Christian Dior SS 2012 Review

 One-shouldered dresses? Paging Anne Hathaway. Also, stop trying to make Miranda Kerr happen. She's not going to happen. 

Inappropriate use of formica benchtop scraps. I've seen barbecue pit tile mosaics with more personality.

It must be odd for Dior's current head designer Bill Gaytten. He's really just a caretaker for Dior right now until LVMH bosses find a replacement for John Galliano. He had his chance for his debut spring couture show which did not go over well with critics but it didn't matter what he showed because critics would've been harsh with whatever he'd shown. 

For spring Gaytten did a very restrained collection. No drag queen makeup or geometric objects wedged in a model's head. Just clothes really. The show opened with variations on the classic Bar jacket done in a black and white grid pattern and a lovely-enough cream leather. The necklines dipped low and wide which added a point of interest to an otherwise been there done that look. 

Gaytten added some geometric embroideries that looked better suited to a 60's patio. Then there was the eveningwear which was just so blah. I'm surprised. If Gaytten knows he hasn't got the job he should've gone balls-out crazy but I'd say nothing got sent down that runway without a bunch of men in suits with clipboards. Dior is sad. 

Marc Jacobs going to Dior? Phoebe Philo going to Louis Vuitton? Hell freezing over?

The Saddle. Early aughts it bag. 

From Louis Vuitton to Dior. Not exactly a huge stretch for someone like Jacobs. Those are the rumours currently swirling around Paris anyway in what has been months of presumed hand-wringing from Dior execs
taking their sweet time finding a replacement after firing John Galliano for his boozy racial rant at Paris bar La Perle. I can only imagine their leisurely search for a new designer was cut short after their latest couture collection. It was designed by Galliano’s right hand man Bill Gaytten and Susanna Venegas and reviews, including mine were fairly harsh. Execs are probably realising now that taking as much time as needed is seriously hurting the brand. They would be right in thinking that the brand can survive without Galliano but no head designer for three collections? The cracks are starting to show and they need a big designer to patch them up. And Jacobs will do just that. Jacobs is quite an interchangeable designer. You could slot him into any of the top tier luxury brands and he’d do well. Gucci, Chanel, Armani, Saint Laurent. You might not want to imagine him designing for these brands (at YSL? Gasp!) but you know he could do it.

From a fashion perspective it's quite uninteresting to see Jacobs put in at Dior and would be exciting to see them take a risk like they did with Galliano back in the 90’s. From a business perspective, well, Dior haven't had a major It Bag since the Saddle so Jacobs could obviously turn that around with his experience at Louis Vuitton. My other criticism of Marc Jacobs being put in at Dior is that he has never done couture but then I thought, who cares? The execs don’t. They just want hot shoes and bags. Couture isn’t dead but it’s not a bread winner for most couture brands excluding Chanel who manage a neat cut from Lagerfeld’s designs. I think if they hire him most people will just shrug their shoulders and be all whatevs about it.

Dior by Marc Galliano. It's whatevs

So if Jacobs does split for Dior that leaves his post at Vuitton open and rumour has it that Céline head designer Phoebe Philo could go there. I think she’s doing great at Céline and should stay put. With only a few seasons under her belt at Céline, Philo probably doesn’t have a huge emotional attachment to the house but she has total creative control and is able to design and work from London to be with her family, rather than be based in Paris. Maybe the offer of more money may prove tempting if her other needs are met.

Phoebe Jacobs. Don't do it Phoebs (we're like really good friends)

It’s all about direction babes

Babes is my new ironic word du jour but I use it way too often that people think that I’m for real using it. Not
so babes. I like to use it when I’m feeling like a trash bag so if you compare the frequency of it’s use
to how trashy I’m feeling then I must be pure trash baggery 90% of the time.
The spring 2012 shows are soon and I’m excited. In the lead up it’s quite a good time to log on to Style.com or Vogue and look over the winter collections but I feel like I’ve been seeing them for months now. Like the Prada collection which I’m soooo over. If I have to see another shaggy plastic fish scale coat I’ll just.. I don’t know. I’ll probably just cross my arms and make a displeased hrmph sound. I didn’t hate that collection but Prada always get so much magazine coverage that the clothes become grating. And those stupid fucking hats. Infuriating. I dunno, that collection is everywhere at the moment and it doesn't deserve the coverage it’s getting unlike their last spring show which was amazeballs.

