fashionologie

Christian Dior Fall 2010: Libertine Ladies and Anna Wintour's Last Show This Paris Fashion Week

fashionologie — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:49:47 -0800

>> With the flashing lights and soundtrack of a thunderstorm, plus thumping hoofbeats and the braying of a horse, the Dior show was off this morning. The theme? "The Seduction of the Libertine," based on the 17th century Earl of Rochester - who John Galliano came out dressed like at the end, in poet's shirt and jodhpurs tucked into riding boots - and his courtesans.

“This season Dior takes up the heroic spirit of French romanticism and Mr. Dior’s beloved English riding tweeds. I was inspired by the drape, line and cut as well as the characters of the era. I wanted to create a new luxury, and new lover, in the romance of the seductive libertine of Dior,” Galliano explained backstage.

Anna Dello Russo took in the cape coats and printed chiffon dresses stomping by on Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Chanel Iman, Ana Beatriz Barros, and Karlie Kloss while sitting on the floor, and the show appeared to mark Anna Wintour's last this Paris Fashion Week - she was nowhere to be seen later at Lanvin.

fashionologie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:22:11 -0800

>> Hamish Bowles Is a Former Fashion Show Crasher -In the Guardian's weekend article highlighting Central Saint Martins' Louise Wilson - who is responsible for cultivating talents like Gareth Pugh and Christopher Kane - Hamish Bowles recalls his time at the school: "When I started, John Galliano was in his graduating year, and he had an incredibly potent effect on myself and all my contemporaries. The denizens of the fashion department always had, I'd say, something of a superior attitude. It was also a great time for clubs. Cha Cha's was there; Leigh Bowery was emerging on the scene. Saint Martins students were heavily involved in that. You'd stay up all night creating the latest look for Taboo, not eat for days, then have a cake at Patisserie Valerie. You'd go to Paris Fashion Week and see how many shows you could get into. Pretend to be the make-up artist. That was actually a class project!" [Guardian]

fashionologie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:28:21 -0800

>> Antonio Berardi On Working with John Galliano In Early '90s -As a Central Saint Martins student, Antonio Berardi started working for John Galliano. “I would make tea, I would unblock the toilet, whatever needed doing.” And in the early 1990s, when Galliano went bust and then moved from London to Paris after finding a French backer, Berardi went, too: “We lived in an amazing house that was full of antiques, but when everything got smashed, we were kicked out. We lived hand-to-mouth. John would get money, but he’d go out and lose his purse, so we would wait for someone to invite us out for dinner. When we didn’t have any money, I would buy flour and some oil and make bread.” [Times UK]

John Galliano Takes a Riding Crop to Spring 2010 Dior Couture, While Tavi's Giant Bow Grabs Some of the Attention

fashionologie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:19:14 -0800

>> John Galliano kicked off Spring 2010 couture today with a show inspired by golden age designer Charles James (who influenced the original Christian Dior). However, much of the show's attention seems to pulled away from the clothes by the "outrageous pink bow," as one show attendee called it, on front rower Tavi Gevinson's head. A Grazia editor chimed in with "not best pleased to be watching couture through 13 year old Tavi's hat," and then posted a picture of her view from behind Tavi's Stephen Jones bow, with the caption, "Dior through Tavi's pesky hat."

But back to the runway. Riding habits and all the necessary accessories - whips and riding crops - abounded, flowing into frillier, ruffled numbers before ending in what appears to be a modern interpretation of the original Dior's Junon couture dress from Fall 1949. Galliano came out for his bow in full riding gear, dropping to one knee to kiss current Dior face Karlie Kloss's hand.

Curiously missing from the cast were Dior couture usuals Sasha Pivovarova and Natasha Poly; although Sigrid Agren and Georgina Stojiljkovic were both present after sitting last runway season out.

fashionologie — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:11:10 -0800

>> Couture Catfight: Giorgio Armani Upset By Dior -If nothing else, Giorgio Armani wants to prove that he's still kicking. The designer himself sent out a note today indicating that his Armani Prive couture presentation next Monday is being moved back from 7:30 pm to 9 pm due to what he calls an “unexpected and unjustifiable” time change by Christian Dior. He goes on to call Dior's move “indicative of a lack of respect for other people’s time and labor.” Dior has yet to respond. [ Style File]

John Galliano Harks Back to Fading Film Stars for Spring 2010

fashionologie — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:32:15 -0700

>> John Galliano's signature show last night was set in a warehouse 30 minutes outside of the city center of Paris; the show rehearsal was beginning and Galliano practicing his finale bow just as guests began arriving, leaving everyone outside the venue for over 30 minutes after start time while rain poured down. Guest clapped their film clapboard invites impatiently, and a bouncer tried to stop Bernard Arnault from entering the show early.

