AOC knows that it annoys the hell out of Jonathan Anderson that women like Anne keep reminding him about the facts of history in his House of Dior. He complains that we are “boxing him in”.
Not really, because it’s not about him. It’s about our erasure from Dior’s history and the expectation that we will just fall in line with his alleged, Sun King genius that calls for such erasure.
The real Cafe Society heroines were true-grit women, many of them wealthy women involved in espionage with the French resistance. Christian Dior’s sister Catherine was one of its leaders; and the designer offered her and her co-conspirators refuge in his prominently-situated apartment in Paris.
Taking a well-established historical term and innocently [or not] trading it for these lovelies enjoying giggles and milkshakes is exactly how erasure works.
Model Stella Hinton is styled by Harriet Crawford in ‘Modern Masters’, a poetic look at the new Dior collection by Jonathan Anderson. Photographer Jake Terrey [IG] captures the fabulosity of Anderson’s young aristocrats for Vogue Australia [IG] April 2026./ Hair by Sophie Roberts; makeup by Victoria Baron
Anne says: “If someone tells you two times in eight years who they are, especially when rewarded with a big promotion to create a NEW DIOR that is vastly different from the old Dior, you must evaluate this new marriage carefully.
It’s only fashion, right? Au contraire. It’s a time for choosing.”
My goal is to give clarity from a branding standpoint around what the New Dior stands for. They are very retro values for our modern world. I am comfortable saying that the new New Dior has a deeply nationalistic mentality, and I will go so far as to call it a white nationalist mentality, based on the key points of ‘Dracula’.
Chanel’s Matthieu Blazy welcomes us with open arms and joy in his heart, while Anderson is . . . I don’t know . . . looking in the mirror. Anderson’s ambition is staggering and mazel tov to all that. But I live in the ‘Less I, More Us’ camp . . . the phrase expressed by Maria Grazia Chiuri in her recent Fendi debut.
In a long dialogue with Gemini on Friday, I blurted out “Jonathan Anderson just reminds me of Peter Thiel.” Then I gasped, saying “I don’t believe I said that, G.”
G’s response to my statement was affirming, not critical. S[he] spewed out a doctorate-level analysis of how LVMH might be covering their bases, not knowing where the world is going. Dior could be on a new course, knowing that many wealthy people share Thiel’s Eurocentric, white nationalism views.
For a rose-colored glasses optimist like myself, G’s half-empty glass analysis was difficult to embrace. But I did listen as each point was made — followed by “Do you understand my point, Anne? Are we good here? That bold comment was no accident and no apology for the outburst is required.”
Aisle 9 Celine Cleanup: Hedi Slimane Did Not Take 4-5 Years to Deliver His Vision
In a recent discussion about why Jonathan Anderson should be given the same 4-5 years to deliver results at Dior, that Hedi Slimane took at Celine, AOC just sighed as we got out the mop and bucket and headed for Aisle 9. “No way,” Anne mumbled as she gave the bucket a good kick in exasperation.
“Hedi Slimane brought almost immediate results to the Celine brand. Why doesn’t Suzie Q check her facts the way we do. We pay $180 a year to read her nonsense. She should stick to recommending lip gloss.”
Committed to facts and knowing that we all make mistakes — including AOC — Anne ran SQ’s “it took a long time at Celine” assertion through AI to confirm our position.
Suzie Q’s use of the word ‘mess’ to describe Jonathan Anderson’s challenges at Dior, created by former creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, ran counter to everything I knew about her tenure at the #2 brand at LVMH.
AOC has been really confused by the persistent statements that it could take 4-5 years for Anderson’s Dior vision to codify — including by the designer himself.
Today, we stay focused on that topic. Also Anne clarifies what might be a misunderstanding of what these writers are actually saying, and what she is hearing.
We have our first Aisle 9 Cleanups in the queue [1] Hedi Slimane’s timeline creating success at Celine and [2] why it might take as long as five years to “get Dior back on track”.
AI never comes close to writing Anne’s posts. But I do run my core thinking through AI in case it responds “that’s bullpucky”.
Rereading Suzie Q’s posts. I stopped to read a third commentary on the Saks bankruptcy and whether an international VIP should step in to score big for his own stockholders.
