Jonathan Anderson’s Dior couture debut praised as John Galliano returns

Jonathan Anderson presented his couture debut for Dior in Paris, delivering a collection described as great and attracting an unexpected guest: former Dior designer John Galliano. The front row was thick with celebrities: Lauren Sánchez Bezos was widely photographed in a light-blue Dior skirt suit trimmed with fur or fur-effect, Rihanna arrived almost an hour late, Anya Taylor-Joy and Monica Barbaro chatted with little interruption, and Eugene Levy and Mike Feist were largely left on their own.

It had been almost 15 years since Galliano was fired from Dior in 2011 after an antisemitic rant; he later went to rehab, atoned and worked at Maison Margiela, which he left in 2024, and he had not attended a Dior show since. Anderson said, "When I was at university, John was God.

He built Dior in the modern world. It just felt really nice to have him back in." It felt, the review said, like Anderson thought it was time for the brand to get some closure and turn a page. The collection itself, the review noted, lightened up and avoided heavy referentiality despite nods to Raf Simons, Galliano and classic Dior volumes.

Pieces ranged from micropleated silk georgette dresses with bulbous skirts supported by tulle hoops to oversize feathered tunics, slouched cashmere knits, wrap kilts that extruded silk seed‑pod–like elements, jacquard skirts puffed at the waist and a narrow black python coat suggesting a shrunken Bar silhouette.

Key Topics

Culture, Jonathan Anderson, John Galliano, Dior, Paris, Haute Couture