Once inside, Hilary Alexander spotted "a furious Carine Roitfeld. 'I wait all this time in the rain and you can’t even give me a glass of water,' she stormed at a hapless PR." A number of front rowers, including Suzy Menkes, opened umbrellas - the roof was leaking.

But once the show started, with long runway lit by red lasers, hundreds of bubbles pouring from the ceiling, letting loose smoke when they hit the runway and popped, and dialogue from Sunset Boulevard played over the loudspeakers, came "one of [Galliano's] best collections in a long time," in the words of Style.com's Sarah Mower. "It came from a research trip to L.A.," Galliano said of his inspiration. "I went around the old houses of Hollywood and imagined how stars like Tallulah Bankhead, Lillian Gish, and Mary Pickford lived."

Christian Dior Channels Film Noir for Spring 2010

fashionologie — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:20:09 -0700

>> A soundtrack of heavy breathing, a telephone ringing, a gun-shot, and then screaming ladies kicked off the film noir-themed Christian Dior show. Silhouettes of gangsters holding machine guns were projected against a derelict warehouse set swirled with dry ice smoke as Karlie Kloss opened.

John Galliano told Hilary Alexander he was inspired by archive photographs of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogary in the front row at Dior shows: “She was a regular client of M. Dior and I loved the idea of taking that 1940s Hollywood glamour and making it more contemporary. And I liked the idea of the link between film as an illusion and the illusion of undressed dresses.”

The models' hair was coiffed like Bacall's, the shoes still had platforms - estimated to be 7" high - and the peekaboo lingerie was actually built in to the dresses. Naomi Campbell was expected to attend, but never showed, and Tanya Dziahileva finally made her first appearance this season on the catwalk. But the iconic moment, judging by Tweets, was John Galliano's finale strut down the runway in fedora and trench coat with metal collar, complete with dry ice and explosions.

fashionologie — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:10:40 -0700

>> Linda Evangelista Scores Fall 2009 Galliano Campaign -Linda Evangelista is suddenly everywhere: the August 2009 Vogue Italia cover, the upcoming issue of V magazine; she was photographed last week for W's November 2009 Art issue (and may be in the running for the cover?), and now she's appearing in John Galliano's Fall 2009 campaign. [TFS]

John Galliano Shows a Little Garter for Fall 2009 Christian Dior Couture

fashionologie — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:21:38 -0700

>> Instead of the normal tent venue at Jardin de Tuileries in Paris, John Galliano moved his Fall 2009 couture show - which played twice-over for the first time in a number of seasons - to the upstairs salons of Dior flagship in Paris. The models wound their way through the considerably smaller venue - which apparently got a little warm - to a soundtrack of giggling girls, allowing the audience to see the garments closer than usual.

The decision to go with a more intimate venue was not for cost-cutting purposes, according to Dior CEO Sidney Toledano, who said it was just as expensive to show in-house, what with the 4,000 roses decorating the runway; rather, it was to express the spirit of couture. He maintained that Dior's couture sales in London alone are seeing a double-digit increase - perhaps that's why Galliano felt able to send down undergarment-revealing looks - "I call it 'cabine' fever!" - inspired by archive photographs from the '50s of Christian Dior in the midst of backstage mayhem.

Even in these times, there was still a feeling of excess - the final tulle gowns required two ushers to help the models and dresses through the doorway - and the label claimed model exclusives, including Chanel Iman. But there was still an element of practicality - clients will be able to order the jackets with matching skirts, skirts with matching jackets, or request sheer skirts to be lined. Now the question remains: where was Anna Wintour?

fashionologie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:47:19 -0700

>> Dior To Show Twice at Couture, Lacroix's Early Collection Reviews "Glowing"-Despite Vogue only sending a "very small" team and Elle sending two people - creative director Joe Zee and executive accessories editor Kate Davidson Hudson - John Galliano is planning to show his Fall 2009 Dior couture collection twice because he's using a smaller location this year. Meanwhile, Carlos Souza is inaugurating his return to Valentino with a big bash post-show, and early reports of Christian Lacroix's "fightback" couture collection are "pretty glowing." [FWD]