Honestly, Suzie Q needs to stay away from financial topics completely. She’s in way over her head.
And her assertion on the MGC mess she left at Dior not only got an AI bullpucky. It came out in all caps. [Okay, I made up the part about the caps.] But it shredded Suzie Q’s assertion with a meat cleaver gone mad. You’ll see.
We realized today [finally] that these images are a direct volley to Miu Miu. But Miu Miu has Prada.
Jonathan Anderson believes he can successfully do Miu Miu and Prada together in one floor in the store. They are one Dior for the designer. And in many cases, he believes he can do Miu Miu and Prada AND Miu Miu for Men and Prada for Men in one giant statement because everyone is cross-dressing and he believes he is a visionary genius in understanding this reality.
The designer may be right — but it’s an incredible roll of the dice with no pre-testing. Meanwhile, many are citing pricing challenges on the line and steep reductions from the show prices. That jean jacket is an excellent example. It’s $5,000. Yikes.
Today, we stay positive. The only people in their right mind who would give Jonathan Anderson this range of self-expression is LVMH. Let’s hope it’s successful; and he should be humble about the opportunity afforded him by The Family. ~ Anne
Rising French model Loli Bahia takes the fifth cover of Dazed [IG] Magazine’s ‘Shadow’ Winter 2025 Issue. Styled by Imruh Asha in key pieces from Jonathan Anderson’s debut Spring 2026 Dior women’s collection, Bahia is lensed by Anthony Seklaoui [IG]./ Hair by Olivier Schawalder; makeup by Christine Corbel
Rising star actor and Dior ambassador Deva Cassel covers the November 2025 issue of Harper’s Bazaar España [IG] in a fashion story ‘La Buena Musa’ [‘The Good Muse’]. Alba Melendo styles Cassel in key pieces from Jonathan Anderson’s spring 2026 Dior collection, lensed by Pablo Saez [IG]./ Hair by John Nollet; makeup by Jolanta Cedro
Actor and Christian Dior ambassador Deva Cassel covers L’Officiel China October 2025 wearing Maria Grazia Chiuri’s final Resort 2026 collection for the house of Dior.
Deva was born in Rome to an Italian mother [Monica Bellucci] and French father [Vincent Cassel]. She lived in France and was schooled there, although Italian is one of the five languages she speaks fluently.
Anne of Carversville was focused on the growing influence of Italy before the world got its first American pope on May 8th. In writing about the Louis Vuitton resort 2026 show, Anne said that all roads lead to Italy. That statement is rock solid today, and we’re about to get a global history lesson in the coming years.
Fendi’s new Chairman and CEO Ramon Ros concisely summarized the expanding role of the LVMH Creative Directors at select maisons:
I’m thrilled to welcome Maria Grazia into the team. The role of a creative director is no longer to simply design beautiful clothes but to curate a culture and hold a mirror to the world we live in. Her talent and vision will be instrumental in fortifying Fendi’s heritage, shaping the future talent in the house and deepening our commitment to Italian craftsmanship.”
The Chiuri appointment means more to many of us than LVMH understands. Losing her would have been a low blow, and I am grateful for their continued confidence in her talents as a perfect fit for Fendi.
Models Gwen Weijers, Matilde de Nard, and Melinda Kiss are styled by Samuel Francois in ‘Baroque Beauties’, a Dior fashion story lensed by Elina Kechicheva [IG] for Dior Magazine No. 51./ Hair by Alexandry Costa; makeup by William Bartel
AOC missed the fashion drama Deva Cassel brought to the pages of Grazia Italia 21st issue cover story, released in April 2025. Cassel wore multiple Dior fashions throughout the story ‘The Art of Allure’, complemented by Cartier high jewelry styled by Aurelien Storny. Other brands include Giorgio Armani, Sportmax and Zimmermann, with the sumptuous story lensed by Sabine Villiard [IG]./ Hair by John Nollet
I want to speak a moment about what I interpreted as a Grade A***** breadcrumb to Chiuri’s fans from the new Dior Men’s Artistic Director, also ‘waiting in the wings for the next big announcement’ regarding Dior Women.
