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Business of Fashion
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business of Fashion
Jonathan Anderson's Grunge Aristocracy at Dior
PARIS — The enormous tent constructed in the Place Vauban for Jonathan Anderson's debut at Dior was printed with a silvery evocation of the past, a monochrome image of Christian Dior's decorous couture salon. Fast forward to the present, 75 years later. That tent had been exhaustively climate-controlled to allow for the hanging of two paintings by Jean Siméon Chardin, the 18th century artist who is regarded as the master of the still life. He was a favourite of Dior's, Anderson's too. The Chardins were his idea. So was the inspiration for the showspace, clad in velvet like the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, home to one of the finest collections of European art from the 13th to the 19th century. One Chardin came from the Louvre, the other from the National Gallery of Scotland. Reflect for a moment on the logistics involved in transporting monstrously valuable works of art to a tent packed with an unruly, heatstruck audience for one hour on a Friday afternoon in Paris and you'll maybe garner some notion of the political and financial power that a fashion conglomerate like LVMH, which owns Dior, now wields. Ah yes, the present. Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026. (Spotlight/ And the future? Well, for that single stretch of showtime, it rested in Anderson's hands. He's been cast as Dior's saviour in a challenging market — and is the first to oversee women's, men's and haute couture collections since Monsieur Dior himself first experimented with menswear. Unsurprisingly, Anderson has been soft-pedalling expectations. 'You have to, because no one gives anyone any time anymore,' he conceded at a preview earlier this week. In another exchange, he said, 'My idea is to be slightly optimistic, it's not going to happen overnight. We have to be realistic today.' But his attempt at lowering the temperature was clearly unsuccessful. His audience was littered with pop stars, movie stars and a full platoon of fashion peers, many of whom were on their feet at show's end. Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026. (Spotlight/ Anderson was insistent that Dior was something alien to him. 'It's not a character that I know.' But that's what seduced him. 'It's like buying a chateau in the South of France that you saw on a website, a very British thing to do. It's beautiful, but it needs so much renovation. You have to start somewhere, and as you go, you realise, 'Wow! It's amazing what they did in the 18th century with door handles,' and then you find the next thing and the next thing.' And those 'next things' were the years of input from all the designers who have worked for Dior over the decades. To isolate the most striking carryover from the past in Anderson's debut collection: Maria Grazia Chiuri's wildly successful book tote reappears rendered as the covers of specific titles, In Cold Blood, Bonjour Tristesse, and, luridly best of all, Dracula. ('Because it's Irish,' he said archly.) He compared the learning process to doing a PhD in Dior. What did he come away with? 'I feel the name is bigger than the individual designer. It was always like that. So that was the whole idea for me.' Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026. (Spotlight/ There will undoubtedly be plenty of people who look at what Anderson showed on Friday and question his concept of permanence. 'My idea was to decode it to recode it,' he explained, sort of. 'That's how the collection was built.' Take the first look, practically a manifesto in one outfit. 'How I feel I'm going to tackle men,' Anderson declared. 'Formality, history, the material, Irishness.' The cargo shorts were panniered with the extravagant folds of the Delft dress from 1948, originally carved from 15 metres of duchesse satin, duplicated for today in undyed denim. The jacket featured the classic Bar silhouette, cut here from Donegal tweed. The model sported a formal stock tie. 'An English stock,' Anderson explained, 'the French is looser. I like the idea of something that makes you lift your head up. There's an etherealness to the formality.' The shoes were based on the sandals he wore to school in the summer. In other words, a weird but winning fusion which spanned the decades between the Frenchman and the Irishman. Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026. (Spotlight/ 'For me, it's about a quiet radicalism,' Anderson said. 'For the customer, this is already going to be something that is pretty wild, but in my head, it's normal.' Why is it easy for me to imagine Christian Dior saying something similar 75 years ago? And if my proposed compatibility still seems like a bridge too far, there's their shared obsession with the 18th century. 