at christian dior, john galliano was inspired by the recent political unrest in france and the french revolution. models wearing “1789” painted on their bodies wore very corseted tops, very nipped in waists, skinny pants with bloodied hems and torn edges, and trench coats with intricate embroidery and wide belts. ball gowns with silkscreened images of the queen were worn with pearls dipped in blood and chunky leather biker boots. it’s a complete turnaround from the f/w presentation (based on nude), but one never really expects galliano to sit still.
giorgio armani’s prive presentation started with tailored pantsuits in beige, navy, white and black, accented in satin bows, pinstripes and lace. he then moved into skirt/jacket combos, with brocade jackets and ones with lace sleeves worn with satin ruched skirts. from there, it was all out glamour: banded strapless dresses with tulip hems, layers of chiffon ruffles, black and white abstract prints on silks, and frills aplenty. expect to see one (or more) of these gowns come oscar time.
another designer no stranger to the red carpet is valentino, and he kept to his glamourous aethestic this time around. his inspiration was the desert, and he stuck to a neutral palette for his collection: gowns in chiffon ruffles, beaded waists, boucle coats and jackets, and subtle floral short dresses. this time around, he mixed it up with some shorter dresses, no doubt appealing to young hollywood (ie, lindsay, selma, scarlett, etc.) some may feel that valentino isn’t growing, isn’t changing, but when you do something as well as he does (and the rest of the fashion world isn’t catching up), why fix it if it ain’t broken?
