Photo: Courtesy of Dior Men
The evening before Dior‘s Kim Jones unveiled his latest menswear offering for Fall 2022 in London, the UK’s prime minister Boris Johnson made a ‘breaking news’ announcement: In light of the speed at which Covid-19’s latest variant, Omicron, was spreading across the nation, England would be going back to working from home. A year ago news like this might have put a halt to such a relatively large-scale event but not this time. You see, the pandemic may still have a stronghold but the show must go on.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior Men
In front of a guest list of global press and celebrities, including Finn Cole, Tom Daley, and Stranger Things castmates Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, who congregated in Olympia London’s impressively vast hangar space, a carpet of prose slowly unfurled before the first model’s feet hit the runway. The words of Jack Kerouac and his seminal novel On the Road were clearly on Jones’ mind when he was contemplating his vision for the coming season: A romantic romp of 1950s Americana, gelled hair, skinny ties, metallic accents, trucker jackets, and pants cropped high above brogues. James Dean look-a-likes dressed for a road trip.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior Men
As an added bonus, a selection of Jones’ library of rare books and literary memorabilia was on display—a temporary exhibition he suggested might inspire students from Saint Martins (also in attendance) to examine how a collection comes together.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior Men
For longtime fans of Jones’ sleek modern streetwear, this latest drop may feel like a departure and yet, a break from the norm is no bad thing. If the last two years have taught us anything it’s to expect the unexpected and embrace change—especially if it looks as good as this.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior Men
Read Next: Kim Jones of Dior Men Has Designed a Bespoke Wardrobe for the Paris Saint-Germain Club
