To say that the Dior Summer 2026 menswear show was the most anticipated of the Spring/Summer 2026 menswear show season wouldn't be incorrect. Creative director Jonathan Anderson's Dior debut took over the Dome courtyard of Paris' Hôtel des Invalides, and housed within a rather intimate space modelled after the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. The exterior features the stretched out image of a Dior salon (in Dior grey no less) and emblazoned right in the middle is the new, old Dior script that Anderson is bringing back.
Unlike his time at Loewe, Anderson's task at Dior is to revamp the old-school connotations of the House—add some contemporary je ne sais quoi to its rich heritage of elegant finery. And let's face it, when someone whose work has defined the aesthetic of a previously sleepy luxury brand for the past decade, there are bound to be comparisons to said work. The Dior Summer 2026 menswear collection undoubtedly fell victim to that.
The Anderson-isms were clear from the very first look. A reimagining of the Bar jacket (Anderson is not the first to tackle this for menswear) crafted from Donegal tweed paired with a pair of white cargo shorts fashioned from the iconic Dior Delft dress. The latter was constructed using 7.5 metres of fabric in order to create the voluminous drapes that were then trimmed with boning for structure. And if you're wondering if they're even wearable, the drapes have been cleverly manipulated to be stretched out from the sides and puddle as one takes a seat. Anderson is no folly—the man knows his craft and thinks about the practical wearability of them.
The fit: As per the teasers that we were bombarded with leading up to the show, the Dior Summer 2026 menswear collection charts a new era of contemporary elegance with the abject simplicity of personal style. There's at once a sartorial irreverence (inspired by the offbeat stylings of the late Jean-Michel Basquiat) and a modern aristocratic flair. You'd see it clearly from the high-low formality combinations of 18th-century coats and vests with chinos and jeans (some of which were either inspired by Hedi Slimane's time or cut with a similar drape as the Dior Caprice dress) as well as regimental neckties that were worn nonchalantly with cable knit sweaters and and a Dior-branded tee.
What many critics tend to focus on were the more "simple" assortment of pieces that have been likened to J. Crew or Gap or even Anderson's ongoing partnership with Uniqlo. These ranged from the outfits worn to the show by front-row attendees the likes of Daniel Craig and Mike Faist, to the Dior-branded sweater and tees on the runway that were part of the more everyday portions of the collection. While they may seem a bit more commercial than what one would expect for the runway, they grounded the collection from being too out of reach for the average consumer. There's also somewhat of a vintage appeal to the Dior-branded pieces too that I'm sure will be quickly snapped up once they hit stores.
The details: The most talked about footwear that people have been somewhat raving about were the slightly high-cut sneakers adorned with the old Dior script. Like their ready-to-wear counterparts, there's that old-school charm to them, especially in the way that they were worn on the runway—almost skater-style and laces slightly undone. It's super casual yet provided such a nonchalant flair.
And then of course, there were the Book totes that were given a more literal spin to them that you'd think someone must've already done it before. They hadn't of course, and the fact that Anderson did, made it quite a brilliant move. Although, personally, I wouldn't gravitate towards one, but the choice of literature—from Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire to In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Bram Stoker's Dracula—showcased the kind of wit and artistic expression Anderson is obsessed with.
But I do want to draw your attention to the crafty crossbody bags that were featured. What looked like new designs wholly decorated with tiny pompoms were actually reimagined Lady Dior bags. The bags were done in collaboration with American textile artist Sheila Hicks, covering the iconic Lady Dior silhouette with pure linen ponytails. This was Anderson at his best—turning something already so iconic into a work of art.
Three exceptional looks: The first look that certainly is a new take on the New Look; look 11's stunning moiré vest worn over a floral cable knit sweater; and look 57's new formal-informal dressing.
The takeaway: Dior's new look may be a jarring start defined by a combination of the wearable and the ostentatious—and at times both—but this is definitely one that deserves to be fully fleshed out and evolved.
View the full Dior Summer 2026 menswear collection in the gallery below.