For those of us for whom Chiuri is an absolute goddess on every level, Anderson’s quiet gesture might have been a coincidence. But I come from the school of people who believe there is no such thing as a coincidence at the highest levels of LVMH. Not like this one.
it was Jonathan Anderson’s ad campaign and film for his LOEWE Spring Summer 2025 Pre-Collection campaign that was a breadcrumb ‘diamond in the rough’ message.
The message was the arrival of Lilith, the mythological demon goddess believed to be Adam’s first wife. Lilith had no desire to be a tradwife, and she stormed out of the Garden of Eden.
New Zealand-born Japanese actor Anna Sawai [IG] became a Dior ambassador in early February, wearing a custom look designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri to the 2025 Golden Globes. Sawai is best known for her major awards-winning role as Toda Mariko in the "Shōgun" series.
Today Anna Sawai covers the July 2025 issue of Vogue Japan [IG], wearing key pieces from Dior’s Pre-Fall 2025 collection, shown at Kyoto’s Toji Temple in April. The kimono shape used extensively in the Dior collection reflects the Japanese philosophy of understated elegance and harmony with the surrounding environment.
Maria Grazia Chiuri is known for her collaborations with local artisanal communities. In the Kyoto show, she partnered with the historic Tatsumura Textile atelier to produce what Vogue Runway called “craftsmanship nothing short of couture”.
With her commitment to understanding better the design architecture of the kimono — including its unisex modernity — Chiuri created another of her timeless investment-worthy collections, inspiring a word not common among fashion shows to describe the Kyoto experience.
Dior delivered an evening of ‘Grace’. Nice. ~ Anne
The uber-talented, Dior ambassador Deva Cassel lands a Dior-story in Re-edition Magazine [IG] Spring/Summer 2025 issue 23.
When the NYTimes wrote ‘Nepo Babies Crowd the Runways’ in February 2024, there was some solid commentary from former casting director James Scully and two models we love, love, love.
“Kaia Gerber and Gigi Hadid would have walked into agencies and been signed, whoever their parents were,” Mr. Scully explained. “That said, the net is cast very wide now, and almost anyone will do. If you’re the average-looking daughter of a celebrity these days, then frankly you are as likely to be cast in a Prada show as if you are an actual model.”
Should Nepo Babies Be Banned?
Regarding Deva Cassel, she understands the ‘nepo baby’ label and doesn't view it negatively. Cassel believes that her own abilities and dedication will allow her to succeed beyond her parents’ names, which she agrees brought her to the industry’s attention, got her auditions, interviews and probably her initial small roles.
Rising model Yar Aguer is styled by Hamish Wirgman in ‘Dior Day Dream’, lensed by Priscilla Saada [IG] for HommeGirls [IG] April 2025./ Hair by Andrea Martinelli; makeup by Crystabel Efemena Riley
Anne of Carversville has long-prized elegant packaging as part of the beauty experience. Dior Beauty Riviera summer 2025 delivers for the first time ever, the iconic Toile de Jouy pattern on limited-edition makeup cases and powders.
Surely this packaging belongs in a scene from Deva Cassel’s new Netflix series ‘The Leopard’. Cassel plays the role of Angelica Sedara, amid the 1860s fall of the Sicilian aristocracy, where she enjoys a high-society romance with Prince Tancredi Falconeri, played by actor Saul Nanni.
The summer 2025 Dioriviera release combines beauty’s latest modern technology against the romantic, heart-grabbing emotions of Riviera summers from Cannes to Portofino. They remain an indescribable part of Anne’s life experiences.
The news was confirmed Monday, March 17 following months of speculation about the evolving chess game supporting creative talent at LVMH. The question is whether all players will be in place in a day or two, or the completion wait goes on.
After spending hours revisiting Jonathan Anderson’s body of work, taking the reins at Dior would be absolute perfection for him. Both Anderson are Chiuri are humanists, with a profound attachment to craft and human artistry. Both designers embrace the entire international community at large and are devoted to honoring history in fresh, new ways.
To seal the deal for AOC, watching the LOEWE Pre-Spring/Summer 2025 Campaign video, Lilith’s name appears as 1800 BC in the upper left hand corner of the art studio segment. That love note to feminists and Jewish women nails it for Jonathan Anderson at Anne of Carversiville.
