The greatest male ballet dancer began life on a Trans-Siberian train making its way to Vladivostok. The year was 1938, and a lady named Farida went into labour while travelling to reunite with her husband Khamet, a member of the Red Army. That baby who cried on the train was named Rudolf Nureyev, and from those humble, cold beginnings, he became the most riveting male ballet dancer in the world (and a significant cultural pawn in the ensuing Cold War).
While Nureyev passed away in 1993 from AIDS-related complications, the dancer’s cultural cache never diminished. For this year’s autumn/winter season, his influence pirouetted all over Kim Jones’s vision for Dior menswear. The collection celebrates the sensual beauty of ballet with loose, subtle silhouettes that encourage the wearer to mix and match according to the occasion. Blazers are cut loosely and don’t hug the body. There are no tight Italian codes here, but an insouciant attitude thanks to plunging necklines and strategic pleats. Colours are also muted, but still just as gorgeous, thanks to Jones’s mastery of materials.
To reflect Nureyev’s clashing public- and private-facing lives, Jones also presents haute couture together with his ready-to-wear vision. It’s the first time this season that he has presented his take on men’s haute couture, but it’s well worth the wait. The iconic Bar jacket with its hemmed waist returns once again after first appearing on men in 2022. Named after the bar at the Plaza Athénée that Monsieur Dior frequented, this year’s version has a double-breasted wrap united with the distinctive curve of the Bar.
The kimono that Dureyev once wore appears in the collection as a silver Uchikake kimono. Jones taps on master artisans from Japan to use the prestigious Hikaku weaving technique. It took 10 people three months to complete this gorgeous kimono.
Accessories also continue the simple, yet sensual theme. A Mary-Jane sneaker more commonly worn by females enjoys a masculine iteration through the San Crispino leather construction. Bags are voluminous and soft. Jones encourages you to carry them on your waist instead of slung onto your shoulders to show off its silhouette. Velvet hats from Stephen Jones’s 1999 womenswear collection also appear in this year’s collection. But instead of strong shapes, they have become twisted silk turbans, shading you from the harsh sun.
“I had been thinking about the relationship between the ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn and Monsieur Dior. The masculine interpretation of this also involved thinking about her most famous dance partner: Rudolf Nureyev. Nureyev is entwined with my personal history because of my uncle, the photographer Colin Jones. Colin had been a ballet dancer, had a friendship with and photographed the star. The collection, or rather collections, are about contrast: the contrasts in the House of Dior in terms of ready-to-wear and haute couture. It’s the difference between onstage and backstage; the life of Nureyev theatrically and in reality. Here it is a meeting of the dancer’s style with that of the Dior archive,” Jones shares.
Once again, Jones never disappoints.
Check out the complete Dior Winter 2024 collection, here.
(All image credit: Dior)
This article was first published in Augustman Malaysia.
Farhan believes that every man needs a good tailor and a better barber. You can usually find him at the gym, the bar or the poker table, usually all three in one night.
