Christian Dior has written a letter. His elegant scrawl loops and swirls on the page, an art unto itself. The words don’t matter so much as the personal act of reading the handwriting someone else has inked down on paper. Kris Van Assche recently found himself in this position, though it was the intimacy of reading Mr Dior’s handwriting combined the content, about the importance of maintaining tradition that formed this season’s inspiration.

Van Assche’s Dior Homme continues to see the designer cleverly balance the heritage of the house with his own future vision. Last season it was the signature Lily of the Valley and here it was Mr Dior’s handwriting (even his signature in some cases) cast across denim shirting, ties, jackets; even a full denim suit.

“I was very inspired by a letter that Christian Dior wrote that I found in the archive – this is when you feel somebody talking to you from the past in the present quite literally; it was about how vital it is to maintain traditions. I too feel very strongly about this,” explains Van Assche.

A progression of classically slim tailoring saw pinstripes turned horizontal, suiting accented with the layering of vests over shirts, chopping ties off at the chest. The appearance lighter, near-white washes of denim jeans was refreshing, even more so when inked with Dior’s scrawl. Later scribbles took over, evoking the idiosyncrasies of the artisan – past and modern.

Check out our preview of Dior Homme Summer 15 here.