Here's my round up of what I'm looking out for at this seasons shows...

Balmain-Olivier Rousteing
Since Christophe Decarnin left the house due to health reasons Olivier Rousteing is now the head designer. I’d like to think that he’ll forge a new direction for the house but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. I mean, where will Emanuelle Alt get her pants from? Certainly not Balenciaga.

Left: Olivier Rousteing. Hnnng. Right: Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt in zebra print Balmain skinnys. 

Sophmore Mugler show
As head creative director, Nicola Formichetti admitted he’s not a designer but I have a feeling he believes this gives him an edge and a freedom that trained designers don’t have. There’s no doubt that he’s talented and perhaps he’ll bring Mugler to a new, much younger audience (with a little help from Lady Gaga of course) but what he's doing isn't fashion, nor does it have to be. Mugler is a different animal now and is more of a product than it used to be under the creative direction of Thierry Mugler. Instead of feathered dresses and motorcycle bodices it’s mesh tops and mint flares (which I’ve commented on before. Le meow). Sure I think the new direction is disappointing but at the same time what the house stood for is mostly forgotten and most consumers have little knowledge of what Mugler was like (except for people I guess who went to fashion shows in the 80’s. How amazing right?).

     From this............................................................................to this. Yeah, it's $6000. Get yours now.


Chloé-ClareWaight-Keller
So Chloé threw out Hannah Macgibbon after a few seasons and brought in Clare Waight-Keller. CWK was at Pringle of Scotland which is a nice enough label but Chloé has a cool factor that Pringle doesn’t so presumably CWK jumped at the opportunity. I’m guessing Chloé CEO Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye wants to bring the brand back into the fold because it’s slipped since Phoebe Philo’s departure. Though Macgibbon produced some great stuff it never reached the realms of say, the Paddington bag or the knockout dresses Philo designed.

What's with these black and white studio portraits of designers? 

Dior-Bill Gaytten.
More fun? More clowns? After Gaytten’s Miami movement train wreck I don’t know where it’s going to go. I’m kind of hoping for more train wreckage because it’s highly entertaining. And it throws into sharp relief how talented Galliano is and what he was capable of doing (even when he was apparently high and drunk).
Galliano always talked about how the couture shows informed the ready to wear collections. Certain shapes or colours would spill over from couture to ready to wear. I always got the impression that he used this as a defense for couture. Something to ensure its relevancy. I wonder if Gaytten will do the same.

Tootle. Exactly as I remember it

Giambattista Valli

I've never been interested in Giambattista Valli. His work has always felt too fussy to me and not very I don't know. His work has never caught my attention. His work is in line with that of say Valentino, Jason Wu or Oscar De La Renta. That is to say, someone who designs for the ladies who lunch set. But my lack of knowledge of his work is why I don't appreciate it but with this being his first haute couture collection I was curious to see what he'd come up with. I loved it. Not all of it but a lot of it. It was what you'd expect from a couture show in a traditional sense. Lots of bead work, feathers, ruffles, pearls, lace. All that jazz. My favourite look was the white shirt with tweed (I think) pencil skirt. It was designed to look as though the shirt was peeking out from the hem of the skirt. It was just so fucking smart and sharp and sexy. It was perfect. And the capes were cool. At first I thought they were a bit too much but then I'm like, no, the Dior caftans were too much. Joan Smalls in a black dress with white cape is not too much. If I could wear that look it would be at the airport walking to the gate, boarding a plane.

Joan Smalls is the baddest bitch on the runway

The Dior Clown Show

Galliano is gone. It's sad. People who loved his romantic vision for Dior now have to deal with the fact that it is gone and never coming back. It's kinda like if you have a favourite restaurant and suddenly it's under new management with a new menu. Same name, completely different experience. And people hate change.

