The China Mail - Jonathan Anderson reimagines aristocrats in second Dior Homme collection

The celeb-heavy runway show in the gardens of the Rodin Museum drew actor Robert Pattinson, Louis Vuitton designer Pharrell Williams and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, who sat on a power-packed front row.

Anderson said he was thinking about "What is a new aristocracy today? What can it be ... this idea of dressing?" as he designed the collection, which was one of the most keenly watched moments of the Fall-Winter 2026-27 Men's Fashion Week.

The 41-year-old from Northern Ireland is the first creative director to oversee womenswear, menswear and haute couture since Christian Dior himself, having started the job last year with a stellar reputation.

His debut summer menswear show in June last year won widespread praise, but his women's collection in October did not earn universal plaudits, raising the stakes for Tuesday's catwalk show.

He said he didn't want "normality" in his reimagined aristocrats, adding that his designs included some "angst and a kind of wrongness, engulfing wrong taste".

The show opened with a series of violet, green and silver sequined tops in a 1920s style -- reproductions of a bodice designed by early 20th-century French designer Paul Poiret who Anderson namechecked as inspiration.

The collection also featured brocade capes, puffer jackets and long wool coats with oversized fur cuffs.

There were also long wool dresses and very wide skirts -- a further move towards presenting unisex collections which the industry is increasingly adopting, further blurring the lines between women's and men's fashion.

- 'The world is evolving' -

Running until Sunday, Paris Men's Fashion Week will see 66 houses unveil their new winter wardrobes through 36 runway shows and 30 presentations.

Trend watchers say designers appear to be reverting to more classic, regular tailoring, either as a response to geopolitical uncertainty or as a bankable commercial move at a time when the luxury clothing industry faces a slowdown.

The very large oversize jackets and trousers trend appears to have peaked.

Parisian designer Emeric Tchatchoua behind the 3.Paradis brand said his tailoring was "narrowing a bit."

"I think that with age and the way my view of the world is evolving now, I wanted to create a silhouette that's ... a bit more fitted," he told AFP.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Jaden Smith -- son of US rapper-actor Will Smith -- presented his debut collection for Christian Louboutin while wearing thick red make-up, mimicking the red soles of the brand's shoes.

The model and musician, 27, was unveiled as creative director last September by founder Louboutin, who appears to be preparing to hand over the reins to the Gen Z trendsetter.

Other highlights this week will be a final show by Veronique Nichanian at Hermes on Saturday.

She is bowing out after 37 years at the helm of the men’s line and will hand over to London designer Grace Wales Bonner in 2027.

F.Jackson--ThChM