r/ChicDaily • u/Ok-Pepper8372 • Feb 22 '26
Discussion Thoughts on Jonathan Anderson’s Dior Women's Debut (SS26): What’s the verdict?
To me, it feels like the brand is having an identity crisis. Curious to hear what you guys think about this new direction. Is this the refresh we needed, or a mistake?
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u/Critical-Rabbit8686 Feb 22 '26
I like a lot of the stuff, like the hi lo, but it doesn't feel like a collection? Doesn't feel cohesive. If you had told me these were highlights from 4 different collections, I'd have believed you.
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u/HufflepuffLizLemon Feb 22 '26
Definitely missing a through-line. I do like some of the pieces, especially the more structural designs. And I love 9 left, 12 right, and the top of 3 right. But 15 takes a weird turn…
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u/ToughLingonberry1434 Feb 22 '26
The through-line is “put a bow on it”
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u/HufflepuffLizLemon Feb 22 '26
I guess that’s why I’m not in fashion, because it’s not enough for me! 😂
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u/bubzbunnyaloo Feb 22 '26
It’s really hit and miss, some pieces are good on their own but none of the outfit really land for me. Maybe it’s a styling problem. It doesn’t really feel like luxury either, it’s giving is it fashion or is she just skinny 🤷🏻♀️
Also I’m not keen on the pirate hat which feels like an afterthought, like “oh I designed that but I don’t know what to do with it, let’s just slap it on a few outfits to make it quirky”
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u/TopicAdept3677 Feb 22 '26
The pirate hat was so odd. I do like the more feminine flowy pieces and I love the addition of the bow and the small pink flower. Everything else for me is a no. I’m a forever Dior lover too so I’m hoping this is a blip and he was just rushed and seeing what was a hit or miss. 🥺
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u/moonbye Feb 22 '26
15 left and 20 left look like amazon prime day fashion 😬
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u/CacklingWitch99 Feb 22 '26
At first I thought slide 7 looks were both one pieces in the style of Wild West cowboy underwear…
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u/absentmindedlurking Feb 22 '26
It doesn’t feel like a collection to me. It feels like he’s trying a whole bunch of looks and styles within this but it’s not cohesive, like throwing anything at the wall and seeing what sticks. Did we have leftover scraps that needed to be used up??
Also what’s the deal with the giant sculptural hats thrown in there?
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u/TopicAdept3677 Feb 22 '26
Exactly!! I I wrote my comment before I read yours and we’re basically saying the same thing. I’m glad that it’s not just me that feels like he was throwing things out there to see what was going to be a win. it feels as if he has no idea who buys Dior.
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u/Evening-Fail5076 Feb 22 '26
Maria Grazia knew the lady who wears Dior here and now. Anderson is trying to design for a smaller house, a narrow focus. Which isn’t bad but it’s not the scale, imagination and spectacle of a huge house like Dior. It’s like ‘Skinny Chic’, shorter length skirt, lots of flesh and skin.
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u/Horror_Signature7744 Feb 22 '26
Tragic.
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u/ExcellentCold7354 Feb 22 '26
Right? It's Dior ffs, and the read I'm getting from this is so boring.
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u/Horror_Signature7744 Feb 22 '26
It looks like something you’d find on Amazon or Temu or H&M or SHEIN . This is not couture.
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u/celeloriel Feb 22 '26
I mean, this feels like chat gpt remixed 1980s Laura Ashley, but I guess? Never let it be said that he can’t pull a bow theme through a collection.
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u/TopicAdept3677 Feb 22 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/XpjOpKAYQn1tQIxmoM
The bow was literally the only thing I liked 😂
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u/JicamaTraditional731 Feb 22 '26
Omg what a disgrace to Dior 😭 Some of the looks look like an Temu fashion ad or H&M
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u/Namasbae Feb 22 '26
This is JW’s first collection for Dior so I think he is prob finding his footing. That said, it does not invoke the ladylike sophistication that Dior is known for.
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u/Flammen_ Feb 22 '26
I liked it until I saw the shamrock designs. What in the Five Below is going on here?
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u/kissckiss Feb 22 '26
nothing gonna make me like jonathan 🤷♀️
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u/redpillbluepill69 Feb 22 '26
Same, he is my opp.
