Adorn Again

Menswear artistic director Kim Jones mines the Dior archives and couture techniques to embellish the modern man

- Dal Chodha

Ours is an age where fashion collections are admired and double-tapped on Instagram more widely than they are worn. Of course, if you’re as canny a designer as Kim Jones is, you can do good things with ’grammability. Jones spent seven years at Louis Vuitton ushering in a smart, sports-luxe approach – his influence can be seen in every tailored track pant, every bum bag slung diagonally across the chest. But now, as menswear artistic director at Dior, he’s taking a new tack, learning to apply the majesty of couture to the masculine wardrobe.

At Dior, Jones is schooling Gen Z on the art of craft. He has drawn inspiration from archive pieces dating back to the 1950s and the couture techniques of the 70-year-old house are at the forefront of its new-look ready-to-wear men’s line. His debut, S/S19 show for the house included a tailored, wraparound, single-button jacket named ‘Tailleur Oblique’. ‘We were looking at women’s couture and with that comes this elegance,’ he says. What worked for womenswear in the 1950s, he adds, can be applied to a lot of menswear now. He sees his role as editor of custom-made codes, from the curve of the house’s classic 1947 ‘Bar’ jacket to the floral decoration in the palest grey and pink.