After the Dior Men Winter 2025 runway show, artistic director Kim Jones received the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur—France's highest civilian honour. It's a rarity for someone outside of France to receive the honour, but given Jones' six-year tenure modernising and recontextualising house codes and archives, it does seem fitting. Anna Wintour presented the award to Jones, while wearing a piece from the Dior Men Winter 2025 collection.

Wintour was also present front row at the show. I was seated at the other side of the sprawling runway show space, across from her. There was nothing particularly special about her presence at the show; Wintour isn't a stranger to the Dior Men runway shows. But with the persistent rumours of creative directorship changes, one does wonder if it all points to some sliver of truth to them.

It didn't help to that there was a sort of sombre element to the show's musical choice. "Time Lapse" by Michael Nyman provided some energy to the elegance of the collection but also underscored a sense of melancholy.

But all that to say, the Dior Men Winter 2025 collection was easily one of Jones' best, especially in the past couple of years. Jones took it back to Monsieur Dior after seasons of referencing the works of past Dior creative directors, drawing focus on the graphic and angular Ligne H collection.

The fit: While the collection referenced Monsieur Dior's Ligne H collection, Jones took the opportunity to expand the idea to include other signatures by Monsieur Dior. The opera coat from the Pondichéry collection of 1948, for example, was reimagined in two different versions—one in pure black, and another embellished pink iteration that closed the show. Jones slipped through time periods recontextualising and merging them with more modern silhouettes, all while envisioning a gender-fluid casanova—taking the idea of a "ladies' man" quite literally.

Right from the first look, a play of volumes was apparent. From cinched waists of a number of the opera coats to more voluminous structured creations that were left as is, there was a brilliant display of fabric manipulation and couture-level constructions.

Save for the couture embroidery techniques employed, there was hardly any other Dior motif present. There was no Oblique, no Cannage or anything that resembled any form of signature or branding. The only such element was a Christian Dior Paris label that were placed front and centre on a number of pieces. This collection was all about the cut, silhouette and make of each piece. Sublime.

The details: One of the standout design details was the folded, draped collars that were seen on both precious fabrics as well as leather. Without constructing a "proper" collar or lapel, collars were formed just from manipulating the material and skilfully draping it to create a seamless appearance of a collar. It was incredibly breathtaking to witness up close at the re-see the next day.

The couture bow was used as a clever leitmotif throughout the collection. On some ready-to-wear pieces, they were removable accents on the back of blazers as well as sleeve covers on jackets. There were, of course, the Dior-branded bows that were worn as masks. The bows were also translated as satin bow caps on the collection's footwear, and will sure to be the most sought-after piece in the entire collection.

Three exceptional looks: Look 9's pink bow-sleeved jacket that I'm calling "couture coquette"; the delicious and supple leather top in look 20; and the drama of the skirt-trouser combo with the offbeat pairing of an embroidered striped shirt in look 46.

The takeaway: Jones's appointment to Dior Men may have been partly due to his affinity for and ability to interweave streetwear into luxury fashion, but the truth it, he's a fashion engineer capable to making a brand relevant.

View the full Dior Men Winter 2025 collection in the gallery below.