Dior: The Borehouse

[iluvjeisa]

Thank God he did the SS 08 HC next season to redeem his genius. You know; the 'Klimt/60s' one that everyone hated but I loved to no end.

Yeah, that one was also great....that was the last one I really felt anything for.

 

[mikeijames]

Like I sad before I could be worng about my prediction but I think that very soon we are in for another change at Dior maybe in the next 2 seasons....

yes, perhaps a dior without john galliano....

 

[Squizree]

^ I dunno....... I havent completely given up on John just yet. I believe he could be the only one to pull Dior out of utter boredom.

 

[mikeijames]

^there exist quite a few fresh -- i.e. younger -- faces on the scene that'd love to get their hands on the heritage of dior. and i'm sure they'll all work for a fraction of what they pay galliano.

who knows? theyskens is on the market.

 

[Squizree]

There have been no signs of John leaving any time soon though, has there?

 

[Master Wood]

^^ I second that the Klimt/60's collection was actually very Galliano for Dior, but the show let the collection down, I think a lot has to be said for the change in format that the Dior shows have taken on, because one could argue that s/s 2005 was a radical change in direction for Galliano in terms of the clothing but the magic was not lost because the runway remained the same and the music was exceptional. I've loved the time John has spent at the house and as sad as it would be to see him go, I think perhaps it would be an appropriate time for him to leave and either focus on his own brand, or go to another more suitable house. This may sound radical but I've always thought John Galliano for Aquascutum would be incredible, he would transform the house beyond all recognition into a truly great British establishment, failing that Gareth Pugh please!!!

 

[tigerrouge]

I don't think there'd be any shame in John leaving Dior, his work there would always be remembered, and it would give him the opportunity to move on to another house, and possibly dive right into a new world of invention and evolution.

 

[b9409]

^ That is an interesting suggestion.

Maybe he said everything he has to say about Dior. Maybe it is time to move on or over to other ventures. I was at the Dior store today. Nothing was awful, yet nothing was also that spectacular. (well, other than some hideous FW 08 bags that were still lingering for some reason with plastic beads etc.) Unfortunately, their in-house merchandising (the clothes that come out of the house, but do not get presented in a show or anything) are ten times better than most of what he shows on the runway.

The difference is staggering really. Also, the over-abundance of Lady Dior bags were headache-inducing. Most colors looks so cheap, and Lady Dior is such a stale boxy bag to begin with. It is quite demode and cumbersome. It is sad to see that all the Dior accessory creativity has been reduced to a single box of a bag, with a stitching-pattern stolen from Chanel.

I would kill to see a display of delicious, and straight-from-the-oven, Saddle bags - one next to the other. Those were the days, no? If Dior accessories line is aiming to become Bottega, it is way too late for that.

 

[mikeijames]

I would kill to see a display of delicious, and straight-from-the-oven, Saddle bags - one next to the other. Those were the days, no? If Dior accessories line is aiming to become Bottega, it is way too late for that.

i concur, but insane galliano runways helped fuel the sales of those saddlebags. a girl may never have splurged on a sparkly pink minidress, but she'd definitely snap up a sparkly pink saddlebag in a second. it's all too depressing when you think about it: i almost feel like i'm talking about the 50s or something.

 

[irulan]

I agree that it would not be something shameful for Galliano to leave Dior. He has pulled that whole house out of oblivion, much like Karl did for Chanel, but it would be a pity to see him become old and rusted there and spoiling his own legend himself. Maybe it's time for both Galliano and Dior to move on...

Whom would you suggest for Dior if Galliano was to leave the house? I'm curious...

 

[Dkammern]

^i think there's a whole thread on the matter of "successions" and people have mentioned everything from Gareth to Zac Posen ninja haha

In a way I'd like Dior to move on and bring someone new at the helm of the atelier. However I can't see a way of doing that without unfortunate consequences.
Who knows what would've been of Dior without him. And he may have had his ups and downs but his work has pushed the boundaries of fashion so far he'll be no doubt remembered just as much as Dior himself.
From Arnault's position, how exactly could he replace a man that has done so much for the house? What could he possibly give him in return that can balance the loss (or even humiliation) of being "fired" on the eyes of everyone else? (just came to mind: do you think allowing his galliano label to grow and giving him a Galliano couture atelier would be possible? not just financially which is of course very difficult but really building a New and Grand john galliano)

I just can't see Arnault or Toledano saying: "Look John, we know we've been growing in double digit for almost a decade, I know that in spite of the crisis we're in an enviable economic situation, but we want you out. You know people at tFS say you've been a bit boring on the last couple of years, you know... Don't worry though, you can still do ready to wear for your own label and do boring there, because whoever takes over at Dior will do so much better, we could afford to lose money with your mediocre brand."

