Jonathan Anderson gets downright whimsical for Dior’s menswear AW26 collection
The designer is Baroque-ing all the rules
JONATHAN ANDERSON’S vision for Dior is beginning to show its hand. What was hinted at in the spring/summer 2026 show is given more space to breathe with his autumn/winter 2026 collection. Ideas return, silhouettes have been reworked, references nudged rather than replaced. It’s refreshing to see a collection spoken of as a continuation rather than designing it as a siloed capsule. Anderson, it would appear, is world-building as opposed to simply creating “seasons”.
History remains Anderson’s primary material, but he treats it pragmatically. Medieval heraldry, eighteenth-century ornamentation and mid-century Dior codes are all present, yet none are handled so reverentially that they lack originality or contemporary application. A Bar jacket appears in Donegal tweed, an unmistakable nod to Monsieur Dior’s fondness for British tailoring, but it is styled with an ease that keeps it from feeling precious. Frock coats and tailcoats surface again, though they are just as likely to be cut from denim as from anything traditionally formal. Anderson is clearly interested in how status garments behave once their stiffness is removed.
The wardrobe itself is expansive and intentionally non-hierarchical. Rugby shirts, blousons, striped button-downs, chinos and five-pocket trousers sit comfortably alongside more overtly historical pieces. The wide Delft shorts, now a familiar Anderson calling card, continue to blur distinctions between skirt and cargo, utility and theatre. They are worn with the matter-of-fact confidence of something already lived in, rather than something asking to be admired.
While at Loewe, when it came to details, Anderson was more inclined to lean into the surrealness of fashion as an existential performance. At Dior, they’re a language all on their own. Coats of arms are enlarged into prints, Diorette charms and small embroideries punctuate otherwise restrained looks, and accessories like loafers, sneakers and soft messenger bags feel chosen rather than styled. I’m tempted to believe the models picked their own.
There is humour here, but it never tips into novelty. Even the more decorative gestures feel considered, like embellishments added because someone genuinely wanted them there.
What keeps the collection grounded is its wearability. Anderson has a clear understanding of Dior’s varied audience, and he designs accordingly. There is plenty here for those attuned to fashion’s internal references, but just as much for someone who simply wants well-cut trousers, a good jacket and a shirt that feels right. The craftsmanship is evident without being laboured.
That balance was underscored recently when LaKeith Stanfield wore the showstopper Look 1 – the brocade denim coat and jeans with matching waistcoat – to the British Fashion Council awards, where Anderson was named Designer of the Year for the third year running. It was evidence of how the the whimsy of Anderson’s work at Dior can be translated off the runway and into “real life”.
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