Why do you like/hate John Galliano?

[j´adore dior]

sooo not comparing him with PS......... and although i disagree with almost everything lena thinks about JG , i do agree that no matter how much talent you have (as JG obviously), you need the recognition and push of someone known to let the rest of the world know you... that´s the way fortunatelly or unfortunatelly things are.

 

[Spike413]

^ Oh of course, you really can't dispute that. Connections are a hugely powerful thing in the fashion world (as you said, fortunately or unfortunately). I just don't think it's fair to say that Galliano is where he is based solely on highly influential friends.

 

[j´adore dior]

completely agree with you!, even if he were, do you think he would have done what he has without any talent at all?

 

[JuiceMajor]

his design is a test on what suit you and wht don't...it was never intended to take his runway outfit to the street literally....unless you are victorian beckham who unpacked her wardrobe from a box from D&G :-) make sense?

 

[Mademoiselle*]

Haha! How could anyone hate John Galliano? That guy's a genius! <3

 

[JuiceMajor]

connection only get you this far....but talent sustain you in the business! Plus hard work!

 

[Edina Monsoon]

Well, I've certainly never felt any misogyny in Galliano's work, the clothes he designs for men are every bit as impossible, objectifying and challenging as those for women; this is why I admire him. He does not send out fantasy book creations for women followed by basics for men in the manner of Viktor+Rolf for example.

His work defies logical thinking because he is always tampering with the logic and underpinings of how we think about fashion, in this way he is somewhat akin to Rei Kawakubo. That said, fashion design is all about projecting a fantastic image onto the body, which CAN reduce from the wearer's personhood and render them more object than subject.

However, this applies to both menswear and womenswear, so the charge to be brought against Galliano is not misogyny but objectification. He dresses his men in a highly eroticized manner, making them every inch a fetish object. He dresses them with the same goals as he dresses his woman; "So men will want to f*ck them".

Mabe Galliano boils down everyone's ambition in life to a very limiting, submissive, penetrative and phallus-centric pose, but he can never be seriously accused of any hatred of women. And anyway, isn't sex the highest denomination in the currency we are dealing with? Fashion itself sets out to make the wearer into a prized jewel for wide eyed and wet mouthed onlookers; it is the wearer's duty to wrest back control and personhood herself. This see-sawing between object and subject is entirely what makes fashion an artform in need of further investigation. That there is always the chance of a masquerade and a power struggle within Galliano's world makes him an artist worth caring about.

 

[dhclam]

To Mr John Galliano, if you hear me...

i absolutely love and adore him! he's a genius, there is no one like him. his creativity knows no borders, and he never ceases to surprise me. his designs are just magic, it's like a fantasy world come true. i've admired his clothes from day one, and still continue to do so......and his latest couture show: too much for words!

I totally support all the good things you guys have mentioned about Mr Galliano. I, as Mr Dale said early on, Galliano was one of the designers (the other one was Westwood) who drew me into fashion. I had the great pleasure to attend the F/W 05 Dior couture in Paris, my first couture show ever, and it was breathe-taking. I was disappointed by John from time to time in the last couple of years, however, like a director, one is allowed for a bad movie or two sometimes. To me, he's always my personal fave. Most audience at his latest Galliano men show were all smiling, not only for the performance but mainly for witnessing yet anotehr great show of his. They all praised about the collection. I do agree that the Dior logo was annoying or whatever, but, Dior deal is a package, I see that as part of the deal, sure those are from the designing team of Dior more than himself. Thank God we have someone called John Galliano.

 

[iluvjeisa]

I guess you haven't heard the famous "i want to make clothes for women so men will want to f**k them" comment.

How can that be perceived as misogynist? I mean, he's just being charitable and doing what he can for women to look shagable - just like he tries to make himself look shagable.

Still, I think it's a bit silly since most men appear to need less extravagant and beautiful outfits. For the most part, they seem quite content with VS. On the other hand when he says men he is most likely referring to men that matter (like sheiks, rock stars and princes) or perhaps even to himself. And of course he gets more press from saying something decadent...

 

[fashion whore]

Since 99% of all successfull designers are gay, i don't think any one of them thinks very highly of women.

... Given the clothes he designs for women, I find it hard to beleive he thinks highly of them.

