Since taking the helm of Dior menswear in 2018, Kim Jones has consistently looked to his favourite artists for inspiration. The French fashion house's pre-fall ’22 collection unfurled upon the memory of Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac, while autumn ’21 drew from the work of contemporary Scottish painter Peter Doig, and the iconoclastic jewellery designer and provocateur Judy Blame set the tone for autumn ’20. It's an eclectic group of people, all united by revolutionary spirits and groundbreaking approaches.
So, it makes sense that Jones would look to Ray Petri, the late stylist who led the influential Buffalo movement of the Eighties, for spring ’24. The Scottish-born icon blended elements of high fashion with less-glam British subcultures, creating looks that broke through binaries and boundaries. Think burly men wearing skirts, or sportswear teamed with tailoring. “This is something I have always been interested in and is really part of what I do,” says Jones in the collection notes. “This new line presents subtle codes of ceremony, classical decoration applied in a cheeky and impactful way; masculine, decorative and practical are united themes this season.”
And much like the British designer’s past collections, this resulted in a liberal take on suiting, one that eschewed old, stuffier codes for silhouettes that feel inherently contemporary. Wide-leg bottoms, brooch-embellished lapels and zip-down shirts in office-appropriate hues. And then there’s the more direct references to Petri’s Scottish roots via demi-kilts and CD-monogram argyle knits, often accessorised with berets and chunky boots.
This traditional-with-a-twist approach to design is natural for Jones, who has cemented his reputation as a designer that can honour a house’s history while stridently moving forward. And better yet, it shows that there is still a desire – nay, need – for great tailoring. Sure, it looks a little different to the pre-pandemic suits that made way for athleisure and dinner table workwear during lockdown, but it points to a growing collective desire to dress up once more. Suits are back, and they're more unorthodox than ever before.
Of course, suits are just a part of the collection. There are puffers with shearling collars, trompe l’oeil denim and roomy, knee-length shorts, but even these feel subverted. The casual pieces are structured and the once-tailored fits are more relaxed, leaning into Petri’s (as well as Jones’) knack for overthrowing regimented sartorial codes.
“There is an exploration of the possibilities of tailoring,” says the designer. “Not only have we moved away from the rigidity of the hard, constructed shoulder to something softer and more malleable, but we have also embraced the potential of what tailoring can be beyond questions of construction. We’re really asking what constitutes a suit now. There is the importance of self-styling; it’s about not being dictated to but the freedom of wearing what you want how you want.”
