Dior Haute Couture --- Nothing Amazing...

        Galliano never ceases to amaze with production of a good show, however this season I have unleashed my inner critic and have plenty to say about the collection.
        Dior means luxury, Dior is luxury. Dior means one of the finest fashion houses in Paris…wait… one of the finest fashion houses in the world. It is the symbol of snobby, rich women. But we cannot live our lives in the past, any longer. Really: “The New Look” is really getting old! Honestly, John Galliano is ruining the very uniqueness of the New Look that Christian Dior so wonderfully created back in 1947. It may seem dramatic, but oh so true.
       This collection seemed to it the fall haute couture season with its structural jackets and long, layered skirts. Equestrian was spelled in every perfectly-hand-stitched seam. But, Galliano really needs to stop living in the past. How many times have we heard him say, in this regal accent, “This collection was inspired by the actresses of the silver screen,” or “I was inspired with the New Look that Mr. Dior presented us with in 1947?”
        Now for the good parts of the collection. Well, look #1 had the most wonderful little fox hunt day jackets. The colors were rich and well thought out in all of the looks but I really have to address some faults…
          The skirts were long and frumpy. Who would pay the couture price for a piece of satin that just hangs on the body? Haute Couture is supposed to show the art and genius done with the hands. The work done on the skirts looked like pure laziness or lack of time or both. The coats were very structural but not anything that we have not seen in Dior’s ready-to-wear. Then, it comes to the lace wedding-like dresses, which were quite nice but not amazing….again channeling the New Look. I will praise the seamstresses for the sleeveless coat ( I guess making it a vest?) adorned with wonderfully detailed flowers. The ball gowns – typical, something that we have already seen through the lens of Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. Of course, there were pieces that I loved. Look number 32 was a wonderful, red ball gown with a sequin bow top. Also, look number 21 was my favorite because I loved the stream of exotic fabric that made its way from the back to the model’s left leg.
         All in all, a typical Dior collection. As much as I adore his brand and collections, I feel like Galliano should bring some of that into his collections for Dior. I’m not asking him to create Dior aliens or in other words, be as wonderfully futuristic as Alexander Mcqueen. I love the 1940s and 50s fashions. I love to see the re- interoperated but to see them again, almost identical, again makes the revolutionary originals a lot less magical.

                                                               All photos via Style.com