John Galliano

Jacket and skirt embroidered with gold paillettes, haute couture SS04. Photo: Laziz Hamani
The fifth volume of the acclaimed Assouline Dior series focuses on John Galliano’s extraordinary designs and shows during his time as artistic director for the French fashion house from 1996 till 2011. Galliano’s journey with fashion began when he was a student at Central Saint Martins and later worked as a dresser at the National Theatre. Tapping beyond his creative senses, he learned the art of costume design and illusion. He graduated in 1988 and debuted his first collection, inspired by the French Revolution, which sold at Browns Boutique. His frequent visits to London’s nightclubs exposed him to the city’s rich creative society, an environment that imprinted on his expressive persona.
Dior by John Galliano. Photo: Courtesy of Assouline
Almost immediately, Galliano launched his own brand, which significantly stood out as avant-garde, grabbing the attention of the British elite. He then joined Givenchy as creative director in 1995. The following year, he was appointed artistic director of the Dior women’s collections. He reinvented fashion through extraordinary shows and kaleidoscopic looks fueled by romantic innovation and history. “I’ve been rehearsing for this moment for 15 years,” Galliano shared with British Vogue at the time.
Detail of a dress in red satin embroidered with gold and silver beads, haute couture FW04. Photo: Laziz Hamani
His sculptural work earned him the moniker “master of the silhouette.” The adrenaline rush evoked by his revamped take on fashion during that time was spurred by an audacious combination of history and pop. “His reinterpretation of Dior’s Bar jacket, for instance, a version of which he produced in black-and-white houndstooth, one of Dior’s favorite materials, featured signature elements from Galliano’s repertoire, including disappearing lapels and glove closures on the sleeves,” says Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, who wrote the tome. The book is part of the series that Dior is crafting in honor of each of its creative directors. Like a picture album, it paints a memorable story inked within each of the photographs of Galliano’s work by Laziz Hamani, Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn, and Paolo Roversi. His work is enough to tell his story, as his designs are stitched with threads of his travels, his passion for film, art, the stage, and culture – modernizing his inspirations into reinvented contemporary art. “Often these references would be combined in a single collection, resulting in a postmodern potpourri of anachronistic juxtapositions,” shares Bolton.
Casque d’or short evening dress, haute couture FW97. Photo: Laziz Hamani
The book draws attention to Galliano’s collections that were culturally influenced by the Maasai of east Africa, or the Ancient Egyptians. It also focuses on his signature bows and suits, including the matador outfit and space suit. “I’m here for modernity and passion. Also, because I respect tradition. I have to understand it in order to move forward. I must preserve Dior’s romantic, feminine, and modern ambience. My heart is very close to that of Monsieur Dior. I’m here to prune some branches to help the tree grow better… Most of all, I wonder, what would Monsieur Dior do if he were here today? How would he have evolved over time? My goal is not just to make retro styles… It’s my Dior style,” Galliano shared.
Jacket in red leather and dress in tulle, haute couture ss06. Photo: Laziz Hamani
Dior by John Galliano is available from February 15 in English and French. Assouline.com
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Originally published in the February 2021 issue of Vogue Arabia

PRIVATE LABEL: On Oct. 1, a private collection of designer clothing and accessories spanning from the second half of the 20th century to the early 2000s will go under the hammer at Paris auction house Piasa.The 235 lots have been curated from the collection of “Monsieur R,” a Paris-based couturier who spent 25 years amassing items that inspired him on his own creative journey, which has a leaning toward reuse and recycling.
“He didn’t start a collection on purpose, he just bought whatever he felt drawn to — materials, shapes and ideas alike — for their own sake, not as an archive. That’s how he ended up with a range of 70 years of design,” said expert and curator Pénélope Blanckaert, who collaborated with the auction house on this sale.

The idea that design is circular in all respects permeated the selection. There were silhouettes inscribed in design history like a fuchsia dress from John Galliano’s 1995 fall collection, later worn in a Mario Testino photograph, or Comme des Garçons’ blue gingham “Bump” sheath from spring 1997; items exploring sustainable fabrications like a green Xuly Bët shift dress made of upcycled cotton T-shirts and going back to the early ’90s; even items that could be worn straight out of the auction house, like a lime-yellow coat from Courrèges spring 1967 haute couture collection, walking the edge between the era’s ladylike aesthetic and the designer’s futuristic leanings.

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Hence the approachable price points of Blanckaert’s estimates. While a draped silk jersey dress from Madame Grès made around 1945 was estimated to go for between 1,500 euros and 2,500 euros, most of the pieces started in the low hundreds. A 2004 cotton jersey dress by Helmut Lang that wouldn’t have looked amiss in this year’s Met Gala lineup was tagged at 200 euros to 400 euros, and even a Chanel suit from the 1970s had a conservative estimate of 500 euros.
“I dislike the notion that such designs are elitist. What’s interesting is to build connections between the piece’s original time period and today, to show that some of these items can be worn today, even a dress from Martial et Armand,” a Parisian couture house that had its heyday in the 1910s, she said.
Accessories will also be featured, ranging from a tote bag from Azzedine Alaïa’s 1991 collaboration with Tati and a rope-bound Lady Dior handbag imagined by French artist Morgane Tschiember, to the surrealist designs of Japanese designer Tokio Kumagaï and a pair of bow-adorned pumps by American luxury footwear label Herbert Levine, as well-known for its outlandish designs as it was for making shoes for Jackie Kennedy or Marilyn Monroe.
Ahead of the sale, the “De Madame Grès à Helmut Lang Collection de Monsieur R.” selection will be on public display from Sept. 25 to 30 at the Piasa auction house, located 188 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris.

This year, Vogue’s Forces of Fashion event will be a virtual affair, held on July 7 and 8. Titled “Fashion Goes Forward,” the event will feature many notable speakers and panel discussions that you won’t want to miss. (So make sure to book those tickets early!)
Over the course of two days, a number of the fashion industry’s leading designers and icons will sit down for thought-provoking conversations. Highlights include a special panel discussion with Vogue’s Anna Wintour, British Vogue’s Edward Enninful, Vogue China’s Margaret Zhang, and Vogue Runway’s Luke Leitch, who will all offer an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making Vogue’s global titles.
Award-winning musician Billie Eilish and Gucci visionary creative director Alessandro Michele will also be in conversation with Vogue’s Chioma Nnadi to discuss how they’ve shaped their respective industries. Designers such as Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia, Maison Margiela’s John Galliano, and Chloé’s Gabriela Hearst will all speak as well. Topics in the panels will range from what it takes to build a brand with impeccable authenticity to what goes into making it as a top fashion stylist.
All these panels will be done in English and available to watch live or on demand after the event until July 29. So what are you waiting for? Tickets, which come in several tiers, are available on the Forces of Fashion website now. (The all-access tickets are already sold out, so act fast.) Click here for the full lineup.
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Originally published on Vogue.com

The Paris-based fashion house also plans to show its next women’s ready-to-wear outside of Paris Fashion Week.