Last season saw models rise out of the ground onto the runway. This season Kim Jones went higher, literally: the impressive finale saw models spin on a rotating floor as they rose to the stars (a starry night ceiling created by lots of little lights shining bright). 

But back to the beginning. On each guest’s seat, Jones had left a photo book: Rudolf Nureyev by Colin Jones. Colin was Kim’s uncle, who sadly passed away in 2021, this season was a tribute to him and his work. The book’s introduction told of Colin’s life, from his young days as a ballet dancer to discovering a passion for photography and later switching careers full-time. The book featured candid images of trailblazing male ballet dancer Nureyev Jones taken in 1966 for Time Life (Nureyev danced with Jones’ then wife Lynn Seymour). 

Here, Jones and Monsieur Dior’s histories intertwine: “I had been thinking about the relationship between the ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn and Monsieur Dior,” said the designer. “The masculine interpretation of this also involved thinking about her most famous dance partner: Rudolf Nureyev. Nureyev is entwined with my personal history because of my uncle, the photographer Colin Jones.”

Using these figures and photos as inspiration, Kim Jones had his own stage to bring their story to the fore via the savoir-faire of Dior. “The collection, or rather collections, are about contrast: the contrasts in the house of Dior in terms of ready-to-wear and haute couture. it’s the difference between onstage and backstage; the life of Nureyev theatrically and in reality. here it is a meeting of the dancer’s style with that of the Dior archive,” Jones continued.

The stirring sound of Sergei Prokofiev’s composition Dance of the Knights played brilliantly loud (all the British press instantly thought the same: The Apprentice) mixed by Max Richter, and the models entered stage left. The soundtrack held meaning: it was taken from Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet, famously danced by Nureyev and Fonteyn in London in 1965.

Drawing from traditional ballet wardrobe, looks featured pushed back hair, dancing slipper footwear and pulled up socks, while clothing evoked the duality of a dancer on-stage and off. Inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s time at the house, relaxed suiting was gently flared at the leg, alongside ribbed knits, wool jumpsuits and duffle-inflected outerwear. Then came the couture – this is the first time Jones has presented men’s couture; exquisite jewel-embroidered tasselled tops, knotted turbans, a toile-de-jouy cape, and crystal mesh tunic that glistened in the spotlight – Nureyev was a regular at Studio 54, so disco was very much in his ballpark. In particular, look to the silver Uchikake kimono, crafted using the historic Hikihaku weaving technique and inspired by one Nureyev wore. The show notes said it took ten people three months to complete it. That is Dior couture. Another look reimagined the Maison’s 1950 Debussy dress, created by Monsieur Dior and worn by Margot Fonteyn.

And then we come full circle to the finale, with models spinning under the spotlights and rising high to Prokofiev’s music.