Jonathan Anderson’s Dior and Dario Vitale’s Versace signal luxury’s generational shift. Fashion and Hollywood converge in Milan — and in Los Angeles — with Hermès Silvertop house takeover.
Dior’s new look for the next generation
At long last, after weeks of teasing first looks on the red carpet and social media, Jonathan Anderson presented his debut Dior women’s collection in Paris on Wednesday.
It was a blockbuster, Dior’s New Look for the next generation, epitomized by a shrunken Bar jacket and denim miniskirt.
The Spring 2026 collection is going to change the way Hollywood dresses, with house ambassadors Anya Taylor-Joy, Greta Lee, Mikey Madison, Rosalia, Jenna Ortega, Jiman, Johnny Depp, Jisoo and Charlize Theron looking on from the front row at the stark runway set designed by director Luca Guadagnino.
To open, a cinematic, horror-tinged black-and-white documentary film by Adam Curtis flashed snapshots of the brand’s past, including Marlene Dietrich wearing Dior in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Stage Fright” and Princess Diana in a bias dress by John Galliano, setting the stage for the house transfer to come on the runway.
Anderson took a lot of risks with silhouette, proportion and sculptural form. But he balanced innovation with relatable everyday go-tos, like the jersey sweat suit with tuxedo bib below, which was simple but so chic.
He continued to play with elements of 18th century dress first introduced in his men’s collection shown in June, with deconstructed tricorn hats, cravat-tied shirts, pannier and bow tied mini skirts and cropped tailcoats flipped around so the tails fell in front.
Bows, a Dior house code of yore, were scattered throughout, as seen on a version of the bow-studded cocktail dress first worn by Taylor-Joy to the Toronto International Film Festival, and a version of the cape-back mini dress with long front bow detail first worn by Lee in Venice.
Also destined for the red carpet: ethereal lace gowns with bow backs, flowery bubble skirts, hydrangea-dotted dresses and clever updates to historic Dior looks, including the famed 1949 “Junon” gown seen above with ombré beaded petals, chopped to above the knee and rendered in a softer, easier fabrication. The shoes, including sparkly pumps with bunny ears, and Cigale top handle bags, were also terrific.
Except for a couple of wobbly parts—those hip bustles first worn by Alba Rohrwacher should have been left on the cutting room floor—there was a lot to admire, aspire to and wear.
The casual turn and plethora of miniskirts probably won’t hit with every Dior customer, but they should capture the attention of younger consumers, and their attention is paramount as Gen Z is expected to represent nearly a third of luxury purchases by 2030.
Versace wins Milan
Back in Milan, among the many anticipated designer debuts, Versace won the week with its own generational shift.
Former Miu Miu designer Dario Vitale reframed Gianni Versace’s legacy and his obsessions with youth, sex and South Beach, for a younger customer. He also jettisoned Donatella Versace’s glossy, glamazon ideal for something more approachable and real. In short, he made Versace cool again, which it really hasn’t been for a long time.
The colored jeans — some with Andy Warhol face prints — scarf-like silk shirts and Baroque-etched leather pieces referenced Versace’s heritage, filtered through the casual lens of today.
I predict those, along with the backless tank tops that were layered up in several looks, will influence every level of the market, much as Vitale’s work at Miu Miu did, selling boat loads of boat shoes, school girl skirts, logo briefs, boxers, bloomers and more. I can’t wait to see young Hollywood get into these looks.
The devil wore Dolce
For all the celebrity sightings in Milan, the delightfully devilish “The Devil Wears Prada” duo Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci took the cake sitting front row not at Prada, but at the Dolce & Gabbana runway show.
They were in character as fictional Runway magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly and art director Nigel Kipling, filming a scene for the 20th Century film sequel due in May 2026. In a meta moment, Priestly sat across from Anna Wintour, who inspired the character in Lauren Weisberger’s original novel influenced from her time working as an assistant to the powerful Vogue editor. Priestly did not wear Prada (perhaps it would be too on the nose); she wore a sleek Dolce & Gabbana trench coat, black pants and pumps, a contrast to the casual lingerie and pajama dressing in the label’s Spring 2026 collection.
This is not the first time a film crew has crashed a runway show. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson closed out the March 2015 Valentino show in a runway “walk-off,” reprising their roles as male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel from the 2001 film “Zoolander.” The viral stunt served as the announcement for the long-discussed follow-up to the over-the-top satire of the fashion world, and while it was used in marketing materials, it did not make it into the final film. Valentino the man did, however, alongside many other fashion figures, and a scene was even shot in the brand’s Rome store.
The Valentino brand’s integration into the film was an about-face from how the designer reacted to the filming of another fashion world satire, Robert Altman’s 1994 “Prêt-à-Porter,” during Paris Fashion Week, including at the Sonia Rykiel show. Valentino and Karl Lagerfeld banned Altman’s cameras from their runway shows, fearing they would portray the industry in a bad light, according to Newsweek.
