Pirouetting against the backdrop of “The Gate (Extended Mix)” by Caroline Polachek, the Dior Men’s Winter 2022/2033 collection transported us to the Pont Alexandre III to witness the resurrection of Dior’s renaissance. Emblazoned with cherubs, nymphs and gilded winged horses and the decoration of nouveau lamps, the immaculately-crafted masterpieces included a cannage overcoat, Doris beret, Jones’ signature sash suit (now cinched at the waist), a snow-white robe coat with a voluminous collar and a sweater embellished with an embroidery of Lily of the Valley.
After a carousel of collaborations that were made up of designers and artists, Kim Jones revisits the watershed moment of the French Maison for Dior Men’s Winter 2022/2023 collection with his version of the Dior Bar Jacket that sparked a fashion revolution. Introduced in 1947, the history-making piece which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year has redefined the movement of women’s fashion with rounded shoulders, a full feminine bust, and hand-spun waists and billowing skirts: feminine designs that were at the other end of the spectrum during a time when Amazonian-like fashion was all the rage.
Re-imagining it for modern-day gentlemen, Kim Jones disrupts the iconic Bar silhouette and inflects it with masculinity. The front of the new “Bar” jacket is reconstructed by cutting right through the canvas before being pleated and re-sewn — recreating the effect of a cinched waist and flared out peplum that harmonises with the spirit of a dandy. A tiny bit of canvas is then left protruding from the dart and hand-stitched to add a sense of destruction to the perfectly-tailored suiting.
The canvas is further extended to the bottom to give it as much silhouette and support as possible. For this new “Bar” jacket, Kim Jones swapped delicate shantung for dry fabrics in patterns like houndstooth and Prince of Wales to assure appropriation for menswear.
Once you’re done with this story about Kim Jones’s rendition of the bar jacket, click here to catch up with our February 2022 issue!
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