Dior creative director Bill Gaytten sent out this homage to the sad clown Pierrot at the end of the first show he did in 15 years without John Galliano.
PARIS:- Colourful mosaic appliqués, off-beat geometric headpieces, tiers of chiffon on grand ball gowns, and glittering confetti paillettes should have made for a joyful buzz inside the tent on the-grounds of the Musée Rodin. Instead, the erratic Dior haute couture collection left many fashion insiders scratching their-heads, lamenting the loss of the house’s creative director, John Galliano, and longing for just--the right knight in shining armour to be named as his replacement.Earlier this year, just before-the fall ready to wear-collections got underway, the disgraced Galliano was dumped by Dior amid a blaze of controversy. A video showing the genius-British designer praising Hitler and making other racist remarks went viral, and within days Galliano was ousted-from the house after 15 years of exquisite collections and some of the most theatrically impressive-presentations in fashion. Citing the pressures of his job as well as drugs and alcohol as the reason for his inexcusable behaviour, many have opined that Galliano committed career-suicide. Judgment will passed on Sept. 8, when a verdict is expected in the trial on charges of public insult. Meanwhile, LVMH, the powerful luxury goods group that-owns Dior, is taking its time naming a successor to Galliano.
“We want to find a long-term solution,” stressed Dior president Sydney Toledano in an interview after the show. While several names have been bandied about for the potential-post, from Haider Ackermann and Riccardo Tisci to Azzedine Alaia, there hasn’t been any news. In the meantime, 51-year-old Bill Gaytten, who worked alongside Galliano for 23 years, has been named creative director of Galliano’s-namesake label (also controlled by LVMH) and oversaw the hotly anticipated Dior couture-collection. Of all the impressive-labels owned by LVMH, Dior is considered to be the jewel in its crown. Unquestionably, the team is known as one of the most accomplished in the-business. And there’s no doubt that Gaytten, an expert cutter and pattern maker, is a most talented-designer.
But many-insiders who saw Monday’s Dior show felt the magic was missing. Though its signature 1947 New Look silhouette was out in full force, with several gargantuan ball gowns upping the fantasy-ante, there didn’t seem to be a cohesive story going on.
Gaytten said he-wanted to create a very modern collection, and the team drew inspiration from Italian Memphis Group architect Ettore Sottsass, French art director Jean Paul Goude and Toronto-born architect-Frank Ghery. However, the resulting hodgepodge of ideas came off as a kind of pop pastiche. The appearance of St. Louis model Karlie Kloss at the show’s end, dressed as the sad clown-Pierrot in an elaborate black and white creation, served as a poignant punctuation mark perhaps acknowledging the longing this house has for a hero to take it into a new age.
Post-show, I asked Kloss-how she felt doing the Dior show without Galliano. She looked at me wistfully and quickly changed the subject “I’m just thrilled to be able to wear such amazing things,” she insisted. “Just Look at this outfit!” she gushed, pointing out her lavish, ruffled tulle collar. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”
Some are suggesting it’s the beginning of a new era in fashion, one in which celebrity-designers do not helm houses and it’s about “the workmanship of the ateliers, what the team produces together,” starchitect-Peter Marino said in an interview. But others, like the iconic Marisa Berenson, believe a fashion house, especially with the kind of huge legacy that Dior has, “needs a visionary at its helm for direction.”
Then there are those who simply long for the good old days. “I just wish they’d give Galliano a second chance,” confided New York’s Joyce Samuels, a Dior client-for over 40 years. Samuels, decked out in a pastel floral coat with matching big-brimmed hat from the garden inspired collection Galliano presented for Dior Couture last year, knows it’s a daunting challenge.
But, as Berenson-noted, “fashion is always changing, and we always do manage to pick ourselves up and keep on going.”
