a Seine-crossing stalwart of the city’s skyline, connects the Grand Palais on the Left Bank and the Petit Palais on the Right Bank. Named after Tsar Alexander III, it was designed by the architects Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin in the Art Nouveau style, and features four 17m-high pylons. Gilt bronze sculptures of winged horses flank each pylon, representing Arts, Sciences, Commerce and Industry. The centre of the arched bridge also features hammered copper nymphs, which were created to memorialise the historic Franco-Russian Alliance. These elements were recreated in gilded glamour on the Dior runway.
Dior’s audience was offered a glimpse of history, incorporating both the maison’s design and geographical heritage. Jones’ recreation of the Pont Alexandre III provides a spectacular step into the brand’s future.
INFORMATION
-
Wallpaper* checks in at the refreshed W Hollywood: ‘more polish and less party’The W Hollywood introduces a top-to-bottom reimagining by the Rockwell Group, capturing the genuine warmth and spirit of Southern California
-
Book a table at Row on 5 in London for the dinner party of dreamsRow on 5, located on the storied Savile Row, emerges as a perfectly tailored fit for fans of fine dining
-
How a bijou jewellery salon in Monaco set the jewellery trends for 2025Inside the inaugural edition of Joya, where jewellery is celebrated as miniature works of art
-
Summer games, from pétanque to pool floats, get a fashionable spinFrom a luxurious pétanque set to pool floats and playing cards, summer games and toys from the world’s best-known fashion houses
-
Aaron Esh on his subversive menswear, inspired by friends‘It’s about taking something authentic, the people that I know, the clothes they wear,’ says Aaron Esh, the recent Central Saint Martins graduate making menswear inspired by his native east London
-
‘Modern beauty’: Pieter Mulier on his new vision for AlaïaAs creative director of Alaïa, Belgian designer Pieter Mulier honours the timeless vision of the maison’s founder while rewriting the past anew. Here, speaking to Jack Moss, he tells the story behind his first year at the house
-
Sharp edge: A/W 2022 menswear, inspired by the undergroundPhotographed by George Harvey, an edit of menswear looks encapsulating this season’s nocturnal mood – from Balenciaga to Loewe
-
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
-
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
