Dior introduces its 2026 holiday campaign through an animated short film directed by Oscar-nominated French filmmaker Sylvain Chomet. Titled Christian Dior’s Night in Color, the film takes inspiration from the friendship between Christian Dior and Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich, bringing their relationship into an imaginative Christmas story. Jonathan Anderson commissioned the project as part of his creative direction for the French fashion house, continuing his interest in animation and its relationship with fashion.
HOLIDAY SEASON
Longtime Dior ambassador Robert Pattinson narrates the film, while Rihanna voices The Lucky Star, one of the house’s emblems. Louis Garrel plays Christian Dior, with Camille Cottin voicing Dietrich. The cast also includes Josh O’Connor, LaKeith Stanfield, Greta Lee, Nine d’Urso and Nadia Tereszkiewicz.
Chomet sets the story on Christmas Eve inside the Parisian haute couture workshops. Christian Dior receives an urgent request to create a dress for Dietrich after the director of her latest film decides to abandon black-and-white photography in favour of colour.
With little time to complete the gown, Dior calls upon a swarm of bees, referencing the affectionate nickname he gave his seamstresses. Together, they create a glittering bustier dress inspired by the Junon gown from 1949.
The film takes creative liberties with fashion history. Dietrich never wore the original Junon design, although her relationship with Dior influenced the story. While negotiating her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Stage Fright, the actress famously insisted on wearing the couturier’s designs, declaring, “No Dior, no Dietrich!” The animated film imagines a different outcome, allowing Dietrich to wear the celebrated dress within Chomet’s fictional Christmas setting.
Chomet, whose films include The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist, developed the project using traditional hand-drawn animation techniques dating to the 1940s. Anderson first encountered Chomet’s work while studying at university and has admired his films ever since. The designer describes the collaboration as an opportunity to bring the filmmaker’s distinctive visual style into the world of Dior.
Chomet initially considered a career in fashion design and attended fashion school for a year. His visit to La Galerie Dior in Paris introduced him to the house’s original sketches, miniature garments and evening gowns.
The filmmaker found connections between the drawings that begin a couture collection and his own process of bringing illustrated characters to life. The gallery’s presentation of miniature garments alongside full-size dresses particularly impressed him.
The collaboration also introduces a holiday gifting collection featuring ready-to-wear, accessories and homewares. Dior incorporates characters and scenes from the film into store window displays worldwide, extending Chomet’s illustrations beyond the screen. Christian Dior’s Night in Color brings together the house’s couture history, its longstanding connection to Hollywood and Chomet’s distinctive approach to animation.
