The occasion of the Dior show always falls late in the fashion week calendar, and this season followed its own trend – with a 3pm event on the last official day of shows. Considering the pomp and ceremony attached to fashion houses of the calibre of Dior, the Dior Homme show manages to deliver a cool ambience – proving Kris is beginning to truly carve his own path in the position made famous by Hedi Slimane. 

The show took place in the same venue as last season, the Carreau du Temple – a space with little correlation to the heights of Paris fashion – simply a rustic warehouse space in the centre of Le Marais. After a long wait outside, surrounded by an abundance of Dior-suited gentleman, we entered to find an entirely whited out space, replete with a Dior branded garage door. But opening to what?

The crowd at Dior was an eclectic mix of fashion buyers, press, and french and international celebrities. Karl Lagerfeld made his honorary appearance as always, seated centre front row for the show, as was rapper Usher – who seemed less than interested in the collection, rather enjoying the experience as a whole i think!

A thumping soundtrack by Belgian group Ghinzu struck up as the garage door rolled up, revealing the simple backdrop of the Parisian streetscape behind – leafy trees, a cafe and a crowd of onlookers – as the first model strode onto the catwalk from their urban origin on the ‘outside’. 

The collection itself was Kris Van Assche’s strongest yet for Dior, opting for a looser structure than in the past – with dark chocolate browns, beiges and blacks providing a sombre colour palette to support a simple draping silhouette.

Above: a  look from the show.

Above: A model backstage post-show in the Paris heat.

Above: Kris Van Assche after the show.

Above: A special mention to this last backstage picture, with US photographer Nan Goldin and one of her muses, Dior model Facundo Pellegrino, sharing a hug and a smile!