The 75th anniversary deserves to be celebrated with a show to match. Kim Jones, artistic director of Dior Men, has been doubling down on his exploration of the house’s history for the occasion, setting up a huge tent on the grounds of the church and monastery of the Val-de-Grâce in Paris. Inside, a real lawn and in the middle of which were planted 19,000 plants and flowers that exuded a delicious perfume. At either end of the runway, smaller-scale replicas of Christian Dior’s childhood home in Granville, France, and the Charleston Farmhouse of Bloomsbury Group artists Duncan Grant and Vanessa Ball (older sister of writer Virginia Woolf) were created. What do Christian Dior and Duncan Grant and Vanessa Ball have in common? A passion for nature and gardening. Between the Granville villa and the Charleston Farmhouse? A garden transformed into a living work of art.
“I just thought it was interesting to have a conversation between two men who have had a big impact on my life that I’ve never met“, said Kim Jones.
Wearing gardener’s hats, 3D printed by milliner Stephen Jones and echoing the theme, the models walked from one house to the other as if they were the messenger carrying the dialogue between these two monuments of art.
The Spring/Summer 2023 collection blended elegant, tailored tailoring inspired by Dior’s groundbreaking New Look with gardening and hiking influences in the form of technical outerwear – Jones is an avid outdoorsman – many of the pieces were embellished with prints from Grant’s art and furniture designs like the 1913 Lilypond Screen.
Like the decor, the palette reflected the bucolic charm, between pastel shades, blue, green, pale pink or pink/gray duo, a true tribute to the romantic legend of the high fashion house.
On the accessories side, Kim Jones worked hand in hand with the outdoor brand Mystery Ranch to design new Saddle as well as a series of utility saddle bags, belt bags and backpacks.
©Dior
