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Annie Brown

Some of the most striking Dior looks Jonathan Anderson has sent down the runway since joining the French maison last year were the trio that opened the Northern Irish designer’s fall/winter 2026-27 show in the Tuileries in Paris. The looks in question: shrunken, textured takes on Monsieur Dior’s Bar jacket paired with layered tutu skirts that had frilled trains at the back.
It was both feminine and dramatic – light and airy but with serious oomph.

The train detail remains indelible. It’s a design code that has existed since medieval brides first wanted their big moment, and then became popular during the Regency era for ladies set on promenading. In more recent years the train has mostly been confined to the red carpet – in particular, the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the first Monday in May, when the Met Gala has played host to some of the most dramatic trains in fashion history. Who could forget Rihanna in 2015 in the incredible imperial-yellow Guo Pei extravaganza with a five-metre (16-foot) train? Or Bad Bunny in 2023 with a floral train worn with his white, backless Jacquemus suit?

But to wear a train beyond fashion’s biggest night? It’s a real Jonathan Anderson thing – romantic, whimsical and more than a little high concept.
There is something especially alluring about a detail specifically intended to be a talking point. Take Emily Ratajkowski, who attended that Dior show in a dramatic look by the maison featuring bows and ribbons on either side (that at one point she had to retie on the fly). Beyond this “wardrobe malfunction” – or sartorial resourcefulness, if you will – the train has indeed become a conversation starter in recent fashion seasons. In New York the silk shirts at Daniella Kallmeyer had bias-cut trains from the hip; at Loewe knitted miniskirts were affixed with thick, almost tail-like trains; and at McQueen a high-neck minidress was finished with a sheer train – an entirely unmissable detail.

Charlotte Hicks, founder and creative director of Australian womenswear label Esse Studios, says a train allows for a truly memorable exit. Hicks often includes trailing scarves and draping details that float behind the wearer in her “minimalist with a twist” designs.
“I love a train for the sense of movement and drama it creates. Even the simplest silhouette can feel transformed by a long tie or trailing detail,” she says. “There’s something so striking about fabric that follows the body and creates a moment as you walk. I love it when it’s at the back and unexpected too – a dramatic exit.”

To avoid looking too “bridey”, Hicks – whose recent collection for Australian Fashion Week was a lesson in how to style a train – says to look for juxtaposition and contrast.
“Pair [the train] with something inherently relaxed – a modern, effortless piece. Tailoring, flat sandals, an undone approach,” she advises.
A designer who thinks about women’s needs – and busy lives – Hicks always includes design details that give her customers options. A long scarf, for example, can be wrapped around the body – or you could even, she suggests, “pin it up with a brooch”.

Perhaps there’s also something philosophically at play in the return of the train. Sydney-based stylist Ilkin Kurt says the allure of a train may be in part that it represents the antithesis of our modern, busy, “optimised” lives. Wearing a train is a commitment. As Emily Ratajkowski could well attest, it involves an effort.
“A train is, in some sense, the opposite of modern life. Modern clothing is designed around efficiency: movement, commuting, productivity, speed. A train deliberately slows the body down. It creates excess fabric whose only purpose is drama, memory and presence. It also alters the geometry of a person. It changes how they occupy a room,” Kurt says.
Which is not to say that wearing one needs to be overcomplicated. Kurt says her favourite idea from the runway is a jacket or coat with a train. For her, it’s about finding a kind of equilibrium between tailoring and romance, form and function. An outfit for dreaming and living in.
“That excess fabric with a sharply tailored jacket that extends dramatically behind you often feels modern because the front remains functional and urban. You keep the authority of tailoring while gaining the romance of a train,” she says. “I find that’s a sweet balance.”


