While it was technically day 4 of Men’s Paris Fashion Week, it wasn’t just any other show day for Creative Director Kim Jones. After showing a breathtaking Autumn Winter 2025 collection for Dior Homme, the British fashion designer was bestowed the French Legion d’Honneur for excellence in art and craft by fellow Brit Conde Nast, Chief Content Officer, Vogue Global Editor in Chief and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire Anna Wintour. Each event was marked by the elegance Jones, Dior, and Paris are known for.
The day began at the Ecole Militaire, where ample room existed to construct the massive set that housed the show. A dramatic white staircase punctuated the runway in two sections, allowing models to descend from above and descend and ascend below the runway.
In its opposite directions, the staircase served as a physical manifestation of the collection that, according to show notes, depicted an “encounter of extravagance and simplicity, of yesterday and today, of elegance and practicality, infused with notions of metamorphosis and evolution.”
The collection began by exploring Christian Dior’s Autumn Winter 1954-55 women’s collection Ligne H and resulted in clothing best described as Men’s Couture.
With the mood of a Vienna opera, the collection infused feminine touches into distinctly men’s silhouettes. Volume was expressed in trousers and skirts for men, fashioned as if buttoning a jacket up the back and the neckline becoming the waist, dramatic Opera coats, bow details on the back of black and pink satin jackets, satin blouses with blouson sleeves or military button fronts and crystal embellished shoulders gave the effect of Paris rain pooling on one’s shoulders. For added drama, satin band masks spelling DIOR were sported by several models. The final looks featured crystal embellishments, seen as pinstriped on a more traditional style shirt or allover floral bead on a voluminous pink satin opera coat. Overall, the evening looks suggest red carpet looks to forgo the standard black tux look.
For the day, boxy leather jackets in black leather, taupe croc of shearling signaled retail best sellers, utilitarian accessories, and weathered leathered shoes and boots, often dotted with a satin couture bow, complete the look and offer a retail novelty. It’s the kind of spark needed to turn window shopping into purchases.
Later that night, friends of the designer such as Gwendoline Christie, Rob Pattison, and Kate Moss, select press, and LVMH brass gathered at Le Laurent, an upscale Paris Society restaurant in a storied Hotel Particulier close to the Élysée Palace, aka the French White House. Introduced by Anna Wintour, a longtime supporter of Jones, the famous editor offered heartfelt words to the fellow Brit as she bestowed him with the insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Legion d’honneur.
“The wonderful thing about Kim is that he rarely does anything alone. Everything is supporting, collaborating, and lifting others,” Wintour addressed the crowd, continuing, “Whether it’s a movie star he is dressing or an unknown designer looking for his big break, Kim is always ready to help others. We call Kim if any designer needs help or advice because he never says no. He happily shares the spotlight with others.” She shared anecdotal stories of a young DJ, the late Virgil Abloh, crashing on Kim Jones’s couch while trying to catch a break in the fashion business, designing a Fendi collection with Marc Jacobs or designating himself the events coordinator for his team while working in Rome during the pandemic as examples of his selfless nature.
Jones took the podium to accept the distinction. “Thank you to everyone here; Everyone is here because I love them. I am grateful to Delphine Arnault, Bernard [Arnault ], Olivier [Biablos], Stephan [Delannoy], Lucy Beedon,” as he continued to list those most important to his personal and professional career, adding, “I’ve had a lovely life doing what I love so it’s nice to be here to share it with everyone I love. I just want to say thank you.”
Read the full article here