Charlize Theron Looks Better in Dior Menswear Than Most Men Do

When I saw the photo of Charlize Theron arriving at the New York premiere of Apex, her forthcoming wilderness slasher film with Netflix, box jellyfish-like tentacles trailing behind her, I knew it had to be Dior. Under the creative direction of Jonathan Anderson, the French maison has taken on several new and instantly recognizable codes—including long, dangling tassels that resemble the tzitzit strings typically affixed to a tallit, a traditional Jewish prayer shawl. We’ve seen this signature before on the likes of Dior ambassador Robert Pattinson, who wore a fringed scarf to the New York premiere of Die My Love last year, but ended up taking it off and carrying it in his hand like a kid who hates fancy clothes.

On Theron, these tassels were attached to a ruffled, high-standing, Victorian-eque collar. Even more dramatically, they trickled down her bare torso, which she left exposed under a lush, single-breasted wool suit, also from Dior’s fall 2026 menswear collection. Since 2004, Theron has starred in the sensual, dewy campaigns of J’adore, Dior’s floral-forward fragrance. And in 2024, she became the brand’s first high jewelry and skin care ambassador. But even for a true straight-off-the-runway look, Theron’s styling felt a little subversive.

Dior’s most recent menswear collection didn’t employ many base layers. Instead, the male models’ sternums, pectoral cleavage, and happy trails were exposed directly to the show’s bundled-up attendees. Theron replicated that styling almost piece-for-piece. Usually, a copy-and-paste runway look induces yawns for editors who’ve seen it once, twice, thrice before, but on Theron, the outfit took on a new, almost punk feel.

Theron always looks good in Dior, of course. Just last night, perhaps inspired by the actor’s recent red-carpet ubiquity, I felt compelled to rewatch 2011’s Young Adult, one of the strongest contributions to the dirtbag protagonist canon. Her character Mavis is either drunk or hungover for almost the entirety of the film, but in her burgundy bug-eyed Dior glasses, she makes it look rather fabulous. Freeing, even.