I fell in love with Galliano's work in the early 2000's when he started doing epic overblown collections. The trailer trash collection, the Peking opera collection or the rave collection with the ghetto blaster handbags. These are the collections that made such a huge impression on me. Of course it got to a point where the dresses were pouring out onto the runway like fashion slime, the models trudging along with hyper real cartoon drag queen kabuki makeup before it had to change. So for the past few years the collections have become less dramatic in every sense. The silhouettes were roped in, the make up was tamed and the clothes less experimental. And that's when things got boring. At the end of each collection Galliano would talk about the house heritage, the bar jacket blah blah blah. The clothes looked like they belonged in the archives from the 40's and 50's. I have a feeling that this wasn't entirely Galliano's choice and that executives wanted to reposition the brand from wild French bitch to demure mademoiselle. 

Since Galliano's departure, Dior executives have said they'll take as long as they need to before choosing the new head designer. So in the mean time they've got studio director Bill Gaytten and first assistant Susanna Venegas filling in. 

According to Gaytten he wanted to do something more modern which begs the question why look back at past collections to achieve this? The only thing that I could pin to his statement was perhaps the fact that the inspiration for the collection was architecture. To my memory (and correct me if I'm wrong) Galliano never chose architecture as a theme or inspiration for a collection. He was always inspired by culture, native costumes, noted figures, uniforms. Architecture? Not that I can recall. 

OLD DIOR

Early 2000's

THEN...

This is from Spring 2008. I know right? 

The collection wasn't terrible but I didn't find it cohesive. That's what got me the most. The first 18 looks were like early 00's Dior. I think Cathy Horyn from the New York Times described the hats as dumb but I liked them. There were pastel colours and stripes inspired by the Memphis movement of the 80's. They were fun and mostly cool. But then the collection changed into the Florida queen movement of the 60's. And I don't mean that in a Project Runway kinda comment, you know, like whoa what a hot mess. No, the models really looked like queens. 

Gasp

So after the ladies sauntered out, worked the pole and took some front row guests to the champagne room for a private dance the show ended with a series of big, overblown gowns that lacked finesse. They looked lumpy and ill-fitting. 

I don't get it. Maybe Mr Gaytten has drug problems too? 

I think I read on someone's blog (I can't remember. Maybe it was a comment on someones blog?) that perhaps people were expecting a miracle like Sarah Burton at McQueen but it didn't materialize. I think that execs played a heavy hand in this collection. I have a feeling they told Gaytten to make the collection fun and light-hearted. If they didn't and this was all his own doing then surely it will also be his unravelling. 

"People like you ought to be dead, your mothers, your forefathers would all be fucking gassed"- John Galliano

There’s been a fuck load of articles about Galliano over the past week and I’ve been reading a lot of the reader coments because sometimes they’re more interesting or insightful than the article itself. Such comments as ‘I’m disgusted and will never buy Dior ever again’ I find hysterically funny because bitch please, you can’t even afford Dior, let alone have an appreciation of the brand.

I feel like we do what the media will us to do which is lash out, become totally incensed, indignant and most importantly be completely outraged. The media is on steroids these days and we love it. And now there’s expectations the media have put in place. If you do something wrong then you have to lose your job, be publicly vilified, all sponsorship deals pulled, a public apology (preferably a press conference), a stint in rehab, then one year later a Diane Sawyer-esque interview. It keeps the circus going and cash flowing.
And also what shits me is if there’s any semblance of pity or an attempt to understand why Galliano has said such hateful words then you’re branded a nazi loving Hitler freak. John Galliano is an anti-semitic alcoholic. That video was what, less than 30 seconds? And if you’ve ever met an alcoholic then you recognise it straight away in JG. But it doesn’t excuse his words. Nothing will.

We’ve all met that drunk person. Just think about it when you’re at a bar or a house party and there’s some guy or girl sitting by themself with a glass (or bottle) in hand, head slumped down, fumbling to light a cigarette and occasionally throughout the night you hear them rambling until they finally get your attention and say something that makes no sense at all or in Galliano’s case is deeply offensive. I’ve met that drunk and they are never the life of the party.