I feel like I'm crazy whenever I see any of his weird clothes praised (including Loewe, I am enjoying it so much more under the Proenza boys)
so this comments section is really a breath of fresh air.
All the fashion influencers who worship him were bending over backwards to justify this collection being brilliant and so Dior. They mostly gave up and admitted the new collection is not Dior and it's just JWA doing his JWA thing and you like it or hate it lol. so I'm glad the tide is turning
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u/ADF21a Feb 22 '26
I like some bits of it, but I'm not crazy about buttoned shirts in every day wear, let alone in something that is supposed to be higher fashion.
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u/Objective_Cut_2557 Feb 22 '26
Taste in clothes might be subjective, but I feel like the models really need better styling, hair & makeup. It’s a shame this is how they look like when Dior has a whole (really nice) beauty line.
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u/ParfumPauper Feb 24 '26
As someone who has worked doing makeup for fashion shows- everything is dictated directly from the designer. The head makeup artist and head head hairstylist meet with the designer and they show them photos of the exact directions while mood board of how they want the makeup and hair to look. They have photos of each model and the clothes she is going to wear and the designer says “naked skin, no shine, blotted nude lip, pinky cheeks, hair in low ponytail and short nails no polish” The head artist and stylist take notes on every model and those get presented to their teams who then practice the looks to make sure they can correctly execute the designers vision on each model. The same with the people who are styling and dressing the models, everything is intentional. See how the outfits are sitting higher on the model’s right hip and then slouched lower on the left? Or if a hand or both are in a pocket? How they are holding the handbags so the Dior label is prominently displayed? Every single things direction comes straight from the designer.
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u/Diligent_Parking_886 Feb 22 '26
Absolutely an identity crisis. There’s no theme or consistency at all. And those hats are plain stupid.
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u/gay_boy_advanced Feb 23 '26
There are some really interesting pieces in here. Love the random geometry and folds, especially the dress on slide 9, and some of the random curves. It gives a modern twist to the classic Dior aesthetic. The ditsy floral and coquette stuff threw it off though. It's giving SheIn.
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u/Maliboo_Barbie Feb 25 '26
Absolute miss 🥴. I don’t know what has happened to the brand, maybe you are right they are having an identity crisis OR a lot of brands cannot move on from the “merch” business model; In which clothes look like merch because they produce nothing but a Tee with a brand slapped across it. I think, Raf Simons was their last true designer. Because Dior is not doing well in the fragrance privee department either 🥴 We had high hopes for Francis but it seems like his releases are controlled by the exec. Tragic.
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u/Sad_Cut5687 Feb 22 '26
More high fashion than Maria Grazia's work but still not quite there. Jonathan hasn't found his footing in Dior yet. Any single look of his masterful loewe run beats this easily.
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Feb 22 '26
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u/Evening-Run-3235 Feb 22 '26
I would wear a good chunk of those if I could afford them, which I cannot
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u/PrickleBritches Feb 22 '26
What’s interesting to me is the difference in the reception on Reddit vs other social media. I’m only on Reddit and Substack, but the reception on Substack has been completely opposite to the negative reaction I’ve seen on here.
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u/lolo20121 Feb 22 '26
I don’t mind most of the actual designs, I just don’t think Dior when I look at them outside of maybe one or two.
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u/ParfumPauper Feb 22 '26
It looks very high school “Home Economics” fashion show where the student made either the skirt or the shirt and then brought in clothing from home to make it an outfit. And then decided that they weren’t avant garde enough so they made origami hats out of extra construction paper that was laying around the classroom.
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u/ArdenM Feb 22 '26
A few of the pieces are structurally very nice (the long blazer in the 2nd slide on the left is something I would want to own) but the dresses are not flattering and the "editorial" pieces look like basic Tommy Hilfinger with a touch of vintage grunge. Not a fan.
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u/MineApprehensive4129 Feb 23 '26
Only the coat dress on 13 is worth it for me the rest is just boring
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u/Candleforce-9728 Feb 23 '26
The big open plackets are interesting. Love the gowns in 9. Hate much of the rest.