At the time, the fashion week scene was described by the newsmagazine as “circuslike” (still true) with faux fashion folk Lauren Bacall, Julia Roberts, Kim Basinger and Sophia Loren mixing with real-life reporters, buyers and designers. “We have paid extras,” groused one veteran fashion writer. “We have work to do and they are holding up the shows,” the magazine reported.
How times have changed. The minute the Dolce & Gabbana show ended, the fashion crowd leapt onto the runway with their iPhones to try to get photos of Streep and Tucci. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and Dolce & Gabbana promotional moments to come in the lead up to the film’s release.
Armani, per amore
Hollywood also descended on Milan to bid farewell to Giorgio Armani, the Italian fashion legend and red carpet maestro who died Sept. 4. Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Glenn Close, Lauren Hutton and Spike Lee were among guests at the runway show featuring the last collection the designer worked on.
It was also a moment to mark the company’s 50th anniversary, which began in August with the launch of Armani/Archivio at the Venice Film Festival, and the opening of “Giorgio Armani: Milano, per Amore,” a retrospective exhibition open through Jan. 11 at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, where 133 archive creations tracing the designer’s vision for tailoring, decoration and decorum are displayed among Italian works of art.
On the runway, the collection had it all — elegant tailoring in neutral shades, jewel-toned separates with a hint of exoticism, and even the balloon pants the designer has always loved, finally back in the fashion conversation. It also offered easy evening wear with a measured take on embellishments, as seen in the striking midnight-blue, long-sleeve finale gown with a swishy long skirt, a drop-waist bodice, and Armani’s profile lovingly embroidered on it.
Dressing America’s sweethearts
In Southern California, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco were married last weekend in Santa Barbara, and both the bride and groom wore Ralph Lauren. Gomez also wore a custom gown by the brand for this year’s Oscars.
Lauren didn’t send out a press release about the two looks, at least not one I received. (Tiffany & Co. did, however, suggesting those 12 carat diamond earrings may have been gifted or loaned as part of a partnership with the brand.) Still, it was a coup for the American designer who launched bridal wear in 2015. And it follows on the heels of Gomez’s pal Taylor Swift wearing a Ralph Lauren sundress for her engagement shoot, leading to a near immediate sell-out of the $398 style.
Ralph Lauren has been one of the rare brands that has continued to perform well amidst the luxury industry slowdown. If he manages to also dress Swift for her big day, there’s no stopping him.
Hermès takes up residence at John Lautner’s Silvertop house
There’s no party like an Hermès party.
On Tuesday night, the French luxury brand took over the spectacular John Lautner Silvertop house, filling every inch of the mid-century marvel with furniture and accessories from its Maison collection, from Sofa Contour seating and Les Trotteuses side tables in the living room, to the handsome Samarcande chess set in the office, to the covetable piles of blankets in the closet and Donald Judd for Panthère silverware in the kitchen.
Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch, Michael Chow and daughter China Chow, Jeffrey Deitch, Tina Craig, Trina Turk and others from the design, art and fashion worlds wandered the rooms, taking in every detail of the glass-walled house now owned by Beats by Dre president Luke Wood.
The prized spot, which has a dramatic cantilevered pool and stunning views of downtown L.A., was recently seen in “The Oner” episode of “The Studio,” in which the filming of a complex sunset scene is botched after Continental Studios honcho Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) visits the set and hilarity ensues.
True to Hermès form, the party took a whimsical turn when the chef de cuisine and uniformed wait staff broke out in song and dance before serving the buffet dinner, which was followed later by a glamorous chanteuse performing “La Vie en Rose.” On Wednesday, the house takeover went from social scene to selling, with Hermès hosting two days of appointments for clients to shop the luxe wares inside, from desks to dishes.
Dior mega-flagship opens on Rodeo Drive
Following the debut of the first L.A. Khaite store on Melrose Avenue, another eagerly awaited flagship has finally arrived: Dior at 323 N Rodeo Drive.
Designed by Peter Marino, the four-story building is light-filled with a central staircase, courtyard garden with a delightful Nikki de St. Phalle sculpture, an airy VIP rooftop terrace, Dior’s first U.S.-based restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn (not open yet, but slated for October) and a charming installation of snow globes in the window commemorating some of the house’s Hollywood moments.
The massive store is the first domino in Dior parent LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s game of expansion on Rodeo Drive. Bernard Arnault’s conglomerate is planning a new Tiffany & Co. flagship store on the site of the old Luxe Hotel, and has submitted plans for a new Louis Vuitton store and cultural campus designed by architect Frank Gehry in the spot planned for the Cheval Blanc hotel, which was rejected by voters in 2023.
The Dior store was busy on opening day, with the fall women’s collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri, her last for the house, front and center, and not much evidence of Anderson’s arrival.
No doubt that will change soon, considering the designer’s seismic runway collection and love affair with Hollywood. I’m waiting for that “No Dior, no Dietrich!” T-shirt.
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