'I got the guy who's been sourcing things for me for years to find me the best 18th century menswear, and then we meticulously recreated it. There was no point in changing the fit. When I saw it, I thought, 'That's Dior. Let's just put it up there as a thing.'' Like his own version of Martin Margiela's 'Replications' which he loved so much when he was starting out in fashion. Rebecca Mead's profile in the New Yorker earlier this year quoted Anderson saying this: 'Authenticity is invaluable. Originality is nonexistent. Steal, adapt, borrow. It doesn't matter where one takes things from. It's where one takes them to.' So Anderson showed his delicately toned, edibly alluring duplication of the jacket and waistcoat from an aristocrat's summer day look for the court of Louis XV with a dress shirt, black jeans and unlaced Dior trainers. Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026. (Spotlight/ Like that first look, it was a provocative encapsulation of the idea of personal style, or how you put things together to express yourself. A midnight blue velvet tail coat over chambray jeans, for instance. Or a delicately frogged white shirt over white jeans. Artistry and calculated artlessness, all of it set to a sensational Frederic Sanchez soundtrack that swung from Springsteen to Little Simz. Velvet, denim, sandals and a stock tie – 'I would love to be able to wear that,' Anderson said. 'Every time I've done a menswear show, I've always wanted to be able to do something I would love to be able to pull off. For me this is a fantasy, because it has to be. I find each person in the show equally attractive because I think they embody the 'thing.' I believe it, and if I believe it, then I want to dress like it.' Fashion as an act of faith: Anderson mastered that challenge at Loewe, and, if early reactions are any indication, he'll be able to translate that mastery to Dior. Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026. (Spotlight/ Finding the future in the past is not a particularly novel concept, but if I think for a moment that everything Anderson has done is almost like a movie, it clarifies how he was able to draw such an extraordinary cast of characters to Loewe and his own brand. One of them, director and frequent collaborator Luca Guadagnino, has been tracking him all week with a film crew. The designer talked about the looks in the show that were pure youthful street as his acknowledgement of Jean-Luc Godard and the nouvelle vague that transformed French cinema and French style, from New Look to New Wave. Anderson said it's also about him getting used to living in Paris, trying to work out what he loves about the city. 'I'm on Île Saint-Louis and there's something about this idea of tight grey corridors that have light at the end. No matter when you see people, they're always backlit. And everything looks great backlit. I find it fascinating because it feels like cinema somehow, and really that is how we approached the challenge.' Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026. (Spotlight/ The city is currently plastered with posters of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and footballer Kylian Mbappé, the faces of the new Dior man (or, as Anderson says of Mbappé, 'a new vision of France'). 'I have to find a new language,' Anderson said. 'It's going to take time, and I don't want to be rushed. Anything is possible. At the end of the day, it's a job. And you always have to remind yourself that you love the work and you're gonna get the job done.' Consider this debut a great appetiser for the much more complicated meal to come. Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026 Dior Menswear Spring/Summer 2026 look 1. 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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Colin Fleming: Charlie Chaplin's 100-year-old film ‘The Gold Rush' has timeless lessons on how to keep going
The wisest among us realize that what we normally think of as opposites are also associates. There's life and death, joy and pain, fulfillment and absence. And, as Charlie Chaplin understood, and helped millions to understand, comedy and tragedy. Cinema was about a quarter of a century old when Chaplin's 'The Gold Rush' premiered June 26, 1925. The medium had produced its share of masterworks to stand the test of time, and Chaplin himself was already a major star, synonymous with the very concept — even the philosophy — of comedy. But the likes of 'The Gold Rush' were new. As William Shakespeare had once taught people about being human, here was Chaplin to enlighten viewers on what laughter could mean. The picture features Chaplin's Little Tramp character, as indelible a symbol of our collective pop culture consciousness as Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Bela Lugosi's Dracula, a can of Coke and Elvis Presley's swiveling hips. His thesis: Pain halts us if we don't also find a reason to laugh, and with that reason, we become better equipped to find solutions. At 95 minutes, 'The Gold Rush' was the longest comedy film to date. It riffs on, of all tragic things, the Donner Party, those poor, stranded souls who had to eat each other. There's probably a metaphor in this — misery feeds on misery, which is why we spend so much time hate-reading and doomscrolling. The Tramp tries to strike it rich in Alaska during the Klondike gold rush with his eternal optimist of a pal, Big Jim. The Tramp is a thinker and an observer and not one to rush headlong. Still, life has a way of catching us up in a snowball that becomes bigger and bigger