John Galliano – the verdict is not good
The John Galliano debacle just keeps on picking up steam this week in Paris. The man is in a bad place.
This is a copy of the speech that Sidney Toledano, CEO of Christian Dior, read before the start of the Dior show this afternoon in the gardens of the Rodin Museum. Dior is standing by it’s word after dismissing John Galliano. He lauded the hard work of the members of the atelier that worked behind Mr. Galliano. He only mentions Mr. Galliano’s name once and instead is moving past this with a promise to even more of a commitment to the values of the House of Dior.
A more legible excerpt form his speech included these lines:
“It has been deeply painful to see the Dior name associated with the disgraceful statements attributed to its designer, however brilliant he may be,” Toledano said, in the only reference to Galliano, never mentioned by name. “What happened last week has been a terrible and wrenching ordeal for us all.”
“So now, more than ever, we must publicly re-commit to the values of the House of Dior.”
“What you are going to see now is the result of the extraordinary, creative, and marvelous efforts of these loyal, hardworking people,”
The saga does continue. Mr. Galliano will stand trial in French criminal court on charges of public insult and racial slurs. Remember, the repercussions go further than just the Dior brand. It has also touched his own eponymous collection.
I, for one, have cancelled our appointment with the House John Galliano for this season as well. It is a sorry moment in fashion history… or soon to be history.
John Galliano Suspended at Dior????
Is it true? A heated verbal tussle at a Paris bar this past week with a couple involving anti-Semitic slurs on the part of Mr. Galliano, involving a visit to the police station and all? Can it be? Or is he just trying to steal the limelight as Milan fashion week is going on?
Read the NY Times article here.
More to come….
photo courtesy of: unidentified
John Galliano – beauty from the bust up
I would love to post my John Galliano runway shots for you but you’re only going to see what I saw… from the chest up. What they ended up being are great beauty shots. The make-up and hair and hats were beautifully painted. I do believe that Pat McGrath did the makeup as she has done for John for years. The show was based on a woman from the 20’s… her name was Maria Lani, a con artist of Paris 1920’s. John’s theatrical side was i full, full flight. His show was held on Sunday afternoon at the grand Theatre Natioal de l’Opera Comique.
all photos DChen
the one that got away…. John Galliano
Each season, the schedule is pretty unforgiving. You work in advance to set your appointments on an itinerary that works alongside the runway presentations. I made my first appointment for this trip on 9 December 2009. The official runway show schedule is set perhaps 2-3 weeks in advance… so for Paris, that would have been mid to late February 2010. If I waited for the final word for the runway schedule to start making showroom appointments, I wouldn’t have any appointments at all. Near last minute, there was a change on the runway schedule. John Galliano moved his show up on the calendar and earlier in the day than his usual spot of 8:30pm. I had already schedule a showroom appointment at the time slot of 5:00pm on Sunday, 7 March. It was an appointment I could not move to another time slot and I did try…. so guess what? The Galliano show was the sacrifice. A big show that I hate to miss… ( if you saw my post from his show last season ) but alas, a working showroom appointment takes precedence. There, too, are sacrifices in fashion.
The invitation….
The runway show photos at www.style.com
photos-DChen
John Galliano haunted the closets of some of the brightest film stars from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s for his S/S 2010 collection show. Out marched the ghosts of Hollywood past in all their glamour. Bias satin, chiffon, tulle and jersey dresses and gowns floated alongside signature Galliano sportswear pieces like a khaki eyelet cotton balmacaan, a flirty trench skirt and a souped up military jacket.
As previously reported, these femmes fatales looks were eerily projected down the runway by a red laser light as large bubbles floated from the ceiling and burst into puffs of smoke when the alighted on the ground or the clothes themselves. A true spectacle. Smoke, red lasers, bubbles…… but no one takes a bow like John Galliano, himself. His bow is usually a show in itself….
photos- DChen
The last word about Mr. Galliano’s show….. other than the fact it poured rain and the roof of the Halle Freyssinet was leaking on certain distinguished members of the fashion elite and that a certain one of these lesser elite was nearly shoved out of the way so hard that he nearly fell on his face while exiting the show by Prince’s bodyguards while clearing a path for his purple highness who was actually clad all in red that night. A mention must be made of the incredible sculptures with pearl heels the models catapulted themselves down the runway on…. outrageously beautiful and not one model seemed to have a problem walking in these concoctions! 
What more is there left to say?
John Galliano held his show last evening at the Halle Freyssinet out in the 13th arrondissement. Built in 1927, it was an engineering marvel as it was one of the first structures built of pre-stressed concrete and glass ceilings. http://www.halle-freyssinet.com/ It poured just before the show but that did not keep the crowds from trudging through the puddles. Not even Prince.
An ode to silent film stars but on a hitech runway pierced by laser light and gigantic bubbles that fell from the ceiling and burst into smoke when touched or alighted on the ground. Gloria Swanson’s voice from Sunset Boulevard started the show….
A post of the runway show itself to come. Here are a few photos teasers….
