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By Jesse Scott
Rave culture meets old-world aristocracy: it’s the crossover episode that we never knew we needed and had never imagined. Yet Jonathan Anderson, as is his wont, pulled a rabbit out of his hat to deliver a spectacular Spring/Summer 2027 men's collection for Dior that united two seemingly paradoxical concepts into a glittering celebration of hedonism and refinement.
Anderson hinted at his modern interpretation of old-world aristocracy last season, when he united the men’s and women’s universes into a more cohesive narrative than we had recently seen. Richly embroidered men’s coats, many with military details, were proposed with slim waists. Meanwhile, in the Tuileries, the echoes of Versailles in the women’s collection were contrasted by the innovative use of distinctly modern materials such as denim.
If last season conversed with the 17th and 18th centuries, this season saw Anderson complete his sartorial time traveling and bring us through the last two centuries into the modern day. The show took place in one of Paris’s most beautiful mansions, the Musée Nissim de Camondo. Built in the early 1910s near stately Parc Monceau, and modeled in a rococo Louis XVI style, it is exactly the kind of venue in which one envisions grand balls taking place. Fittingly, formalwear was again emphasized, with white bow ties recurring throughout the collection. Today, the white bow tie is rarely seen outside of the full evening dress code---black tailcoats and trousers, white wing-collared shirt, and piqué cotton vest. This season, it was revitalized by Anderson with everything from flowing double-breasted jackets to long coats with bedazzled “chainmail” scarves (Looks 20, 27).
Dior Men Spring/Summer 2027, Looks 20, 27. Courtesy of Dior
Anderson seems to be telling us; it is no longer the dominion of the Viennese ball or Gatsby-era party. But it is one thing to reimagine the style as contemporary chic, for a cocktail event at the Cheval Blanc, and entirely another to do so as contemporary grunge and camp, like a house party or techno show at Silencio. That’s precisely the challenge that Anderson rose to, pairing the season’s most emblematic item with a distressed denim jacket and gold bedazzled pants, Look 33, silver disco ball pants, Look 43, and distressed jeans, Look 28.
Dior Men Spring/Summer 2027, Looks 32, 33, 28. Courtesy of Dior
Dior Men's Spring/Summer 2027 Finale. Courtesy of Dior / Adrien Dirand
Dior Men Spring/Summer 2027, Looks 18, 19, 6. Courtesy of Dior
Inspired by rave culture, which he said post-show is re-emerging with new vitality in Paris, he threw together wildly playful outfits with reckless abandon but a master’s touch. As the looks proceeded down the runway, I reminisced on the frenetic evenings spent coordinating festival looks with friends. Many of the elegant jackets were worn shirtless; in the rave world, bare-chested luxury is the new barefoot luxury (Looks 18, 19). And Look 6, an oversized knit sweater worn half tucked-in as a symbol of the “disheveled aristocrat,” appeared to have emerged directly from a beach club in Bodrum or Saint Tropez.
The shoes were perhaps the best microcosm of the collection’s ambitious range. Patterned low-rise sneakers, in vivid shades of green and blue, epitomized preppy chic. Meanwhile, the introduction of skater shoes opened a new frontier for Dior. In terms of accessories, exquisite floral brooches added a delicate touch to the season’s most sumptuous blazers (Looks 42, 44, and 48).
Dior Men Spring/Summer 2027, Looks 42, 44, 48. Courtesy of Dior
Dior Men Spring/Summer 2027, Looks 1, 2. Courtesy of Dior
Anderson’s ingenuity shone through most in the opening looks. Demonstrating his talent for blending formalwear and surprising trompe l’oeil details, he proposed two double-breasted sheer pieces in the opening looks that winked at suiting while challenging our understanding of casual.
The Musée Nissim de Camondo and a 21st century rave-inspired collection at first seemed like an anachronism. Yet I can’t help but feel that if the Fred Again music that soundtracked the show existed in the time of the house’s original owners, they would have been dancing along to the beat. As a celebrity-studded guest list including James Marsden, Drew Starkey, and Pharell Williams exited the venue, there remained a sense of exuberance in the air.