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Fashion

Why fashion trains are back in the spotlight, courtesy of Jonathan Anderson’s Dior

Jonathan Anderson's puffy mini skirts with long trains were the stars of Dior's fall/winter 2026-27 show held in the Tuileries Garden in Paris in March. Photo: Handout

A close-up look at Dior’s layered tutu skirt from the fall/winter 2026-27 show. Photo: Handout

Rihanna arrives at the 2015 Met Gala in Guo Pei’s “Yellow Empress” dress. Photo: AFP

Emily Ratajkowski at the Dior fall/winter 2026-27 show. Photo: Handout

A look from the Esse Studios resort 2027 collection presented at Australian Fashion Week. Photo: Handout

A look from Loewe’s fall/winter 2026-27 show. Photo: Handout

Floral jewellery is blooming, from Chanel and Dior to Asian ateliers

Florals continue to reign supreme in jewellery design, as seen in this earring from the Dior fall/winter 2026 collection. Photo: Handout

Anna Hu Orchid Minuet earrings. Photo: Handout

Miu Miu fall/winter 2026. Photo: Handout

Michelle Ong Helleborus earrings. Photo: Handout

Glenn Spiro Multi-Clover earrings. Photo: Handout

Van Cleef & Arpels Flowerlace ring. Photo: Handout

Gucci, Hermès, Burberry and Fendi silk scarves to switch up your summer look

Heart Evangelista makes head-scarf chic look effortless at Paris Fashion Week in March. Photo: Getty Images

Fendi Multicolour printed silk foulard (US$523). Photo: Handout

Hermès L’Esprit s’Envole scarf 90 in silk (US$688). Photo: Handout

Burberry Wardrobe silk scarf (US$550). Photo: Handout

Gucci printed silk carré (US$540). Photo: Handout

Pinstripe suits are back – and stars from Harry Styles to Ryan Gosling are wearing them

Harry Styles at the Brit Awards 2026, and Ryan Gosling at the March Project Hail Mary premiere in London. Both decided to go for pinstripes. Photos: Film Magic, Getty Images

Sombr departs The Mark Hotel before attending the Met Gala in May, in New York. Photo: Invision/AP

Al Sharpton at the 2026 Met Gala. Photo: Getty

Christian Bale on the set of the 2000 movie American Psycho. Photo: Corbis Sygma

Aimé Leon Dore suit jacket at Mr Porter. Photo: Handout

Kristen Stewart at January’s 2026 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Photo: Getty Images

Style according to … Alessandra Rich, worn by Natalie Portman and Princess Kate

Designer Alessandra Rich divides her time between London and Milan. Photo: Handout

Grace Kelly in her To Catch a Thief era. Photo: Handout

Byredo Suede Hand and Nail Cream. Photo: Handout

Scott’s restaurant, in London’s tony Mayfair district. Photo: Scott’s Mayfair/Facebook

Incense from Oneironaut – a worthy gift, in Alessandra Rich’s book. Photo: Handout

Alessandra Rich’s vintage Cartier watch. Photo: Handout

The Hoshinoya Tokyo. Photo: Handout

Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital, is on Alessandra Rich’s bucket list. Photo: Shutterstock

Actress Charlotte Rampling began her career as a model in the Swinging 60s. Photo: Corbis Outline

Alessandra Rich lace-trimmed cady midi dress. Photo: Handout

Step into summer with luxury espadrilles from Prada, Missoni and more

Espadrilles, like these from Missoni, are ideal for summer – easy to wear and easy to pack, too. Photo: Net-a-Porter

Missoni espadrilles. Photo: Handout

Prada espadrilles. Photo: Handout

Manolo Blahnik Espadra espadrilles. Photo: Handout

Brunello Cucinelli espadrilles. Photo: Handout

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Dior’s fall/winter 2026-27 show in Paris breathed new life into the train, memorably sported by Rihanna and Bad Bunny on the Met Gala red carpet


Dior’s fall/winter 2026-27 show in Paris breathed new life into the train, memorably sported by Rihanna and Bad Bunny on the Met Gala red carpet.


Why fashion trains are back in the spotlight, courtesy of Jonathan Anderson’s Dior

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Dior’s fall/winter 2026-27 show in Paris breathed new life into the train, memorably sported by Rihanna and Bad Bunny on the Met Gala red carpet

Dior’s fall/winter 2026-27 show in Paris breathed new life into the train, memorably sported by Rihanna and Bad Bunny on the Met Gala red carpet