The Tuileries Garden, commissioned by Catherine de Medici and later redesigned under the reign of Louis XIV, has always been a place to see and be seen. That spirit still prevails today. A stroll through the park invites fleeting glances, and chance encounters occur with statues, fountains, and flowerbeds as a background. This time, Dior has nailed it with their latest fashion collection inspired by water lilies, most shockingly seen on footwear.
Heels by Dior With 3D Florals? Accepted
The fall 2026 shoe lineup features Jonathan Anderson and Nina Christen once again. In addition to classic suede boots, the creative director and design director of shoes followed up their spring 2026 debut with a line of heels with polka dots and three-dimensional flowers.
Several models walked the runway wearing green satin sandals adorned with 3D pink and yellow water lily designs, with one of the flowers perched on a green lily pad adornment. This unique shoe style reflected the very mood of the outdoor fashion show, as lily pads floated in a body of water as decor. Christen, who has been experimenting with different toe forms at Dior, even designed a curved toe outline to resemble a lily pad.
More Inside the Inspiration Behind the Venue
The Fall/Winter 2026–2027 show by Dior took place in the iconic Jardin des Tuileries, specifically around its central fountain. The space was transformed into a carefully constructed setting that felt like a ‘garden within a garden’. A greenhouse-like structure was built around the water, which was filled with designed floating water lilies, creating an atmosphere that blended the elegance of a Parisian promenade with a dreamlike, almost painterly environment.
Take a look at the magical location… no words!
The concept drew strong inspiration from Claude Monet and his famous water lily works, as well as from the long-standing tradition of the Tuileries as a place to see and be seen. This immersive setting directly influenced the collection itself, particularly the footwear, where lily pad shapes and three-dimensional floral elements adorned the scenery, turning the natural surroundings into wearable design.
Stiletto Heels With Lily Pads Included
Those weren’t the only T-strap floral sandals in the mix. Satin square-toe sandals, featuring the same slender slingback straps and convex stiletto heel as the lily pad shoes, were adorned with either an ornate 3D flower or a satin rosette. The former option, as with the lily pad heels, featured thin gold-toned, crystal-topped embellishments in the middle of the petals to mimic the pollen-producing stamen of flowers. These floral-adorned styles were a study in detail, from the carefully folded satin to the use of multiple paint colors on the petals.
The 3D floral sandals were presented in a range of colorways, from solid cobalt blue to patterned and streaked with metallic. In terms of other silhouettes, the collection also included black-on-white textile polka-dot pumps, outlined with black trim and adorned with a dainty bow on the vamp; it was a pointed-toe style with a concave stiletto heel elevating it. The vamp outline was made unique with minor scalloping.
Video: @styleby_moon
Nina Christen, who has worked for several other major brands and founded her own label, Christen, was honored with the Designer of the Year Award at the 2025 Footwear News Achievement Awards. It’s a momentous week for the designer – in addition to her work being showcased in the Dior show, her brand is opening its first flagship, located at 1 Rue de la Paix in Paris, on Friday.
Photos: @dior