2 min readFor his A/W 2026 womenswear show, Jonathan Anderson planted Dior inside a glass greenhouse at the Jardin des Tuileries, with the famous fountain beside it blanketed in live water lilies.
The garden has been home to Dior’s runway for several seasons—the house contributed to its recent restoration in partnership with the Louvre—but this was Anderson’s most direct use of it yet. The show was open to the park on all sides, visible to anyone passing through on a Tuesday afternoon.
“The Jardin des Tuileries, and its socio-historical importance, provided both an inspiration and setting for the show,” the fashion house wrote on Instagram. “The centuries-old park in the centre of Paris has always been a stage for seeing and being seen. Its emblematic green chairs are referenced for the seating and architecture of the show space built around a lily pond.”
Anderson cited two touchstones for the collection: Monet’s Water Lilies and the French ritual of the promenade: dressing up to take a stroll. Theses inspirations manifested themselves as flowers stitched directly onto dresses, heels carved with lily motifs, and skirts that took on rounded, blossoming profiles. The collection also pulled from the botanical language Anderson introduced at his January couture debut, here extended to fit the collection’s relaxed, stroll-ready silhouettes. The Tuileries, in that sense, was already dressed for the occasion.
Anyone who received an invitation to the show was the recipient of a telling preview—nodding to the setting, guests were sent a pair of miniature green Luxembourg chairs. In retrospect, the chairs were the first peek at the collection.
Julia Cancilla is the engagement editor at ELLE Decor, where she oversees the brand’s social media and writes about the intersection of design, pop culture, and emerging trends. She also authors the monthly ELLE Decoroscope column. Her work has appeared in Inked magazine, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, and more.