CONCRETE RUNWAY

American Vogue September 2007 by David Sims, starring Raquel Zimmermann

Christian Dior Fall 2012 Haute Couture.

I’m not posting this because it’s one of my favorite shows, by any means but because it was a big thing in the fashion community. Most people I’ve talked to about it, don’t like this collection….AT ALL! I liked about a third of it. I think that the work Galliano did was genius and although what Raf Simons did went back to classic Dior (by Christian himself) what was presented left me missing John even more. So here are some of my favorite pieces from the collection.

John Galliano Fall 2008 Menswear.

Galliano has a way of putting in the same showmanship and theatrics that he puts into his ready-to-wear into his menswear that makes him one of the few menswear designers I actually like. It’s his way of outwardly making his clothes look completely unwearable but under close inspection, most of it is perfectly wearable. With this collection, he echoes back to the Tudors, Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death”, and torture. A story of people partying to their deaths, with allusions to the executioner’s axe and noose hanging above them, waiting to come down at any moment.

John Galliano Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear.

One of the most blogged and reblogged collections I’ve ever seen. This solo collection Galliano did was laced with a lot of Dior. From the way the coats flared out at the hip to emulate the peplum of the “New Look” to the typical Galliano romanticism, this collection can be and has been easily mistaken for Dior.

The collection itself had a frigid feel to it, which makes sense as the inspiration was Russian and Balkan traditional folk costumes. Full of panniers, embroidery, peasant blouses, and gorgeous pom-pom embellished shoes, this collection is iconic for Galliano.

Christian Dior Spring 2006 Haute Couture.

In this case, Galliano did something atypical of a Dior Couture show. Gone was his sense of whimsy glamour and vintage modern romanticism and instead he channeled a dark aesthetic. In a French Revolutionary War themed show with touches of Spanish bullfighting thrown in, what memories John really conjured was an evil alchemist summoning a vampiric spirit to feast on the souls of young fashion interns!