until we're careening down a hill, feeling powerless. The Tramp falls for a dance hall girl named Georgia. This is one of the sweetest love stories in cinema. It's about the opportunities we so often fail to make the most of because we're caught up in other things, including standing in our own way. We carp about how lonely we are and then ignore the person who reaches out to us with kindness, and hope, and instead assume that they'll follow us on our social media platforms, without realizing we're contributing to our own isolation. A prospective ghosting in 'The Gold Rush' results in an epiphany, but by then, the Tramp and Big Jim are themselves isolated in a snow-covered cabin, which becomes something of a mobile home. But they do not perish, and life goes on, as life always does. And later, when opportunity again presents itself, both the Tramp and Georgia know what to do with it. Creating solutions can seem like an impossible task — that there's nothing we might come up with or put into practice to change what we're dealing with. But all favorable outcomes have a key element in common: The person kept going. To stop is to have no chance of a solution, unless you're banking on a deus ex machina, which isn't advisable unless you happen to have a god for a patron. Keeping going can be a daily 3-mile walk to clear your head during hard times. Or a 'dry' month. Or being solicitous of our friends, because they also have things going on, and when we look in on others, we see within ourselves. Keeping going is also abeyance. Don't downplay the value of a holding pattern. The plane circles the airport until it's cleared to land, and that may be part of your journey too. To keep going certainly entails finding a way to laugh — realizing that this awful thing additionally means that this not-so-awful thing is close by, because that's how it works. There are few comedies more human than 'The Gold Rush,' which is really no older now — in the important ways — than it was in the time of Babe Ruth. Apply a compress of its humor and its courage to your brow in your difficult times. It's just what is needed to cool you down so that you can set to moving again and make a gold rush of your own with staying power and the invaluable abeyance — and conveyance — of humor. Colin Fleming is the author of 'Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963,' an entry in Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Dracula's Second-Ever New Zealand Tour Kicks Off In Auckland This Week With Three Shows At The Civic
Australia's iconic vaudevillian variety extravaganza Dracula's opens their all-new show at The Civic in Auckland this Thursday 26 June, marking the start of a seven-city nationwide tour. After selling out their debut New Zealand tour in 2023, Dracula's wild, weird and wonderful cast is back with a brand-new show, Sanctuary, a high-energy, adults-only production that's bursting with thrills, chills and outrageous fun. The tour starts in Auckland and goes to Rotorua, Wellington, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Invercargill and New Plymouth. Initial ticket releases sold out in record time, with extra shows being added in every city to keep up with demand. With just days to go until Auckland's opening night, final seats are disappearing fast. Dracula's: Sanctuary is part cabaret, part comedy and all chaos delivered with Dracula's signature risqué edge. Musical tributes to icons like Guns N' Roses, Elton John and No Doubt will leave audiences wanting more, with an encore promised for those who cheer the loudest. Dracula's steward and Newman Entertainment CEO Luke Newman says they can't wait to bring the mayhem back to New Zealand stages. 'We were blown away by the response in 2023, and this time, it's even bigger. Sanctuary is next-level Dracula's, and we're so pumped to kick things off in Auckland next week. Get ready for a bloody good time,' he says. New Zealand Tour Dates: Tickets and more information available at
Fashion Network
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Jonathan Anderson announces Kylian Mbappé as new Dior ambassador
Even before he staged his first runway show for the house of Dior, Jonathan Anderson announced on Tuesday that football great Kylian Mbappé is a new Dior ambassador. 'Kylian Mbappé is the voice of a generation and an inspiration to many people in the world of sport and beyond,' wrote Anderson on his Instagram account. The post featured a short video of the French footballer tying a red and blue club tie onto a blue striped shirt, paired with a Dior dove gray two-button herringbone jacket. At the end, Mbappé utters a single word — 'Dior.' 'These films show the charm and charisma that make him the perfect ambassador for this house. Get ready for Dior Summer 2026 June 27 livestreaming from 2 p.m. CEST,' added Anderson, who is legendary for teasing his design intentions on social media. Previous posts have included silver-gray frogs and pigs pricked with ornate needles, surrounded by thread, ribbons, and buttons. Other posts have included everyone from Lee Radziwill to Jean-Michel Basquiat. 