 

[fashion whore]

I'm not a front row follower of gaultier, but the few things i've seen from him are all but the result of taking a trip through his imagination. He did those orange Buddha-monk things, he had jewish outfits on the catwalk... just litterally taken over from whereve they came from...

Though I respect your opinion, I must point out that, though Gaultier has never said that he went to Africa or Russia or China to find his inspirations, he, more then any other couturier I think, almost always references Saint Laurent, who had that same kind of wanderlust as Galliano. Whether that's conscious on Galutier's part or not I don't know. Though I respect him immensely for his talent and creativity, and I love his work as well, in that way I think he is less creative then Galliano. Of course, that's not to say that Galliano doesn't explore some of the same themes as YSL, but he, unlike Gaultier, seems to go direct to the source...whatever destination that may be and thoroughly explores the culture.

 

[Papercut Crisis]

Love some of his stuff b/c its creative and beautiful.

 

[Mr-Dale]

Since 99% of all successfull designers are gay, i don't think any one of them thinks very highly of women.

I think that is an awfully fast generalisation of gay men.

 

[JK1yroldesigner]

And another thing I hate....in all designer's really...is that he often uses the excuse,"I went to such and such and got inspired". How tired is that?! I used to think he took trips through his imagination(one reason I still appreciate Gaultier) but it seems his imagination plays no role anymore.

I agress the whole " oh i went on holiday there so i decided to theme the whole thing. Or i saw this movie so its all so inspired blablabla i think thats just, plane and boring. I tend to do it on like a snap image, like my last collection wa sall based on my garden wall and treee I think its all so much more exciting if it comes from something imaginary like a dream or like a sudden flash, or i love it when it just comes from one second moments of a view..

 

[j´adore dior]

I think its all so much more exciting if it comes from something imaginary like a dream or like a sudden flash, or i love it when it just comes from one second moments of a view..

maybe that´s what happens to him when watching a good movie or traveling to a far place....

 

[gallianoboy]

Yes and if he did use his "imagination" as you put it to come forth with new ideas for his collections the argument would be that it doesnt represent the culture enough unless you experience it first hand......get off Galliano already!!!!!your sweatin him!!!!!

 

[JK1yroldesigner]

do you guys work in fashion?

 

[Diorling]

I think that is an awfully fast generalisation of gay men.

And a wrong generalisation. Most gay men value women very highly, if they didnt why would they bother with dressing women to make them powerful? Why would they be hair and makeup men and make women look good if they didnt value them? It's a stupid generalisation, just because we like men doesnt mean we dont value women....Very stupid...

 

[j´adore dior]

Yes and if he did use his "imagination" as you put it to come forth with new ideas for his collections the argument would be that it doesnt represent the culture enough unless you experience it first hand......get off Galliano already!!!!!your sweatin him!!!!!

when feeling like you need to ask someone to stop sweating on another person you have to quote what that spotter wrote in order to adress him/her

 

[berlin_minimal]

I really really really detest Galliano.

His grasp of tailoring is exceptional. His whimsy and passion are what make his creations so unbelievable.

My issue is this: Christian Dior had a massive impact on the fashion world as we know it. To take a house that was so deeply rooted in femininity and classicism and turn it into a circus makes me cringe. What really makes me sad is the hoards of young people who will never know what the original Christian Dior was like - and what the house meant to couture. All they will see are saddle bags, furry boots, oversized sunglasses and bright colors. It pains me to hear people call him a 'couturier' -- yes, when he first began at Dior he did amazingly beautiful clothing. Gorgeous. But he should never be classed as a 'couturier'...he is a 'costumier' plain and simple. I do love the pieces he designs, but my disdain for his collections is more in the fact that in some cases it seems like shameless self promotion. Does anyone remember that collection where he showed the exact same first three Dior looks on the exact same runway for his Galliano show??? How DARE he pull a stunt like that. What, he has had such an amazing impact on the house? He deserves accolades from everyone because he has inserted JG into CD??? He is such a revolutionary that you can't take the Galliano out of the Dior?

I do still love the clothing....I just hate the fact that the name Dior has to be on them. Hopefully someday I'll learn to forget the original Christian Dior, and start to love Galliano's Dior in its entirety.

(Having said all of this, considering Christian's obsession with collecting lucky charms -- a very specific few he always carried with him -- why hasn't anyone in Accessories picked up on that and made a bracelet, keychain, necklace, SOMETHING incorporating those original charms???)