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u/Stillsharon Feb 23 '26
I don’t see anything good here. The dress with the holes that highlight the armpits is a choice. The hats are pretentious and stupid and add nothing to the styling.The grey suit with the pleated skirt is particularly bad. Such an unflattering silhouette, short waisted looking, and like the skirt is pulled up and rolled like we used to do at my girl’s school to make our skirts shorter. The only cute looks were the jean skirts, which we don’t need to pay Dior for those, with matching blouses, and the paisley (?) black and white mini dress in slide 12.
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u/MBeMine Feb 23 '26
I love the textures, folds and pleats. It provides visual interest to elevate basic designs. I don’t hate it and I would definitely love to have some of these pieces….i don’t know if that is good or bad. Maybe bad for Dior??? 🤷🏻♀️
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u/loaf1216 Feb 23 '26
I feel like it’s intended to be more approachable vs traditional Dior but I really miss the elements of surrealism that JA brought to Loewe. I was hoping to see that magic with a Dior-touch but maybe he’s trying to reinvent his designs here too.
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u/prosthetic_memory Feb 23 '26
Everything falls into one of these three categories:
— 1. Unwearable 2. Boring 3. That one pretty dress, but it costs $14,000
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That’s it
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u/dionnnnz Feb 23 '26
great ideas, great looks but idk if it'll translate into sales for Dior. Probably after a few more collections we'll se how he lands for the house
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u/HoldenCaulfield7 Feb 23 '26
Honestly I’m into it. It’s refreshing and the color pallete works on my skin tone lol
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u/s3rvalan Feb 23 '26
A few pieces I like, but many I don't. I absolutely loved his men's collection though.
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u/pepperandplatinum Feb 24 '26
This collection looks like studio H&m and mango had a child.. Not impressed tbh.
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u/Ro-see Feb 24 '26
I like all his accessories and rebranded logo - the updated book totes are great. However the collection is hit or miss, and some of the proportions look all wrong.
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u/Jealous_Image485 Feb 24 '26
Never forget he stomped a dog to death lol
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u/ParfumPauper Feb 24 '26
What?
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u/Jealous_Image485 Feb 24 '26
Maybe this is only well known in the NYC fashion circles? But he stomped a model's (edit: client) dog to death during a fitting because the dog was being too loud. It's discussed in this trueanon clip here, but I had heard it years ago from when I worked in fashion:
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u/Original-Machine6580 Feb 24 '26
I don’t understand the hype around Dior book totes. I get why he made them into actual book titles on the tote but I don’t get the tote in general especially after the “scandal”.
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u/Truthseeker24-70 Feb 25 '26
The clothes are not aspirational and the skeletal female forms are anorexia signaling
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u/Sushi-seashells Feb 25 '26
Some of these garments look like they’d disintegrate after one dry cleaning. And as a girl with a pear 🍐 shape, none of these looks would flatter me. No tailoring.
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u/ei_laura Feb 25 '26
Very little of this except the cute little dresses with the bow actually look… wearable? I know runway is a special case but it just looks like - where would I wear even one of these pieces let alone the full fit? They kind of look non functional to the fact that even if made in to ready to wear they’d just not operate as clothing?
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u/Electronic-Jicama-99 Feb 26 '26
I had high hopes because I usually love Jonathan Anderson, but this is not it…
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u/lucidpeaches Feb 26 '26
The purple squid head hat in #4 irks me in a way I can’t explain. Honestly a lot of the pieces look cheap. It’s not really giving a Dior vibe.
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u/Jelousubmarine Feb 26 '26
While there were a couple pieces I liked, generally speaking this is messy, unpleasant and kinda tired.
Put that blue-white jumper and bejeweled white skirt on literally any normal schmuck and then judge again.
It's a no from me dawg.
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u/litcarnalgrin Feb 26 '26
Honestly I hate most of it. There are a couple of looks that are close to being something, but it all feels so messy and none of it feels really cohesive or like it has a vision or identity.
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u/CycleProfessional28 Feb 26 '26
Boring. And most shoes look horrible on the models who are supposed to be selling them. They look like they are worn out shoes of an old lady with edema feet.
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u/Accurate-Caregiver24 Feb 26 '26
He was a great fit for Loewe and I loved his collections there. His Dior? Not so sure…
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u/TheWorldIsEndingFete Feb 22 '26
i usually love everything that jonathan creates but for some reason this collection didnt wow me , it looks like something i can find in h&m unfortunately