Back in the day, a debut fashion show meant just that: press and guests would attend a new designer’s inaugural catwalk to witness their first designs for that house. Sounds quite simple, really. But now, thanks to house ambassadors, celebrity dressing and contractual fulfilments, we’re pretty much seeing an entire new collection months before the runway begins. While some might argue against the drip-feed of first looks (The Business of Fashion’s Simone Cotellessa recently wrote that red carpet teasers “damage” designer debuts), others cannot get enough of them, ravenously picking through them like a nest of fashion easter eggs, gleaning hints as to what the upcoming collection might look like.
One man who’s provided us plenty of easter eggs is none other than Jonathan William Anderson, who is, of course, Christian Dior’s new creative director. The Irish designer’s ready-to-wear debut is not scheduled until Wednesday, October 1, however he’s been slowly sending women’s looks into the world since his men’s debut in June. First up was Sabrina Carpenter, who attended the show in a custom grey skirt and blazer, Anderson’s interpretation of Monsieur Dior’s New Look silhouette; then came Rihanna in a mint green waistcoat and floor-length smoking jacket, followed by Mia Goth and Natalia Vodianova in pleated silk skirts that swished in the wind.
In the music world, house ambassador Jisoo was the first star to wear Dior by J Dubs on stage, with a total of three custom looks for various stops on Blackpink’s Deadline World Tour. And this year’s Venice Film Festival was practically a runway rehearsal, with Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher debuting Anderson’s first ever couture creation, Greta Lee donning her own trio of looks, and Mia Goth stealing the carpet in a chocolate brown showstopping gown. Goth seemed to take the crown – that was until Anya Taylor-Joy attended this weekend’s TIFF in a baby blue dress with a bulbous hoop skirt, its fabric looped into a giant basket weave pattern. Reminiscent of the designer’s earlier work at JW Anderson, the look was Anderson’s funnest Dior gown yet, sure to whip fans into a frenzy of excitement for what’s about to come.
For all those looks and more, see our full gallery of Dior’s new era above