The Tamesis
Five days after giving us an unconventional menswear show full of bright yellow wigs and windswept hair, Jonathan Anderson is back on the catwalk. Today, the Irish designer launches her first couture collection since joining the brand as creative director in 2025, and the beautiful looks are on full display.
“Jonathan wanted to keep a very modern aesthetic,” hairstylist Guido told me backstage, sipping coffee with the show’s casting director, Ashley Brokaw. We were surrounded by models enjoying cucumber tea sandwiches, espresso and crepes while the beauty team put on a show. “Jonathan, Peter and I looked at all these futuristic ideas and thought about the future of the brand,” Guido said, referring to Peter Philips, Christian Dior’s makeup image director.
“The collection is youthful and fresh,” Philips told me, so it was only fitting that the beauty look would be equally fresh. After using the Dior Forever Skin range to repair his skin, he applied the Rosy Glow Stick in pink lilac. When you sweep a highlighter that matches your undertone (the secret to skin that looks vibrant, not unicorn highlighter) onto your cheekbones and the tops of your eyelids, “voila!” says Philips: You can bring radiance to your face—for an instant glow.
For some of the unique hairstyles, Guido found inspiration in the hues of the cyclamen, a small but vivid flower that was a gift to Anderson from former Dior creative director John Galliano and is also featured in the collection. “The veils are soft pinks and purples,” he said, adding that they are hand-dyed through a dipping process. Each piece is worn flat on the top of the head and falls purposefully in front of the face like extra-long, uncut bangs.
Then there are the floral pieces. “They don’t look like earrings or a bun,” confirms the hairstylist. “To me, they look like those big headphones everyone is wearing now. Flowers in the hair have always symbolized romance, but the way they sit in front of the face makes it modern.” The third style is a classic straight-back look with the wear cascading down the back.
Before taking to the catwalk, Philips added, there’s one last, less personal item to prepare: tissues. “After each girl has her makeup done, I put lip gloss oil on her,” he said, adding that each color changes slightly to match the model’s pH level. “But just before they walked out, each model dabbed their lips with a tissue, so the lips were almost matte and almost sparkly under the lights.”
All in all, Dior’s future looks bright—or, should we say, bright and fresh?
