The front row was a mix of long-time Dior ambassadors (Robert Pattinson, Rihanna) and new faces for Dior who are transfers from Loewe (Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Luca Guadagnino). Pattinson, O’Connor and Craig were all wearing the new collection. “It’s very New York 1980s,” says Craig about his look that was first unveiled on Mbappé. Roger Federer also attended. Was it because of the On connection? Federer is an investor, and Loewe and On collaborated on capsule collections. The White Lotus’s Sam Nivola was also there, after starring in a short teaser posted on the house’s Instagram, suggesting Anderson will continue working with trending talents like he did at Loewe. Nivola was wearing a knit sweater with little embroideries of roses and a Diorette charm around the neck for a rococo feel. “Monsieur Dior was in love with the era, as he was with British culture, of which echoes persist,” the press release said.
Mia Goth, Sabrina Carpenter and Natalia Vodianova each attended, dressed in Anderson’s Dior women’s, offering a foretaste of what we should expect in October when the designer presents his first womenswear collection for the house, in a season jam-packed with debuts. Carpenter’s look, not only a departure in style for the pop star, was an updated version of the maison founder’s famous New Look.
Anderson’s last Loewe show for SS25 was attended by a number of designers. This time again, creative directors turned up in droves to the show. Guests included Donatella Versace, Chemena Kamali, Pharrell Williams, Julien Dossena, Chitose Abe, Adrian Appiolaza, Kris Van Assche, Simon Porte Jacquemus, Michael Rider, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Glenn Martens, Stefano Pilati, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. “We are all friends of each other these days. We are all supporting one another,” says McCollough, who, alongside Hernandez, succeeded Anderson at Loewe.
“I am coming with a feeling of extreme excitement because it’s so important for his career and for the history of the house. I am excited to watch this historical moment,” Kamali says. He also had the full support of the Arnaults; almost the whole family, including Bernard, were present.
The set was modelled on the interiors of Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie, “a programmatic act that speaks a language of understatement and poise”, according to the press release. Two masterpieces by Jean Siméon Chardin, one lent by the Louvre Museum, the other one by National Galleries of Scotland, were hanging on the walls. The soundtrack kicked off with Bruce Springsteen in a nod to some of the — somewhat surprisingly — Americana references within the collection’s more casual looks.
