Is John Galliano Wrong for Dior?

[Mr-Dale]

I don't know wether Galliano=Dior. Galliano's stuff for his own line is always so incredibly different than what he does for Dior. Dior always seems to have a more elegant feeling, whilst Galliano exuberates more magic. I'm talking rtw here....

 

[AlexN]

Hmmm...yeah, I don't agree with the John = Dior thing. Not at all. True, it may be difficult to think of Dior without him, but I'd sure love to try.

 

[fashionist]

Slimane is going to take over Chanel once Karl kicks the bucket (mark my words...)

I hope not, as fitting as he is for Dior Homme I can't imagine him at Chanel, i would much prefer someone like Ghesquiere

 

[Mr-Dale]

Slimane is going to take over Chanel once Karl kicks the bucket (mark my words...)

I hope not, as fitting as he is for Dior Homme I can't imagine him at Chanel, i would much prefer someone like Ghesquiere

Yes yes yes, absolutely agreed. Oh and I noticed that Stefano Pilati was also mentioned in the list early in this thread together with Alber Elbaz and Phoebe Philo and I don't really get that. He has done 2 collections now at YSl. 1 of them was ok and the other was bad, or so I thought. And if I remember well, I was not the only one with that opinion when this collection was just released...

 

[PrinceOfCats]

Does Galliano equal Dior, does a bear s**t in the woods.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

Starting with Christian then the fact that the 'New Look' was not new would be the first thing I'd point out. The collection was a throwback to the belle epoque. Dior obviously has a long history of rehashes...modernism is not Dior.

 

[tricotineacetat]

OK, this is getting kinda off-topic now, but I think it would be best to let all those fabulous talents - such as Nicolas Guesquiere and Hedi Slimane - do their own labels instead of re-interpreting decade-old designers... this doesn´t mean I don´t appreciate the old craft - in fact I love the classic franch couture - but it somehow limits them as visionairies. I absolutely agree with Suzy Menke´s controversial comment that it might even be a good idea to give some old names a final rest... On top of that, I find it pretty obscure they are planing to revive Vionnet next season!

 

[birdofparadise]

The problem that always seems to arise with these sorts of discussions is that its rarely about the clothes. People tend to pit the flash and bravado of John's personality against the perceived quiet, stately elegance of Christian without really referencing the time, the era, the wars, the so on and the so forth. I do not think a designer should boil down his personality or his aesthetic for the sake of people's desire to idol worship, to reference a set of values that they feel have long since evaporated...but that they, ultimately, never had to begin with.

Nicky @ Balenciaga shouldn't even be referenced since the house was shut down in 1968 in fear of having to suddenly face consumers' new desire for modernity. Dior's fate was sealed even earlier: gone in '57, warned of bad omens in his cards from his beloved fortune teller. What should have been required of J.G., an English designer trained under the eccentric demands of Central St., brought on board almost 40 years later? Can John Galliano's work for Christian merely be seen as a matter of cultural evolution? Is there an inherent danger in worshipping the past? How long will the buying public be sated by the demands and elements of a time long gone? Is Galliano as wrong for Dior as Yves Saint Laurent (the master) who promptly found disfavor for adding a similar element of youth, energy and danger?

 

[Salvatore]

I think he has the potential to be right for Dior. He has not quite come to the point where you say "Now that's Dior!"

 

[tott]

For me, it is about the clothes. Any designer taking over a label should be able to interpret the label they're working for. Updated, with an eye to the past. Of course it has to be modern!

If they can't adapt, concentrate on building their own labels instead. Simple, really.

 

[birdofparadise]

I think Tott's got it. Time to let the old labels go. Fashion would have lost so much if YSL did work out for Dior.

 

[travolta]

it is true bird..it seems to be an outdated concept to worship and be sentimental about the outdated. its very precious and it really sets yourself up for failure..

 

[Alejandro]

Hey, Dior is selling more with Galliano than when it was with previous designers...isn't that what LVMH wants? I think so.

 

[fashionyork]

Whether or not you like his designs, you can't deny Dior is one of the most profitable houses out there, simply because his flashy collections are an amazing marketing tool even if the clothing doesn't sell well.

Every season even casual fashion observers hear and see at least some of Dior's show, which in turn creates extra sales of accessories, makeup, perfume, etc. From the business side of things I think Galliano's eccentricity is perfect for them.

i couldnt agree more
plus I John

 

[Mutterlein]

The question isn't about whether Galliano is good for business, if you are judging by financial success then Galliano would be good ANYWHERE. But what makes him good specifically for Dior? Abecrombie sells well but should we have them designing for Dior as well?

 

[j´adore dior]

Starting with Christian then the fact that the 'New Look' was not new would be the first thing I'd point out. The collection was a throwback to the belle epoque. Dior obviously has a long history of rehashes...modernism is not Dior.

modernism is sooo relative...
the new look was a REinvention of the belle epoque period, he didn´t dress women equally as they did on that time, he reinveted it, re tought it and made it modern and right for that period of history, wich i think fashion and a designer´s job is all about, everything has provably already been invented and a designers mission is to bring and reconstruct looks, trends and styles to the time they are living in, think of the work of prada, lagerfeld, ford, elbaz, pilati and so on... creating clothing (but coco chanel her self, poiret, vionnet and a few others) have always and i think will always be about recreate, and galliano have proven to be perfect at that, he has re worked a lot of dior´s legacy but making it modern, who will wanna wear the bar jacket from the 50´s today? probably noone but the mannequin of a musseum, but who will wanna wear the new jean and bouclé bar jackett?, probably a lot more people
i cannot think of one designer that haven´t take something back from the past and reinvented it.

 

[j´adore dior]

The question isn't about whether Galliano is good for business, if you are judging by financial success then Galliano would be good ANYWHERE. But what makes him good specifically for Dior? Abecrombie sells well but should we have them designing for Dior as well?

i think because he is a designer that understands excess and luxury that are trademarks of couture and dior, because he knows when to create a caracter and when to turn it into a very feminnine and elegant woman, because he is a great cuter, wich is very important for a couture based house, because he has a vision, is extremely influential and have given great contributions to the world of fashion, the return of the bias cut for example.

 

[AlexN]

The question isn't about whether Galliano is good for business, if you are judging by financial success then Galliano would be good ANYWHERE. But what makes him good specifically for Dior? Abecrombie sells well but should we have them designing for Dior as well?

That's along the lines of what I was thinking.

 

[Mutterlein]

i think because he is a designer that understands excess and luxury that are trademarks of couture and dior, because he knows when to create a caracter and when to turn it into a very feminnine and elegant woman, because he is a great cuter, wich is very important for a couture based house, because he has a vision, is extremely influential and have given great contributions to the world of fashion, the return of the bias cut for example.

Elegance is something that Dior has been lacking as of late. I agree Galliano has a great vision but I think it is better executed at his own house. As for his use of bias cutting I do agree his embrace of that is very fitting for a couture house but a lot of designers do it now. I suppose there can always be an argument either way but I feel the house is ready for some change and if Galliano can't do it then maybe he should go.

Although I must say that his most recent collections (HC S/S 05, RTW A/W 05) have been a drastic change and in my opinion embody Dior more than any of his collections from the past few years.

 

[tricotineacetat]

In my opinion, even when it comes to Oscar-worthy, wearable evening gowns, I don´t think John´s are by far as inventive and elegant as those by Chanel Couture or probably Rochas (just look at all those bias-cut floorlength gowns from f/w 2005)... All those tardy champagne satin numbers come to mind...