Dior have rightly fired him. Some people are shocked that they didn’t stand behind him but once that video was released the truth was there. You can’t defend that behaviour and have a man like that representing your company because from a business perspective you’re fucked and c’mon, why you gotta hate on Jews gurl? There’s no need to hate people because of their race or religion, sexual preference or whatever. It’s such a waste of time because you’re lying to yourself, convincing yourself that you’re different from others and you’re not. We’re all the same inside. I’m trying not to get on my high horse because I’m fucking so far from perfect that, oh jeez, I don’t know, all the erasers in the world couldn’t rub out the mistakes I’ve made (worst analogy EVA. Permission granted to unfollow me immediately) but little things always remind me that we’re all human and we’re all the same. We all need to eat, sleep, we all need our friends, we all want to be happy. It doesn’t matter if you’re transgendered, Sri Lankan or Jewish because we’re all human (except for Donatella Versace and Karl Lagerfeld. I firmly believe they are aliens from planet Fabulous) (ps how hot would a transgendered Sri Lankan Jew be?).

Okay so I may have gone a little Oprah on you guys there and I’ve lost my train of thought. Right. Galliano. Unemployed Jew hater. Yeah, he needs rehab. And not some 6 week Lohan approved media version. He needs to go away and sort his shit out because he’s a mess. I firmly believe he is an alcoholic. I could be completely wrong but it explains why he is such a recluse. The media know nothing of his private life. Does he have a boyfriend? Why is he never at any fashion parties? Actually, that video explains why he never goes to any parties.

Now he’s going to stand trial in French court and he’s just issued an apology through his lawyer. It’s weird because he denies making anti-semitic remarks yet apologises for his behaviour. No one is going to forgive him if he denies any wrong-doing. From a fashion perspective it’s a terrible way to end a career-any career for that matter. If you were asked to try and predict Galliano’s future prior to any of this happening then you might have said something like well, he’ll continue designing for Dior until he’s 60, have a huge retrospective that travels the world celebrating all that he brought to the fashion industry, a giant coffee table book and then he moves to Boca and has a love affair with a Mexican pool guy and lives fashionably ever after. Dior has been moulded by Galliano’s imagination and style since what, 1996? It’s now 2011, how will a new designer fare bulldozing that Galliano woman and forging a new image?

Possibilities for the job? Haider Ackermann (he’s got the Lagerfeld seal of approval), Olivier Theyskens (romantic ideals would suit the Dior brand but he’s notorious for having expensive taste however he’s proving himself at Theory) or Betsey Johnson (lol kidding. But srsly u guiz!)

Impossibilities for the job: Alber Elbaz (he loves Lanvin and I think he’s holding out for Chanel), Marc Jacobs (his fingers are already in way too many pies), Hedi Slimane (monochromatic menswear designer. 10 years ago!), Christian Lacroix (never turned a profit in all his years though his clothes are delicious) and Jean Paul Gaultier (witty designer, outrageous personality but I don’t think his clothes garner enough attention or sales).

If Galliano ever returns to fashion it will either be our tolerance for racism or our ability to forgive that allows him to do so.


The video...




And here's just a few totes amazeball Jews...real and fictional.

Natalie Portman. She's Jewish AND the swan queen

Dan Rad. Jew! Amazing

Gretchen Wieners. So fetch.

Couture. Like real, honest to god, made in France by hand haute freakin couture

Jean Paul Gaultier’s collection is being hailed as a return to form. Perhaps now he has more time to devote to his collections since he stopped designing for Hermes. I mostly enjoyed it. The punk elements were a bit tired. Like, punk? Really? Balenciaga did it for fall 2011 too and I didn’t like that much either.

Male model Andrej Pejic dragged up for la mariée. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but I met him at a gay bar about a year ago I think. My friend who was with me at the time was falling over himself and I was just thinking whyyyyy? My taste in models is so vanilla anyway. If you’re skinny and look like a girl then I’m not ripping out your spread in Arena Homme Plus for a high-fashion fap.

Clockwise from top: Iris Strubegger, Linda Fargo, Lea T, Marc Jacobs, Andrej Pejic, model wearing JPG, Yves Saint Laurent pre-fall 2011. 

Something else that occurred to me is how fashionable it is to be transgendered right now. It’s so on trend right? Lea T, Pejic, The whole YSL le smoking trend, Marc Jacobs on Industrie, Linda Fargo in Paper.

