The Butterfly Effect, Issue 25
Jonathan Anderson’s first Cruise show is in the books—and it didn’t just dock; it slid into the harbor, a shadow slicing cleanly through the night. Anderson made it clear immediately: he was going against the tide.
No sun, no beach, no joyful parade of models.
Instead, Anderson staged a midnight noir coup d’état, replete with moody lighting pooling from car headlamps and vintage streetlights as shadowy figures moved through the night. Night walkers, revelers, a little of both? It’s up for interpretation. In short, Anderson turned the traditional idea of cruise wear on its head.
And while his Cruise 2027 marked a decisive—and likely intentional—separation from Blazy’s Chanel show, similar themes emerged. Like Blazy, Anderson focused on movement and fringe, both central to the collection, and newspaper print also appeared on Dior’s runway.
But that’s where the shows diverged. Anderson’s interpretation was moodier, darker—a shadowy cinematic film. At times, the collection felt like couture unspooled, evoking an unraveling of Anderson’s Spring 2026 couture, loosening the structure and appliqués he crafted just a few months ago.
Looks 50 and 51, the best examples—Anderson used pleated fabric and an exaggerated silhouette with a gently dropped waist. The looks were a distillation of his first three looks from the Spring 26 Couture show. And whereas joyful, bright flowers decorated the models’ ears for couture, Anderson used single sequined tassels for resort.
Look 29—perhaps my favorite: the uniform elevated for evening, a crisp white button-down, its collar popped, paired with a black floor-length satin skirt with soft ruching at the waist. Around her neck, the model wore a skinny ivory scarf culminating in white feather-like fringe on one side and cascading orange-and-white plumes on the other. Simplicity done to perfection.
T
he models wove past the lights in various stages of dress. Were they heading home from a fabulous party—sequins sheathed under coats—or were they embarking on a defiant walk of shame, coats hastily thrown on over silky dresses of yesternight? The men, donned in Dior-, Star-, and Buzz-emblazoned headpieces, added to the show’s sense of theatrical nightlife and revelry.
Jonathan Anderson created a theatrical procession of couture unwinding into the night.
And unspooling?
It’s never looked so good.