Dior’s invitation was a pair of walnuts, and Jonathan Anderson built the whole show around what they stand for. Guests at Tuesday’s (Sept. 29) Spring/Summer 2027 presentation received two wénwán nuts, the Chinese walnuts used for hand-rolling, and in a post-show release Anderson cited their natural asymmetries as an inspiration, according to Reuters. The runway was a white catwalk built over the Tuileries Garden’s octagonal basin, with bridges across the small ponds and fog drifting through the air.
It marked one year since Anderson’s womenswear debut at Dior, and the mood was lighter than the Marie Antoinette tutus of last season. W Magazine pointed to strappy pleated dresses that swished as they moved, ruffled floral midi dresses with asymmetric hems and jackets covered in baby-pink fabric petals. Reuters added metallic snakeskin-effect trousers in silver and green under roomy double-breasted blazers, plus sheer feathered skirts, lace panels and impressionist flower prints.
Anderson told journalists the aim was something soft. “I wanted something romantic,” he said. “I was thinking of cheesy things – Jane Austen.” AnOther found no cheese in the result, only a house that has become modern and light, with a few wild cards: savagely zippered shoes drawn from Galliano’s tenure 25 years ago. “Trash,” Anderson said, smiling.
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Anderson also tailored for the cuff. W says the bigger the cuff, the better, with large white cuffs almost the size of sailor hats peeking from sleeves and cropped trousers, and soft-shouldered jackets that felt like pajama dressing.
The front row was crowded with music and film. T2 Online lists Rihanna in an all-black thigh-slit dress, Rosalía in an asymmetrical black gown, Jennifer Lawrence in a baby-blue slip, Anya Taylor-Joy in sheer black lace and Jisoo, plus Cynthia Erivo making her Dior front-row debut. Mia Goth, Karlie Kloss, Eileen Gu and Hyunjin were also in the audience. See our Paris Fashion Week roundup for Rosalía’s and Jisoo’s looks, and Rosalía’s SNL performance for what she did next.
The stakes are commercial too. Reuters said Anderson has been credited with adding a contemporary edge to Dior since taking over womenswear and menswear last year, after two years of declining sales, and LVMH said in July that the brand was gaining momentum. LVMH does not report figures for Dior. Saint Laurent showed later the same day, in a finale that has since become Anthony Vaccarello’s farewell.
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
