Paris Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2019 Part 3
Paris's greatest fashion moments: Dior Homme
June 24, 2018
Dior Homme S/S 2019
That’s the beauty of fashion, nothing ever happens as predicted. When it was clear that Kim Jones was leaving Louis Vuitton as men’s designer, everyone talked about him joining Versace or Burberry. And nobody expected him to remain in the LVMH stable. But that’s exactly what happened, he was appointed as new head designer at Dior Homme while incumbent Kris van Assche was shifted to Berluti.
What does that tell us? Top LVMH brass moved the tailor Van Assche to the brand in need of a modern suiting idea and Jones to the brand in need of a new more commercial perspective for men’s. Not to say that van Assche didn’t do a good job, but his atelier made nearly couture quality collections but they never inspired the street. Jones at Vuitton and his collaborations with Supreme and other street wear heroes plus his sportswear runway design affinity, made him the perfect candidate to go to a house like Dior which wants to grow. Jones can stay within high fashion perimeters and can still be his festival culture self.
What’s new?
Kim Jones is a very good designer. And his strength is sophisticated sportswear with a nod to tailoring. Dior Homme under Slimane and van Assche has been about experimentations on the perfect tuxedo cut. Today Jones made clear that Dior Homme is no longer about variations of formal wear but daywear.
Highlights?
The few brown and second hand looking brown leather bombers looked super fresh.
The tailoring looked like what?
Jones decided to bring his new sportswear driven vision at full speed but still wanted to express a classic message. So some of his jackets had only one button and were single breasted. But to add new dimensions, he cleverly placed the button at the extreme right of the torso to display his fabrics and the cut.
Why this will work?
Dior wants to grow and needs iconic but sellable clothes. Jones delivered today. His vision of Dior is more inclusive and much younger than before.