'As I started out on this journey, I kept returning to these photographs of Basquiat and Radziwill who are both, for me, the epitome of style,' noted the Northern Irish-born Anderson, whose prior post featured a canary yellow tote that read Dracula by Bram Stoker. Stoker is another Irishman, by the way. Mbappé is a World Cup -winning striker who plays club football for the game's most storied team, Real Madrid. In Mbappé's debut campaign with Real Madrid last season, the French captain scored 43 goals in 56 matches, winning the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup along the way — as well as the European Golden Boot as Europe's top scorer — but missed out on the La Liga title by four points and was knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal in the quarterfinals. By Real's standards, it was an unusually unsuccessful season, where Real won none of the last four competitions it entered. Mbappé is currently in the United States with Real, one of 32 teams contesting an inaugural new format of the Club World Cup. However, he was taken to hospital last week suffering from 'acute gastroenteritis' before returning to the team's training complex in Palm Beach, Florida. Mbappé neither played nor was on the bench for Real's most recent game, a 6-0 demolition of Mexican side Pachuca on Sunday. Anderson's debut for Dior is by far the most anticipated show in the Paris menswear runway season, which starts today, June 24, and ends Sunday, June 29. On June 2, Dior officially appointed Anderson as creative director of women's, men's, and haute couture collections, marking the first time in the brand's history that one designer has handled all three disciplines since the passing of its founder, Christian Dior. He succeeds the duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Kim Jones, who respectively handled couture/womenswear and menswear separately. The selection of Mbappé is the latest linkup by a major LVMH brand with a top-rank football player. Mbappé's Real teammate, English attacker Jude Bellingham, is a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton.
Fashion Network
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Jonathan Anderson announces Kylian Mbappé as new Dior ambassador
Even before he staged his first runway show for the house of Dior, Jonathan Anderson announced on Tuesday that football great Kylian Mbappé is a new Dior ambassador. 'Kylian Mbappé is the voice of a generation and an inspiration to many people in the world of sport and beyond,' wrote Anderson on his Instagram account. The post featured a short video of the French footballer tying a red and blue club tie onto a blue striped shirt, paired with a Dior dove gray two-button herringbone jacket. At the end, Mbappé utters a single word — 'Dior.' 'These films show the charm and charisma that make him the perfect ambassador for this house. Get ready for Dior Summer 2026 June 27 livestreaming from 2 p.m. CEST,' added Anderson, who is legendary for teasing his design intentions on social media. Previous posts have included silver-gray frogs and pigs pricked with ornate needles, surrounded by thread, ribbons, and buttons. Other posts have included everyone from Lee Radziwill to Jean-Michel Basquiat. 'As I started out on this journey, I kept returning to these photographs of Basquiat and Radziwill who are both, for me, the epitome of style,' noted the Northern Irish-born Anderson, whose prior post featured a canary yellow tote that read Dracula by Bram Stoker. Stoker is another Irishman, by the way. Mbappé is a World Cup -winning striker who plays club football for the game's most storied team, Real Madrid. In Mbappé's debut campaign with Real Madrid last season, the French captain scored 43 goals in 56 matches, winning the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup along the way — as well as the European Golden Boot as Europe's top scorer — but missed out on the La Liga title by four points and was knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal in the quarterfinals. By Real's standards, it was an unusually unsuccessful season, where Real won none of the last four competitions it entered. Mbappé is currently in the United States with Real, one of 32 teams contesting an inaugural new format of the Club World Cup. However, he was taken to hospital last week suffering from 'acute gastroenteritis' before returning to the team's training complex in Palm Beach, Florida. Mbappé neither played nor was on the bench for Real's most recent game, a 6-0 demolition of Mexican side Pachuca on Sunday. Anderson's debut for Dior is by far the most anticipated show in the Paris menswear runway season, which starts today, June 24, and ends Sunday, June 29. On June 2, Dior officially appointed Anderson as creative director of women's, men's, and haute couture collections, marking the first time in the brand's history that one designer has handled all three disciplines since the passing of its founder, Christian Dior. He succeeds the duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Kim Jones, who respectively handled couture/womenswear and menswear separately. The selection of Mbappé is the latest linkup by a major LVMH brand with a top-rank football player. Mbappé's Real teammate, English attacker Jude Bellingham, is a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton.
