To look closely at nature is to understand that nothing ever truly stands still. Jonathan Anderson understands that the same goes for haute couture. It is an arena for experimentation, where craft is exercised rather than preserved. Anderson’s vision for Dior begins precisely here, with nature becoming the beating heart of Dior’s Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 collection. As his first couture offering for the house, the collection frames couture as a dialogue between past and present, memory and use.
Drawn to objects that carry both time and memory – meteorites, fossils, 18th-century textiles, and portrait miniatures – Anderson treats history as material to be handled, altered, and put back into circulation. The show notes describe the collection as a Wunderkammer (or Cabinet of Curiosities), “a place where museum-quality pieces and natural wonders are gathered and recontextualised.” The result is a constellation of references, each translated into couture with precision.
Nature appears not just as a metaphorical reference, but as an undeniable physical presence within the collection. Flora hung from the ceiling, models’ ears were decorated with oversized spherical florals in lacquered brass and sculpted silk; hand-painted orchids draped over their shoulders, and silk petals perched on the toes of their heels. Cyclamens – a pink bloom native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin – run as a throughline throughout the collection, nodding to the bunches gifted to Anderson by John Galliano, one of the house’s former creative directors.
Blue and silver wildflower embroideries adorn a sablé double georgette asymmetrical long dress; white floral motifs taken from a screen print by Magdalene Odundo are printed on a black silk velvet one-shoulder dress; and a sleeveless Art Deco-esque dress is embroidered with floral microbeads reminiscent of a 1957 Christian Dior motif. A long ecru dress with white and red nasturtiums embroidered in chiffon and beads takes the theme even further, with the model carrying a tropical leaf over her head as if it were an umbrella.
The collection is a study in micro and macro – and how the two can be transformed into one another. Shredded chiffon and organza materialise as feathers; a flared horsehair peplum skirt resembles black tweed thanks to five types of net overlaid; a spherical bustier dress is shaped by an invisible tulle structure; and chunky cuffs and rings are crafted from meteorite fragments. Paired alongside these intricate designs are bright orange cable-knit jumpers, chunky chain stitch cowl-neck knit tops, and grey asymmetrical knitted capes.
Nods to the house’s history take shape in many forms – something Anderson has been doing since his inaugural collection as creative director. A strapless corolla dress embroidered with silk cyclamen bouquets parallels the Miss Dior Spring/Summer 1949 dress. A fan-shaped skirt takes inspiration from the Cyclone dress, which debuted in Autumn/Winter 1948. The house’s famed Bar Jacket features a draped and twisted silk collar. Upturned square-toe shoes are inspired by an archival Roger Vivier design. And 18th-century oval miniatures by artists like Rosalba Carriera and John Smart are worn as brooches.
Nothing is left untouched, especially the handbags, which have been reinterpreted as true couture creations. Many are made from 18th-century French fabrics, adorned with embroideries and patchworks to add further visual interest. Their silhouettes are soft and pillowy, emerging as envelope clutches and oversized totes. Minaudières sit at the other end of the spectrum, their structured forms designed to resemble bumblebees and ladybirds. Referencing nature even further, one tote appears as if it is growing grass. The Lady Dior, too, receives a sculptural makeover.
Anderson’s couture debut is a refined amalgamation of design sensibility, nature as art, and nods to the House’s storied past. Once again, he redefines what Dior can be – not by diminishing its history, but by illuminating both its enduring icons and those softened by time. Above all, it does exactly what couture should: experiment and inspire. As noted in the release, “To wear couture is to collect it, and to carry forward – with empathy – the mindset that created it.”
Discover the collection here.
photography. Courtesy of Adrien Dirand and Dior
words. Amber Louise
