Kim Jones made history last week in Paris. The king of collaboration has come back to his couture roots with a collection inspired by Christian Dior’s 1954/1955 collection La Ligne H. Of course, the production was nothing short of dramatic, a white box with a grand staircase out of which a blindfolded model descended down onto a metal runway around and down into another staircase in the floor. The collection felt nothing short of extravagant with rumours swelling in the crowd as to whether or not this would be his final collection for the house.
Another nod to his potential exit from the brand, the collection centred around metamorphosis and evolution with a palette of mostly black, white, delicate brown, and the same perfect soft pink Christian Dior used for his iconic Cuba dress, which he described as “the colour of happiness and femininity.” Jones applied the form of the Cuba dress to reinterpret the opera coat in heavy gage shiny black silk and delicate pink with elaborate crystal embroidery.
A tribute to Kim Jones’ mastery of balancing the elegance of the past and the practicality of today, the ready-to-wear collection played with proportion in a way that almost leaned Japanese. Flourishes of embroidery on jacket shoulders mimicked raindrops, an all too apt nod to the current grey and rainy streets of Paris, while an uprooted enamel Lilly of The Valley broach pinned to the breast felt like a nod to the maison but also to Jones’ potential departure. Intricate silver keychains bounced from pant loops, and luxurious cropped shearling coats and cropped crocodile leather jackets added dimension to wide-leg pants and elegant suiting.
Bags and accessories were realized in soft buttery leathers in dark military-inspired colours and shapes that felt functional but also very Dior coded. Classic boots and shoes were made of distressed leather, some with a touch of satin, and a nod to the soft pink tons featured throughout the collection.
Discover the collection below.