It’s not like this sort of thing hasn’t been done before but it’s just trendy right now. It’s not even daring it’s just like, ooh, think I’ll trans it up tonight. Where’s my beaded shift? Maybe trans-wear will be the new skinny jeans/bow tie/geek glasses.

Dior. What can I say? John Galliano just stop mining the 40’s and 50’s. Look to the future. Fuck this Lady Dior bs.

Givenchy. A little too look at how many hours this took to make rather than just feeling the clothes. But this for me is fashion. So much control. So focussed. Brilliant.

Newbies: Alexis Mabille. I don’t like what he does. I find it deeply unfashionable. Bouchra Jarrar: Interesting to see what small companies can do.

Chanel was inconsistent. I don’t know it just seemed all over the place. There were some lovely, relaxed pieces that looked young and fresh. It may have been my imagination but there appeared to be less jewellery and the ballet flats were sweet too.

Valentino: Beige ruffles. I don’t even like what they do at Valentino but now the clothes seem more recognisable than ever when I’m flicking through magazines. Four years ago I wouldn’t have been able to pick out a Valentino dress but now I spot them a mile away. I guess they must be doing something right but I just want Alessandra Facchinetti back. Is she working for Tom Ford now?

Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010 Review

I just don't know what to make of John Galliano anymore.

His work now comes off as timid. The spring Haute Couture collection opened with a series of equestrian skirts and jackets. Some of the jackets were done in the style of the classic Dior Bar. Yawn. He's done this countless times over the past few seasons and I call bullshit on it.

Above: Spring 2010 Bar inspiration. Below: Spring 2009 Couture

Below: Fall 2009 Couture

For me it comes down to expectations. For example a Chanel collection just wouldn't be complete without the black and white, the camellias, the chain straps, the tweed suits. They're Chanel staples and Karl whips up variation after variation each season. I'm used to it and I don't expect anything less or anything different. But with Galliano-the Galliano I grew up with-I expect world references pulled from all corners of the globe and envelope-pushing clothes that force you to re-think the way you do or could dress. I think the main reason for my disappointment in this collection is that it is in such stark contrast to the work he did in the early 2000's, when I first started taking a serious interest in fashion so I do have extremely fond memories of say the Spring 2001 prom queen/white trash collection.

Above: The good ole days, Spring 2001 campaign with Angela Lindvall

Unfortunately now he seems to be stating the obvious that rich white women are his clients and his inspiration and they have been for the past few seasons. Just take a look, you'll see his countesses, his debutantes, his first ladies serving as the inspiration for his work.

I do not question his talent, skill and the craft that has gone into this collection, I don't know, I think I'm actually upset that I no longer enjoy the work of a designer whom I once idolised. It's a lament for what I consider to be 'the good ole days' which is wrong because fashion should always be moving and shifting you in new directions. There's no point in Galliano doing a high-octane extravaganza anymore. He did that ten years ago. Of the 35 looks my favourites were look 16, Chanel Iman looking trés Bo Peep and look 21 with Jenny Sinkaberg in a button down dress with a belted swathe of fabric bouncing off one hip.

Above: Look 16, Below: Look 21

John Galliano once said "it's our job to make people dream" but unfortunately Spring 2010 only makes me want to sleep. Here's looking forward to Givenchy.

CHRISTIAN DIOR SPRING 2010

When did Dior become so boring? The customer that they had ten years ago has changed in their opinion. The Dior girl is now apparently a very well-to-do woman who perhaps hosts benefit lunches instead of going to a rave.
The show opened with a shiny leather trenchcoat. Dull, boring, could’ve come from any runway. What followed was a look that Galliano has been trotting out for a few years now. He probably calls it refined and elegant but as I’ve already said, I find it dull and boring.
Galliano needs to stop touching on “house codes” as if that’s going to give credibility to his work. The famed Dior bar jacket is something he keeps doing season after season but we’ve seen it. We’ve seen the nipped waist, the exaggerated pockets and hips.
His work no longer looks modern. It’s as though he’s scared to do anything outrageous for fear of losing his job. His inspirations seemingly have to come from Dior and Dior only. No more tribal, no more hobo, Peking opera, Egyptian. Just Dior.