BEHIND THE STITCH: ALANI
June 21, 2024
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Jonathan Anderson’s second menswear collection for Dior reads less like a trend chase and more like the setting of a long game. Unveiled as Pre-Fall 2026 and released via a lookbook shot in a manor on Île Saint-Louis, Paris, the offering fuses history and practicality, aristocratic drama and everyday ease. It builds on the foundation of his SS26 debut, but with a clearer sense of direction and discipline.
That duality, heritage and modernity, is everywhere. The opening look pairs a richly embroidered 18th-century-inspired coat with a matching blouson and light-wash jeans, while a taupe-suede messenger bag introduces a casual edge. Elsewhere, cargo shorts reinterpret as flowing “Delft” shorts, a nod to Dior’s 1948 couture history, now stamped with oversized medieval crests and styled with slouchy knits and burgundy loafers.
But it’s not all theatrics. Anderson frames prep-inspired Ivy-League dressing through jersey sweatshirts, pin-striped shirts under knit Henley sweaters, navy blazers with soft shorts, or even chinos and rugby shirts. Denim appears repeatedly, from slimwashed suits to wide, relaxed cargo shorts, giving the line an American-workwear undercurrent. Tweeds and classic tailoring silhouettes remain, too, grounded in a sense of sartorial calm even as they reference the past.
What makes this collection feel like a statement is restraint. Anderson calls it “chapter two,” not a rush to max out every flash or novelty. He’s refining a vocabulary. He’s asking what a modern Dior man looks like, not by simplifying, but by recalibrating: balancing ornamental and utilitarian, formal and relaxed, archive and innovation.
As winter sets in and menswear fans around the world begin thinking about what they’ll wear next season, this Pre-Fall collection offers more than looks, it offers a framework. A house anchored in heritage is reaching toward something more lived-in, more flexible, more relevant. In 2026, Dior isn’t just dressing; it’s evolving.
