fashionologie

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]

fashionologie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:28:47 -0700

>> Clements Ribeiro Make One More Returner to London Fashion Week -The names keep rolling in - Jonathan Saunders early this week, and now husband and wife team Suzanne Clements and Inacio Ribeiro of Clements Ribeiro are coming back Londonside to help celebrate the Fashion Week's 25th anniversary. Now, if only the British Fashion Council could score Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, or John Galliano, they would be well on their way to reaching that goal to make London the "number one destination" for international buyers and editors. [Telegraph UK]

Christian Dior Goes Low-Key for Cruise 2010, Back Home for Couture

fashionologie — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:12:05 -0700

>> Dior announced today that it would be showing John Galliano's latest couture confections in its own headquarters at 30 Avenue Montaigne for the first time in a decade. The Fall 2009 presentation takes place on July 6, with one show for clients and another for press; the past few seasons, Dior has erected a tent in the gardens of the Rodin Museum for couture shows.

CEO Sidney Toledano denied that the change had anything to do with cost-cutting, but rather was a move to underscore the brand's heritage: “We want to do it in this house again to feel at Dior. We really want to transport the spirit."

A statement like that is hard to believe after the hoopla surrounding today's Dior Cruise 2010 show - which was nonexistent, compared to its counterpart last year, with its full-blown runway production and front row packed with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Charlize Theron. The Cruise 2010 collection, as seen below, was inspired by Christian Dior's muse, Mitzah Bricard, and her favorite accessories - pearls, turbans, and stilettos.

Full Video: Anna Wintour on 60 Minutes, Plus Outtakes

fashionologie — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:25:04 -0700

>> The months-in-the-making 60 Minutes profile of Anna Wintour finally aired last night, and besides the tired Devil Wears Prada and unauthorized biography references, a snarky Morley Safer provided a candid look at "Darth Vader in a frock" - except for the instances when she purposely evaded his question. He even asked her if she thinks of herself as a b*tch: "I hope I'm not . . . I try not to be, but I like people who represent the best of what they do and if that turns you into a perfectionist than maybe I am."

She laughs when asked if it's true that Vogue staffers are not allowed to speak to her on the elevator:

Oh yeah, I heard that, you're not allowed to get in the elevator with me. That's a complete exaggeration. I guess in response I can only say that I've have so many people here that have worked with me fifteen, twenty years, and if I'm such a b*tch they must really be a glutton for punishment because they're still here.

She credits part of her success to her failures elsewhere: "I wasn't academically successful and maybe I've spent a lot of my career trying to make up for that." But she's still the Anna whose daily hair and makeup bill, plus a rumored $200,000 annual clothing allowance, is all picked up by Conde Nast - and her view of "reasonable" clothing prices reflects that. She visits Alexander Wang's showroom for a runthrough, and as a silver sequined minidress passes by, she asks Alexander how much it is. "This one retails for $1,200." Her reply? With a little smile: "It's very reasonable."

But designers can irritate her: "If you see a collection that you feel the designer has been lazy or is taking inspiration from other designers, it doesn't as much as bore me as anger me."

Even Andre Leon Talley, one of those figures who have been at Vogue for years, feels the Wintour chill:

It's not like a tea party here, we work very hard. Let's say that Anna can be intimidating, I think that's her armor, to intimidate, to give people a sense that she's in charge. She is not a person who's going to show you her emotions ever. She's like a doctor. When she's looking at your work, it's like a medical analysis. Some of us can't cope with that . . . we need to be loved.

But it's something to get used to - if Anna has any say, she'll be sticking around a while longer. "To me, this is a very interesting time to be in this position, and I think it would be, in a way, irresponsible not to put my best foot forward and lead us into a different time." Morley prods, asking her if when the time comes, she'll go quietly? She smiles. "Certainly, very quietly."

The full segment, plus outtakes! »

Another Anna Wintour 60 Minutes Preview: "I Enjoy Fashion, Morley"

fashionologie — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:56:18 -0700

>> At this rate, the whole twelve minute-long profile of Anna Wintour on this Sunday's 60 Minutes is going to be spoiled - yesterday, they released the first 45 second clip, featuring Anna talking shop and holding court in her offices; this morning, they released a quote with her explaining her penchant for sunglasses; and now, there's another clip: Anna is asked about her put-together look, "not a hair out of place" - "It's very important to me that I look good when I go out publicly," she responds. "I like looking at my clothes rack in the morning and deciding what to pick out." Apparently, Sunday's segment will feature interviews with Andre Leon Talley, Grace Coddington, Bernard Arnault, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, and Nicholas Ghesquiere.

The video! »

Highlights from Inside the 2009 Costume Institute Gala: Gisele Dumps Galliano for Versace, Carine Roitfeld Showed

fashionologie — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:38:20 -0700

>> Despite all the drama before and after, the Costume Institute Gala itself furnished plenty of notable and quotable moments; for those who were wondering, Carine Roitfeld did attend, even though it was reported that Julia Restoin-Roitfeld would not.

Gisele Bundchen pulled out of John Galliano's table at the last minute, choosing to ride in with the Versace camp instead; it sounds like she might be returning as the label's Fall 2009 face - the New York Times reports that her custom Versace dress "was conceived while she was modeling for [Donatella’s] next ad campaign." Helena Christensen, meanwhile, joked of her Zac Posen dress, which read "Vogue," the V formed by a plunging neckline: “It’s so I can remember whose party I’m at."

And while Kate Moss was on hostess duty (and presumably her best behavior) for Anna Wintour, she still managed to be herself, pulling a big wad of gum out of her mouth when asked about being a muse: “I’m amused. I think it’s quite interesting for somebody to go outside of the box and think that a model actually has had some input into fashion. A lot of the time, the models don’t really get a say.”

But they do have a bathroom fascination »