 

[iluvjeisa]

Unless they have some grand plans of revival, I think it would be wiser for Galliano to leave. Of course, it's impossible to know, really, but to throw all their money on a sub par campaign for an ugly bag and restrict Galliano's creativity to the extent they appear to have....I just don't see what's in it for him anymore. Except his own brand.

 

[b9409]

^ I do not know. I am not suggesting him to leave for someone else's sake and their career ventures. I am however thinking maybe it is Galliano who needs the change: a change of scenery and mindset. Maybe a different house? His talent is limitless, but maybe he is stuck at Dior, no matter what the reason may be. In this case, I would care about his priorities and interests, rather than the LVMH suits'.

Btw, the latest version of seasonal Saddle bags were tacky. I mean, not the country-by-country anniversary ones, nor the crazy-popular Gaucho, but those pink and blue Dior logo-ed canvas ones with PVC numbers and flowers attached. They were so cheap with the white piping and everything.

I am talking about the Carrie Bradshaw years, with those stunning leathers and gorgeous scarf prints. Or the larger black leather ones with some extra gussets and gadgets. Now those were seductive and sinful. And you know what: I would even dare to say timeless.

 

[b9409]

Let me give some examples:


Now I think these were really tacky, and cheap looking, for instance:

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Now, these are great versions for me, for what Saddle was. they were so right for the time, and the problem with Galliano is, his work now doesn't seem to be keeping its finger on the pulse of what is happening today:

 

[b9409]

A slightly altered version, which I adore above all else:

Another stunning creation, which I remember also came in black:

The timeless Saddle:

And finally, one of my all tie fave Dior creations; I would make the Dior emblem a lot smaller of course, but the rest is creative and very urban:

all images for both posts are from http://www.bwgreyscale.com

 

[Master Wood]

^^ Thank you for those wonderful ads pasha, you can certainly see a difference with those ads and the hideous and boring excuses we have today, Marion Cotillard cough cough. That one with mud on her face was just so raw with so much attitude, everything Galliano for Dior represented, a punk sensibility mercilessly tearing down a french institution whilst respecting it even more so than if he were to put the bar suit down the catwalk every season, and of course the mirrored campaign, something that simply took my breathe way. The bowling bags from F/W 2004 were a nice addition too.

In fact the more I think about it the more I feel Galliano hasn't lost his talent at all, but he has done Dior, what he acheived at that house was wonderful and magic, but the magic has all but gone and its time he shaked his wand at a new venture (dare I say fashion house) I'd like to see Gallianos take on the trench coat, in fact I'm going to start a movement...

JOHN GALLIANO FOR AQUASCUTUM

I'm sure you'd get used to it!

 

[irulan]

Now even I want a saddle bag...But whoa, has Dior changed, those ads illustrate this so nicely.
These unsexy Lady Dior bags and the ads that come with it have nothing on these babies...

 

[DuTTyRoCK112]

I pretty much came of age to the saddle bag. I honestly think that is the single most iconic item, besides maybe Tom Ford's very last Gucci Bags (shoulder bags with dragon emblems and purple and yellow ribbon).

It's a shame because I feel as though John must be exhausted of ideas. He has created, combined and recombined for over a decade and at some point you just lose it. It looks as though the older crowd quite fancies what he does for them nowawadays so I don't see him leaving anytime soon.

 

[mikeijames]

i seriously die over that lindvall ad with the red bolero jacket and camo saddlebag. that represents the true height of the galliano-for-dior cachet. that edgy, almost indigestible, unprocessed fashion. so raw that we didn't even want it until years later when it's gone.

with regard to succession? kors does just fine without celine. tom ford just fine without gucci. mcqueen just fine without givenchy. giambattista without ungaro. marc jacobs would do just fine without vuitton though he'd have less fun. there are some designers who need another house to really shine -- the alber elbaz, the nicolas ghesquiere, the karl lagerfelds of the world -- but there are others who can use that as a launching pad. the world's ready for uncut galliano again.

with regard to dior? they could go in so many directions and it seems that in the past few years they've pared away every semblance of galliano from the house of dior and now they've even stopped advertising what little vision he puts fourth. it's the perfect time for them to bring in someone new to take the house to a new place.

 

[iluvjeisa]

Those ads are terrible, but of course they are from the slimy 2000 years where everyone tried to compete with Tom Ford.

No, they need to go back the the glory days of the Chris von Wangenheim ads. Hire Meisel or Richardson and just do it....