It’s been exactly five years to the day since Kim Jones joined Dior – remember his debut featuring a giant Kaws-designed statue of his BFF character reimagined in 70,000 flowers as Christian Dior and his pet terrier? That was 2018. Time is ridiculous. 

Now, half a decade on, we’re sat in a minimalist room with tiled flooring. But what’s this, from those tiles something rises: models wearing Jones’ SS24 collection. Beamed up into the show space, as Primal Scream’s Higher Than the Sun began to take hold. It was cool, very cool. 

“Dior is an haute couture house: it is all about the clothes. at the heart of Dior is silhouette, shape, technique and fabrication of the very highest order,” said Jones in the show notes. “For the first time in our collections, it is a collage of influences from different Dior predecessors and eras we wanted to pay tribute to at once – together with some of our own.” And so we surfed a time-travelling wave through Dior’s esteemed womenswear designers via the eye of Kim Jones: “From the silhouettes of Yves Saint Laurent to the embroideries of Gianfranco Ferré; the cabochons of Monsieur Dior to the textures of Marc Bohan.” In terms of touchstones, it’s pretty special. 

Back to our rising runway stars. Here, silhouettes once dreamt up by Yves Saint Laurent were reworked through Jones’ contemporary demeanour, resulting in tailored shapes whose easeful sensibility belies the precision and technicality of the tailoring. Single-breasted jackets were worn over shoulders and trousers were light and cropped. Yves’ 1959 collections were cited as a particular influence, translating his volumes, vents, pleats and necklines to menswear. 

Formal, heritage codes – tweed, boucle, herringbone – were reborn, crafted into bejewelled collarless knits with abstract patterns, structured overcoats and skate-fit pants. Dior’s Mitzah leopard print (dating back to 1947) decorated vests, sandals and Saddle bags, as pops of fluorescent, techno greens, pinks and blues spoke to Marc Bohan’s expressive use of colour. The Masion’s synonymous cannage pattern (inspired by rattan chairs guests sat on at the Dior salon shows) was present throughout, woven through sweaters and shorts as twisting, geometric shapes. A highlight: atop each model sat an incredible Stephen Jones creation refashioning 00s beanies into Liberty Cap styles, in bloom with velvet flowers.

Finding balance between New Look and New Wave, Kim Jones’ Dior tenure is a vital chapter in the Maison’s story, and it’s far from over yet.