Jonathan Anderson’s Dior Is Reviving the Most Unexpected 2010s Trend for 2026

The Dior Fall/Winter 2026 show opened up with a video of Jonathan Anderson in conversation with Bella Freud of the fashion podcast Fashion Neurosis. They were seated in two green park chairs at Paris's Tuileries Garden, where the runway show itself was also held. Anderson said the iconic public garden reminded him of "pleasure gardens...where people used to dress up to go somewhere."

For the Irish creative director now based in Paris, the city will always feel like a destination he is visiting instead of home. "I always feel like a tourist in Paris," he told Freud. But they both decided that being a tourist isn't a bad thing. Freud continued, "It's a way of finding the things that attach you to a city." Anderson's latest collection was inspired by the gardens and the people who visit them.

It's not a French girl uniform but the uniform of a curious individual, experiencing the beauties of the city and allowing it to influence the way they get dressed. There's hints of the Tuileries Garden in everything Anderson designed for fall/winter 2026 but the biggest through-line in the collection is a sense of wonder you only get from falling in love with a place you'll never call home.

The Return of Dramatic Peplum

Anderson's designs are always whimsical, like something you'd see described in a fairytale but can't possibly imagine being real. His Dior features billowing silhouettes with movement, like peplum. Jackets, coats and even skirts jet out at the hips with bell sleeves, often mimicking the shape of an upside down tulip.

Water Lily Shoes and Peanut Bags

But the whimsy isn't just for the ready-to-wear. If anything, Anderson's accessories feel even more fantastical. This season there were green heels with water lily embellishments—like a lily pad that allows just enough room for toes to peek out from underneath. There were also bags either shaped like a peanut or covered in flowers that appeared to be blooming from the leather.

The Enduring Theater of Parisian Park Life

Something Anderson was particularly inspired by was the notion of Parisians and visitors alike truly dressing up to go to the gardens. The clothing reflected that in the sense that there was nothing really casual about it. Anderson was designing for the individual who wants to go out and be seen. He was dressing for those of us who treat the park walk like one would a runway.