Kim Jones, at the helm of Dior Men’s, has orchestrated a collection for Winter 2024-2025 that is a nod to the art of ballet, particularly honoring the dancers Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. The inspiration for this collection is deeply personal for Jones, as it ties back to his uncle, Colin Jones, a former ballet dancer and a photographer who not only knew but also captured Nureyev through his lens. This collection stands out as a juxtaposition of contrasts, blending the classic elements of Dior’s ready-to-wear with the opulent and intricate details of haute couture, echoing the public and private personas of a ballet dancer.
For the first time in its history, Dior Men’s introduces a couture line, a collection that runs parallel to, its ready-to-wear counterpart. This initiative explores the dualistic nature of Nureyev’s life—his disciplined, rigorous persona as a dancer against his flamboyant and extravagant stage presence. Both the couture and ready-to-wear lines are inspired by excellence, ease, and discipline, reflecting the essence of Nureyev’s character and career.
The collection revisits the tailoring of Saint Laurent, reimagined for the modern man. Focusing on volume, vents, pleats, and necklines, it represents a contemporary reinterpretation of classic designs. The collection also features a new masculine iteration of Monsieur Dior’s Bar jacket, seamlessly blended with Jones’s own unique oblique style. This fusion is exemplified in the extended double-breasted wrap united with a fluid bar waist curve, following the innovative spirit of the collection.
Nureyev’s influence permeates the entire collection, from the simple, straight silhouettes of the sixties and seventies to the more luxurious elements. The ready-to-wear pieces reflect Nureyev’s practical style, characterized by zipped wool jumpsuits and shorts, ribbed knits, and duffle-inflected outerwear, alongside richly textured leathers. In contrast, the couture line captures his theatrical extravagance, with kimonos crafted by Japanese master artisans, using ancient hand techniques, and extravagant embroideries reminiscent of those in Nureyev’s personal collection of antique textiles. One standout piece is the silver Uchikake kimono, inspired by one owned by Nureyev and requiring three months and ten artisans to complete.
Accessories in the collection echo the dual themes of simplicity and extravagance. The footwear includes a sophisticated reinterpretation of the classic dancing slipper, contrasting a rigorous leather construction with a silk-polyester Mary-Jane sneaker designed for men. The collection also features softly constructed utilitarian bags, oversized grained MacroCannage camera and bum bags, and sumptuous velvet hats, initially designed by Stephen Jones in 1999 for Dior womenswear, now reimagined as a masculine silk jersey dancer’s turban.
The presentation of this collection is set against a backdrop of music by composer Max Richter and directed by Baillie Walsh. The soundtrack features a special reinterpretation of Sergei Prokofiev‘s “Dance of the Knights” from “Romeo and Juliet,” a ballet famously performed by Nureyev and Fonteyn in 1965.
