WITH THE history of menswear for anyone to reference from, Kim Jones was very particular about what he wanted to bring into his designs for autumn-winter 2025.
Thinking about how he could translate quintessential markers of past eras without creating costume-like designs, this season the British designer pinpointed the turning points of fashion against Dior’s post-war 1954 Ligne H.
“It has elements that are graphic and angular, which felt eminently transferable into the men’s world,” explained Jones in the show notes. “We believed it was time to focus on Mr Dior again. We wanted to go back to the roots and concentrated on the quintessence of the House”.
With the brand originally a couture house, it seemed apt that details were rooted in formality and that there was an obvious notion of metamorphosis with femininity evolving to masculinity – like a coat that changes into a skirt. Jones amplified modernity whilst taking the “ornate and extravagant in the eighteenth century to something more linear and utilitarian in the nineteenth”.
An accumulation of high-and-low brow, past and present, day to night, women’s couture and men’s ready-to-wear, all coming together to present what he calls a “Ladies’ Man”.
The duality of this new character is also seen across the designs, with volumes arriving in both fitted, slim proportions and contrasted with flared shapes – for example, robes and Opera coats were manipulated with belts. Silks and satins reigned across the collection, and soft pinks punctuated the harsh black tones.
Elegant cardigans that exposed collarbones, cropped jackets and knotted satin toe caps are gave a nod to traditional beauty, whilst strength was seen in constructed leather outerwear, double-breasted tailoring and archetypal material motifs like pinstripes and herringbone.
But the exceptional nature of AW25 lies in the smallest of details. Reviving the SS1948 couture embroidery from the Pondichéry look and recreating it on the final outfit ensured that Jones permeated his idea of what modern menswear is.
After the first glimpses of what would finish the show – namely intricate small and sparkling raindrops that sat across the shoulders of a midnight blue suit and a high neck grey jacket that caused every row to double take – the finale’s pink kimono robe not only marked this to be a standout show for Jones but namely etched him into a new sphere for his designs have the ability to speak louder than logos and likes. And in world obsessed with what’s next, names and media-defined trends, Jones sits alone in a place of era-defining timelessness.
by Imogen Clark