At Dior Cruise 2027, Jonathan Anderson Turned LACMA Into A Silver Screen Fantasy

It was expected that Jonathan’s Anderson’s first Cruise collection as creative director of Dior would be a dreamy spectacle of epic proportions. Did industry insiders anticipate him taking his lofty vision to Los Angeles? Probably not at first. However, considering the brand’s historic stake in Hollywood, the West Coast pilgrimage is not a far-fetched notion. When hitting the scene with its “New Look” in the 1947, film stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, and Marlene Dietrich were some of the first to cosign the label’s glamorous aesthetic. Dietrich was even famously reported to insist on being dressed in Dior for Alfred Hitchcock’s Stage Fright, delivering the now-legendary ultimatum: “No Dior, no Dietrich.” For Dior’s Cruise 2027, Anderson referenced Dietrich’s no-famous devotion as well as the industry that put the brand on the map.

The designer set the scene from the jump on the chilly evening of May 13 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), scattering classic Cadillac convertibles in sherbet colors around the outdoor runway, with dimly lit vintage lamp posts and subtle smoke machines creating a palpable film noir vibe. On each guest’s seat was a mock script for a project named “Wilshire Boulevard” tucked under cozy wool Dior blankets. Amidst the chatter of the excited attendees (which included Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus, and Mikey Madison) a background track of a director shouting instruction and the familiar boisterous sounds of a sound stage instantly transported you to a different time.

The runway commenced to the tune of croon-y 1940s love songs, with models emerging from the smoky path in romantic chiffon gowns with giant rosettes accenting the drop-waist silhouettes. Silky bias-cut slips — a nod to John Galliano’s iconic tenure — embellished with poppy heads read like items pulled directly from the wardrobes of Lana Turner or Sophia Loren. The reference to California’s signature flower was revisited in an even more dramatic fashion later in the show when Anderson sent models down the runway in luminous 3D orange creations that emulated poppy fields in full bloom.

Slowly, the collection unveiled menswear, with feathered headpieces by Philip Treacy spelling out key words like “DIOR” and “STAR.” The accessories were a clear reference to the famous “BLOW” hat worn by English magazine editor and Treacy’s mentor Isabella Blow. “Working with Jonathan Anderson on these pieces felt like revisiting a part of my own history,” said Treacy in the show notes. Anderson also tapped artist Ed Ruscha to collaborate on shirts marked with Ruscha’s hallmark bold text. Think wool flannels stamped with “ONCE” and “Says I To Myself Says I” — the latter being a pop culture reference to the hit Netflix show Derry Girls, which takes place in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, a setting and time linked to Anderson’s own upbringing.

Following this decidedly more casual interlude of denim, flannel, and cheeky graphics, Anderson brought things back into focus with a rich crimson gown, a final and blatant reimagining of the classic red dresses made famous by starlets like Veronica Lake and Marilyn Monroe. “Christian Dior always put a red dress part way through his collections — simply to wake people up — a device I thought I’d experiment with.”

Below, the highlights from Anderson’s entire Hollywood “experiment” below, which is already proving to be a rousing success among insiders.