On October 1 at the Jardin de Tuileries, Dior unveiled its Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear collection. The moment marked Irish designer Jonathan Anderson’s debut as the Parisian fashion house’s head of creation across men’s, women’s, couture, and accessories, joining a line of luminaries — including Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, and Raf Simons — who once took the legendary institution under their helm. Before succeeding Maria Grazia Chiuri in June 2025, Anderson, founder of his eponymous label J.W. Anderson, served as creative director of Spanish luxury house Loewe for 11 years.
As one of the most anticipated events of this year’s Paris Fashion Week, Anderson’s debut sought to cement a vision that fuses his androgynous philosophy with Dior’s upper-crust poise and elegance, and the guest list of the show made that statement all the more clear.
Among the show’s glamorous attendees was actress Greta Lee, who signaled a playful interpretation of Dior’s classic textures with a floral-printed ultra mini skirt and high-collar blouse. In September, Lee was appointed Dior’s global ambassador and muse alongside Oscar award-winning actress Mikey Madison and Frankenstein star Mia Goth, and was part of the brand’s “soft launch” at the 2025 Venice Film Festival where Anderson dressed celebrities in Dior.
Some of Dior’s longtime ambassadors were spotted at the Paris show, including Charlize Theron, who paired an embroidered leather jacket with military-green shorts and sheer stockings, and Spanish singer Rosalía, wearing a white, flowy bubble mini dress. In a surprising turn of events, denim jeans made their mark this season — a detail sure to have classic Dior devotees clutching their pearls.
Bridgerton and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey leaned into corpcore, serving office siren in a blue shirt and striped tie layered under a Dior-printed navy quarter-zip, while Rashida Jones, known for her roles in Parks and Recreation and The Office, channeled vintage Dior romance in an embroidered floral jacket and ballet flats, exuding a playful nonchalance that said: “It’s fashion week, but I’m not taking it too seriously.”
In the Dior SS26 show notes, Anderson appears self-aware of the weight his new role. “Daring to enter the house of Dior requires an empathy with its history, a willingness to decode its language, which is part of the collective imagination, and the resoluteness to put all of it in a box,” he writes. “Not to erase it, but to store it, looking ahead, coming back to bits, traces or entire silhouettes from time to time, like revisiting memories.”
It remains to be seen how he will reconcile his vision with Dior’s heritage, but this collection sets a precedent for how Anderson will deliver 10 lines a year across the house. As Vogue Business put it, Anderson may well have “the most difficult job in fashion right now.”
